Abstract: A device for opening a pontoon unit to form a pontoon bridge, in which two inner pontoons and two outer pontoons are connected by hinges such that they can be opened in the shape of a W. In the collapsed state, the two inner pontoons are connected to an upper middle hinge and the two outer pontoons are joined to the adjoining inner pontoons by a lower hinge each. The lower hinge is formed by two pins which are arranged in the adjoining corners of the inner pontoon and outer pontoon. The pins are pivotably connected by a projecting lever, and the freedom of movement of the projecting end of the lever can be limited by stops. The end of the lever facing the outer pontoon is attached to a tension spring. The outer pontoons are opened by the tensioned tension springs against the buoyancy acting on them.

Abstract: An improved two-split carrying barge according to the present invention is aimed at solving the problem of ensuring watertightness at the opening portion of a hold of the barge. The carrying barge of the present invention has left and right parts of a hull that are rotated through hinges to open or close the hold at the bottom of the barge. The left and right parts of the hull are positively coupled by a coupling device which can be released with great ease by remote control when loaded cargo is to be expelled from the hold of the barge. Moreover, the carrying barge of the present invention is equipped with a rubber packing arrangement at the opening portion between the left and right parts of the hull. Since the rubber packing arrangement can flexibly cope with a change in the width of the opening portion due to rolling or pitching, the watertightness of the carrying barge of the present invention is ensured.

Abstract: A method for the forming and the deposition in a selected place of a bulk consisting substantially of loose or lightly cohesive material, such as sand or other ground material, for example for use as the core or base of a dam, quay, a bank reinforcement, a jetty or a breakwater, for filing holes or trenches in the bed of a waterway, or for the packaging and storage of contaminated material. The invention has for its purpose to carry out a method of the type in such manner that it can be performed very inexpensively and quickly, while nonetheless ensuring an excellent durability of the formed bulk, both in the short and the long term.

Abstract: A hopper vessel for storing bulk material such as dredged material, has one or more holds. The holds in their bottom are provided with trap doors that open by moving downwardly below the bottom of the vessel. In shallow water, there is the risk that these trap doors, when moved downwardly, will contact the bottom or the material that is deposited from the hopper vessel on the bottom. Therefore, some of the trap doors in the hold are at a higher level in the closed position than the other trap doors. To discharge material, the higher trap doors are opened first; and after enough material has been discharged that the vessel rises sufficiently high in the water, only then are the lower trap doors moved to open position to complete the discharge of the material. The higher trap doors are provided at the ends of the hold. This allows adjusting the angle of the vessel if the bottom of the body of water is sloped.

Abstract: A locking mechanism for a self-dumping barge which can be opened and closed by means of hydraulic cylinders (18), comprises hooks (38) and transverse bolts (42) cooperating therewith. The transverse bolts (42) are connected to the hydraulic cylinders (18) in the area of a piston rod (20) for each cylinder. A hook support (26) is connected to an outer end of the piston rod. The device eliminates special arms or the like for receiving the locking mechanism and also the corresponding reinforcing attachments on the hull. Preferably the transverse bolts (42) are located at the outer end of the hydraulic cylinders (18) and the hook supports (26) coincide with the points of attachment for the piston rods.

Abstract: Vessel comprising two hull sections, pivotably connected together by hinges positioned above the center of the vessel and above the center of gravity of the separate hull sections. The vessel comprises a propulsion installation with one single propeller. The propeller shaft direction is parallel to the center line of the vessel within the central dividing plane of the vessel. Those parts of the hull sections determining the hold are joined through edges determined by the central dividing plane. Near the parts of both hull sections into or onto which the propulsion installation is positioned the hull sections are adjoined on a plane positioned at a distance from the central dividing plane such that the transverse cross sections of both hull sections are unequal. The propulsion installation is housed in the larger section.

