CPI Helps Tugboats in Harsh Duty Environments

There are many kinds of workboats in the world from fishing boats, to ferry’s, to cargo loaders, dredging boats, fire fighting boats, you name it. But in all these, the ubiquitous Tugboat surely holds a special place.

We spend a lot of time here at CPI talking about “harsh duty environments” and how our waterproof pendant switches are unique in the world for their ability to address this market. Perhaps one of the very best examples of harsh duty is just one day in the life of a tugboat. These incredible floating machines come in all shapes and sizes and can be made to move ships weighing millions of metric tons. At the hands of a skilled operator, tugboats steer huge cargo ships through rivers, lakes, and oceans thousands of times every day and they do it safely without injury, loss of cargo, or damage to the other boat.

CPI Switches Provide Reliable Safety Systems for Tugboat Applications

Consider the case of the SP Amber, a 626 ton towing vessel currently in service in and around the gulf of mexico. Providing 6300 hp through two  Caterpillar 3516C diesel engines, with two, forward mounted, Rolls Royce UT-255-FP z-drives, the SP Amber was originally commissioned for LNG Tanker work, considered some of the most dangerous tug work in the world. Consider that a typical 1000 foot tanker filled with liquefied natural gas is essentially a floating bomb. As they come into port from places like Africa, they are sometimes heavily guarded by the US coast guard and overhead helicopters.

E1092 Waterproof Switch, simulated roller/lever with cable housing and industry standard termination

SP Amber like most modern tugs, also has a built in fire suppression capability which includes a fire fighting gun and high pressure pump that can pump water wherever its needed in a high pressure stream that can run close to 10,000 gallons per minute. This pump assembly is on a swivel and critical to safety during firefighting operations, is preventing the pump assembly from over-rotating. In this application our E1092 single pole double throw waterproof switch is used, with our simulated roller actuator and mounting bracket.

A Waterproof Switch Solution for Harsh Duty Marine Applications

CPI switches are used in this application because of the harsh nature of the operational environment. Our switches are made of stainless steel and the switch body and lead connections are completely sealed in santoprene or neoprene depending on your temperature requirements. Our switches are truly waterproof, not splash proof or water resistant, and they stand up to high vibration and active duty cycles with certain models having electromechanical endurance of over 1 million cycles.

Tugs keep us Safe. CPI keeps Tugs Safe

CPI waterproof switches are not strangers to Tugboat manufacturers, or the workboat industry in general. In pleasure boating as well as work boats, CPI switches get called upon when manufacturers are sick of dealing with reliability issues and are seeking their “final solution” to switch based detection in safety and other systems.

Call CPI today to discuss how our waterproof switches make workboats, work safer or visithttps://www.cpi-nj.com 

Content originally posted on: https://www.cpi-nj.com/blog/cpi-helps-tugboats-in-harsh-duty-environments/