The name of the company – Marine-Solutions – does not immediately call to mind logistics associations, but nothing could be further from the truth. CEO Bert Keijsers is a shipping entrepreneur who has developed an ingenious concept for unloading bulk goods (coal, sand or gravel) from a ship without manpower. The idea came to him at a time when freight prices were so low that he had to seriously look into ways of surviving the intense competition. The principle is that by placing a crane on a ship or a conveyor belt in the hold, the ship becomes self-unloading. The crane or conveyor belt shifts the greater part of the ship’s cargo. In order to unload the remainder, Marine-Solutions has come up with a pneumatic system using fabric sheets (made from coated fibres) attached to the walls of the hull: the Self Unloading Bulk System.

By pumping air under the sheets, they rise up and ‘push’ the rest of the cargo towards the gutter, from where the conveyor belt or crane removes the remaining bulk goods from the ship without the need for bulldozers or a funnel. The combination of the Self Unloading Bulk System, crane and ship (the cheapest transport modality) can promote the water-borne transportation of goods, which is good for the environment. Of the available types of coated fibres, TNO has tested five for their impact properties. In a test with sharp basalt, all five proved resistant to the pouring of this sharp material over a prolonged period (more than a thousand loads). The system is also suitable for use in warehouses, silos, railway wagons and containers.

More information
Marine-Solutions B.V.
bert.keijsers@vaart.net