Abstract: Maintenance personnel need to be safely transferred to offshore structures from marine vessels in varying sea and weather conditions. Disclosed herein is a control system for a marine vessel (100) having a propulsion and steering system (101) and a fender arrangement (102) at the bow of the marine vessel to provide contact between the marine vessel and an external structure (103). The control system comprises force, pressure, torque or strain sensors and a controller. The force, pressure, torque or strain sensors measure force, pressure, torque or strain that are indicative of forces between the fender arrangement (102) and the external structure (103). The controller controls the operation of the propulsion and steering system (101) to substantially obtain or maintain desired forces between the fender arrangement (102) and the external structure (103) based on the force, pressure, torque or strain measurements from the force, pressure, torque or strain sensors.

Abstract: An extensible bar comprises a bar and a sleeve that slide over each other and are kept together by a pin. The extensible bar includes a locking system made up of a latch connected by a wire spring to the sleeve, the latch preventing sliding movement between the sleeve and the bar when the latch is positioned within respective recesses formed in the bar and in the sleeve when the recesses are aligned. The wire spring urges the latch into the recesses. Unlocking of the assembly entails pulling the latch out of the recesses by grasping and pulling a handle attached to the latch. The locking system can be blocked by turning the latch about the wire spring into an orientation that prevents the latch from entering the recesses. The locking, unlocking, and blocking functions are performed by an assembly of only three parts; the latch, the wire spring, and the handle.

Abstract: The invention refers to an extensible bar for tractors, comprised by a bar 1 and a sleeve 2 that slide over one another and are kept together by a pin 9 and including a locking system 3. The locking system is comprised by a latch 7 that prevents sliding movement between the sleeve 2 and the bar 1 when it is positioned within the housings of the bar and sleeve when they are aligned, by means of the actuation of a wire spring 6. The assembly is unlocked when the latch 7 is manually pulled out of the housings by means of a pull handle 8 directly attached to the latch. The locking system can be blocked to facilitate the detachment of the accessory, by turning the latch 7 about the wire spring 6, to prevent the latch 7 from engaging the housing. All these three functions: locking, unlocking and blocking of the system are performed by an assembly of only three parts 6, 7 and 8 of low production cost.