In response to the new Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) regulations due to come into force July 1, LCM Systems has launched a SOLAS-compliant container weighing system.

The company has been supplying container weighing systems for around five years with over 40 system sold to date, and have utilized this experience to design a flexible modular system that can be easily and quickly retrofitted onto straddle carriers, container cranes and telehandlers.

“Our container weighing system is another variant of the hundreds of weighing systems we have supplied over the years,” said Steve Sargeant, the company’s managing director. “The strain gauge technology that we use is a tried and tested method of load measurement that has been proven to provide highly accurate data for many years in even the most hostile of environments. We have designed functionality into this system that reduces costs by de-skilling the installation process, while at the same time speeding up operation to keep equipment downtime to an absolute minimum.”

The system verifies the container weight in real-time to an accuracy of one percent, although higher accuracies can be achieved with on-site calibration and by utilizing a in-built linearization facility. The standard package is a complete stand-alone system that comprises of four load measuring pins that replace existing load bearing pins on the spreader block, an interface module, and a ruggedized eight-inch tablet. Pre-wired cable assemblies are supplied for system connection, which allows installation to be carried out by untrained personnel. This also reduces installation time and consequently equipment downtime, as well as facilitates fast and simple replacement of cables in the event of any becoming damaged.

The ruggedized tablet displays the load on each twistlock and the percentage of the overall weight it is carrying. This allows for the detection of possible damage to twistlocks due to overloading or unequal weight distribution during container engagement and lifting. Also displayed is the combined weight on all four twistlocks. There is a tare function and the facility to enter container numbers and generate reports. A calibration button on the main screen brings up a new display screen that enables on-site calibration for optimal accuracy.

Because every port is different the system can be tailored to meet the specific needs. In addition to the standard package a system is available that can be fully integrated into the port Terminal Operating System (TOS) that offers flexibility in terms of data output and data provision. Other types of load cell systems are also available, including annular load cells that are placed around the twistlock assembly or arrangements that utilize the twistlock by turning it into a load measurement device in its own right. Wireless options are also available.

LCM Systems are based in Newport on the Isle of Wight and are specialist manufacturers of load measurement and instrumentation systems.