NYK (head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan; president: Yasumi Kudo) and Kajima Road Co. Ltd. (head office: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan; president: Hirohisa Takita) have jointly developed a new antislip material for the ramps that connect each deck of a car carrier’s hold, and the vessel’s center ramp, which is located in the center of a pure car carrier and connects the quay with the vessel.
This new antislip material, “KS Grip,” first be used on Pleiades Leader, a pure car carrier completed on November 14 at Shin Kurushima Toyohashi Shipbuilding Co. Ltd.
Traditionally, expanded metal made of meshed steel plates was used to reduce slippage within a car carrier hold. However, the friction offered by this material works in only one direction, which results in vehicular slippage while loading and unloading automobiles on rainy days. KS Grip provides protection against slippage in all directions through use of Kajima Road’s accumulated technology and expertise in specialized paving.
A pure car carrier carries thousands of automobiles, resultantly placing a great burden on the surfaces of vessel ramps and decks during loading and unloading. However, tests conducted over two years have proved KS Grip's superior durability. The new product also maintains a high degree of flexibility against a vessel's hull being distorted by the impact of waves. In addition, because KS Grip has a special coating on its surface, the dispersion of the antislip material is extremely limited compared to similar products.
Moreover, by using colored KS Grip, it is possible to highlight driving ramps and thus promote workplace safety in the vessel hold for loading and unloading operations.
NYK will introduce KS Grip on newly built pure car carriers as part of its ongoing efforts to prevent accidents when loading and unloading automobiles.
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