A method and related device for reducing resonant vibrations and dynamic loads of cranes, where vertical motion of a pay load is controlled by a boom winch and a hoist winch. In an embodiment, the method includes determining resonance frequencies of the crane boom and pay load from inertia data of the boom and stiffness on at least the boom and hoist ropes, the resonance frequencies including a first frequency and a lower second frequency. In addition, the method includes automatically modifying the motion of the boom winch or the hoist winch to induce a damping inducing winch motion in the boom or hoist winch, by tuning a proportional integral (PI)-type boom winch speed controller or a PI-type hoist winch speed controller. The boom winch speed controller is tuned to absorb energy at the second frequency, the hoist winch speed controller is tuned to absorb energy at the first frequency.

A spooling apparatus (40) for spooling and regulating the pull of a rope (12) or a cable that shall be spooled onto or out from a winch drum (22), comprising a spooling sheave (42) onto which the rope (12) is guided before it is spooled onto the winch drum (22), where the spooling apparatus (40) comprises a linearly moving slide (44) and that the spooling sheave (42) is mounted in the slide (44) so that it can be tilted sideways. Also described is a system for the spooling in of a rope (12) or a cable that shall be spooled onto or out from a winch drum (22) comprising a winch (20) with said winch drum (22) and a traction unit (26) for the tension on the rope (12), and also a spooling apparatus (40).

A spooling apparatus (40) for spooling and regulating the pull of a rope (12) or a cable that shall be spooled onto or out from a winch drum (22), comprising a spooling sheave (42) onto which the rope (12) is guided before it is spooled onto the winch drum (22), where the spooling apparatus (40) comprises a linearly moving slide (44) and that the spooling sheave (42) is mounted in the slide (44) so that it can be tilted sideways. Also described is a system for the spooling in of a rope (12) or a cable that shall be spooled onto or out from a winch drum (22) comprising a winch (20) with said winch drum (22) and a traction unit (26) for the tension on the rope (12), and also a spooling apparatus (40).

Various hoisting systems with heave compensation are provided. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a winch having a rotatable drum and a heave compensation system with both active and passive drive input devices. The heave compensation system can be coupled to the rotatable drum so that the active and passive drive input devices can each be used to drive rotation of the rotatable drum in response to heaving motion of the winch. Additional systems, devices, and methods are also disclosed.

Various hoisting systems with heave compensation are provided. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a winch having a rotatable drum and a heave compensation system with both active and passive drive input devices. The heave compensation system can be coupled to the rotatable drum so that the active and passive drive input devices can each be used to drive rotation of the rotatable drum in response to heaving motion of the winch. Additional systems, devices, and methods are also disclosed.

A coupling device for recovering an unmanned ship includes: a coupling unit, which is lifted and lowered by being connected to a crane provided in a mother ship; an accommodation unit provided in the unmanned ship, and having a vertically communicating coupling hole; a guide unit performing guiding such that the coupling unit is coupled to the accommodation unit, and including a towing line formed to be long, and a winch connected to the other side of the towing line so as to selectively wind or unwind the towing line; and a control unit including a sensing part for sensing the tension applied to the towing line by the driving of the winch, and a control part for lowering the coupling unit connected to the crane, if the intensity of the tension sensed by the sensing part is a preset value or higher.

Various hoisting systems using multiple hoisting lines in shared block-and-tackle arrangements are provided. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a hoisting system with multiple hoisting lines wound on a rotatable drum of a drawworks. The hoisting lines are continuous wire ropes that are reeved over a shared crown block and around a shared traveling block in a block-and-tackle arrangement to provide a mechanical advantage. Additional systems, devices, and methods are also disclosed.

Various hoisting systems using multiple hoisting lines in shared block-and-tackle arrangements are provided. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a hoisting system with multiple hoisting lines wound on a rotatable drum of a drawworks. The hoisting lines are continuous wire ropes that are reeved over a shared crown block and around a shared traveling block in a block-and-tackle arrangement to provide a mechanical advantage. Additional systems, devices, and methods are also disclosed.

A heave compensator for heavy lifts with adjustable dampening characteristics is able to operate above and below the water line in environmental pressures ranging from the atmospheric up to several hundred atmospheres pressure. A method for automatic regulation of the available stroke length of the heave compensator during the lifting operation, based on the realization that heave compensating devices utilising a slideable piston as a volume expanding mechanism to reduce the tension forces upon relative movements between crane and load, may obtain a simple compact construction able to execute a range of different compensation functionalities by registering the pressure and temperature in the gas filled chambers of the device, and employing this information to regulate the amount of gas in the single gas filled chambers.

A heave compensator for heavy lifts with adjustable dampening characteristics is able to operate above and below the water line in environmental pressures ranging from the atmospheric up to several hundred atmospheres pressure. A method for automatic regulation of the available stroke length of the heave compensator during the lifting operation, based on the realization that heave compensating devices utilising a slideable piston as a volume expanding mechanism to reduce the tension forces upon relative movements between crane and load, may obtain a simple compact construction able to execute a range of different compensation functionalities by registering the pressure and temperature in the gas filled chambers of the device, and employing this information to regulate the amount of gas in the single gas filled chambers.