ABLAZE proposes to develop an INLS module that houses a motion base able to stabilize the attitude and movement of the LMSR ramp while the vehicle is discharging from the LMSR and crossing the ramp. The vehicle will exit the ramp onto the motion base, at which time, the motion base will then seamlessly change its mode to sync to the motion of the INLS while at the same time lowering the vehicle to the deck of the INLS. Once the motion platform has lowered itself to INLS deck level, the vehicle is able to drive off of the motion base onto another section of the INLS. The motion base will then re-sync with the LMSR ramp, raising and adjusting its attitude and motion compensation to stabilize the ramp.
Benefit: Aside from emergency relief and military operations, offshore cargo transfer is a very desirable capability for nearly all ports: from third world ports with poor infrastructure to ports such as Hong Kong where berthing space is difficult and costly to obtain. In Hong Kong for example over 500,000 containers per year are handled by small mid-stream cargo operations. Compared to the efficiency at the modern port often facilities just yards away, mid-stream operations are: very slow; highly dependent on weather; result in a high incidence of damage to cargo and vessels; are hazardous to personnel and sometimes deadly. Many commercial ports in locations such as China, India, South America and North America could benefit from a safe reliable all-weather mid-stream transfer capability. For example, to offload at the Port of Philadelphia, ocean going vessels now need to travel nearly 100 miles up the Delaware River to reach the port. If the cargo could be unloaded onto a floating facility in the Delaware Bay, the supply ship could be turned around much faster, larger ships could serve the area, and the need for dredging the river minimized. In the case of Philadelphia, this general concept has been discussed for many years, but the technology was not available to enable such a service.
Keywords: Improved Navy Lighterage System (INLS), Improved Navy Lighterage System (INLS), Stewart Platform, inertia measurement unit (IMU), salt water actuators, motion compensation, Real time Processing