Abstract: Split hopper vessel comprising two half hulls which are pivotably connected to each other by a pivot shaft which extends at a high level parallel to the longitudinal axis of the ship. Both half hulls are furthermore connected to each other by means of cylinder pairs installed at an interval at a distance below the pivot shaft in a directiontransverse to the pivot shaft. The housings and the piston rods of each pair of cylinders are by cylindrical bearings connected to a respective axle, in common for both housings and for both piston rods, which axles themselves are, centrally between the housing bearings and the piston rod bearings connected to the respective part of the ship by a self adjusting bearing. The fluid lines between the rod sides on the one hand and the piston sides on the other hand of each pair of cylinders are embodied as rigid conduits, which are connected to both sides of one single remotely controllable locking- and safety valve for each pair of cylinders.

Abstract: In a dredged soil conveying vessel comprising a hold which is open on the bottom side and which is enclosed between two pivotally interconnected ship's halves, each of which has floating power and joining one another along their bottom rims in the closed state, in order to provide many efficient modes of discharge of the dredged soil conveying vessel, one ship's half is provided near the bottom of the hold with a draining suction channel communicating with the hold through an opening that can be closed, said channel communicating with a pump connected with a slush outlet conduit and inside the hold of the dredged soil conveying vessel a plurality of water supplies are directed along the walls.

Abstract: The invention relates to a split hopper vessel consisting of two halves, which can swing about a horizontal longitudinal axis between a closed position in which the hold formed by the two halves is closed and an open position in which the two halves are moved apart. The two halves are interconnected by hydraulic cylinders which can perform or assist the opening and/or closing of the vessel. The hydraulic cylinders under the control of non-return valves (10,11,53) which block the closed position and which by a control pressure system can open to allow the opening of the vessel. The flow of liquid from one side of each cylinder to the other side can be shortened, and safety structure ensures that all cylinders operate simultaneously, all non-return valves (10,11) having a pressure-activated switch, which when activated opens the non-return valve G.sub.1 in the line connecting both sides of each cylinder.

Abstract: An oil-collecting ship having two floating bodies which can be spread apart and which are hinged together at their rearward ends. Each of the floating bodies is a stable ship's body half. The two halves are provided with oil suction devices for picking up oil which has been pushed together by the floating bodies in a spread-apart condition. At least one locking device keeps the floating bodies in the unspread, closed state parallel to the longitudinal axis of the ship. A main drive is also provided. The bow of each ship's body half is provided with an auxiliary drive unit. Various arrangements of each body half are described.

Abstract: A hopper barge having at least two longitudinal air chambers interconnected pivotally at deck level, which chambers in a loading position bound an upwardly open well and in an unloading position release a discharge opening at the bottom, and comprising at least one control unit for controlling the relative position of the air chambers, with per each control unit two synchronously controlled jack means, which are each pivotally connected with at least one of the air chambers by on the one end a lever arm, which two lever arms are arranged in substantially mirror-symmetrical relationship relative to the median longitudinal plane of the vessel and being interconnected pivotally, and on the other end a hinge fixedly secured to one of the air chambers.

Abstract: In a longitudinally split bottom dump barge which is opened and closed by rotation of the two longitudinal halves of the barge relative to each other about a longitudinal axis on the top side of the barge by hydraulic pistons, a mechanical device for locking the two halves of the barge together in their closed position includes a hook member, rotatably mounted on a shaft at the bottom inner side of one first barge half. When the hook is in its lowered locking position, it hooks about and rests upon a locking pin mounted at the bottom inner side of the other second barge half. An operating shaft linkage has one end pivotably attached to the hook and a threaded opposite end which engages with a hand wheel located on the top deck of the first barge half. The hand wheel is manually turned in one direction to raise the end of the hook member engaging the lock pin, to thus allow the split bottom of the barge to be opened.

Abstract: A bottom-dump vessel, whose longitudinal hull sections can be pivoted apart by jack means to provide an open bottom for discharge of cargo, has the adjoining edges of the keels of the hull sections interconnected by articulated rods which in substantial side-by-side position loch the hull sections in the closed position and in substantial end-to end position limit the angle of opening of the hull sections. The locking rods have means for positively driving them, thereby allowing for rapidly opening the vessel and transmitting appropriate braking forces to cope with mass forces. The arrangement makes for moderation in the size of jacks and other facilities required.