Bow ramp
Most RoPax ferries need an efficient drive through facility and many ships with RoRo capabilities incorporate vehicle access by the bow as well as by the stern. Bow doors and ramps enable efficient cargo flow and quick turnarounds in port.
Bow access is also invaluable on train ferries, naval support vessels and heavy-lift ships.
Bow access requires, by regulation, the highest degree of integrity. Some ships have three successive barriers to water ingress. Our RoRo ramps are designed to be safe, efficient and economical to run, while fully meeting specific operating requirements.
We focus on maximising cargo carrying capacity and minimising equipment weight, this ensures peak efficiency and lowers the fuel cost per tonne of freight carried.
In most door access designs two watertight closures will be considered adequate. Bow doors or a bow visor are the two options for the opening. Bow doors can be of parallel stow type (or swing-arm type), clam-type, directly-hinged type, side-hinged or wing-type. The door is detached from the ramp for safety reasons.
When deployed, the bow ramp provides access from main deck to the shore. When the bow ramp is in its stowed position, it is utilised to double-up as the inner door and therefore seals the aperture forming a weathertight door in the collision bulkhead. It is divided in two or more sections, for example two main sections and an additional folding section with tapered end flaps.