Text b. Ramps

Ro-Ro ships fitted with ramps usually have a stern ramp, but some vessels fitted with bow doors may also have a bow ramp which doubles as the inner weathertight door (see above) and is lowered onto a linkspan when the bow visor or side hinged doors have been opened. Ramps may also be fitted internally to give access from deck to deck. These can be hydraulically or mechanically tilted to serve more than one deck and can be fixed in the horizontal position to serve as decks themselves. In some ships they can even be raised into the hatch space and serve as weathertight covers.

Stern ramps can be fixed axial ramps, fixed quarter ramps, slewing ramps or semi-slewing quarter ramps. The axial stern ramp may also serve as the stern door and can be lowered or raised hydraulically or by wire rope arrangements. The quarter ramp was designed for ro-ro ships using ports which are not provided with right angled quays or link span connections. The large articulated quarter ramp is raised and lowered by wire rope purchase arrangements to hydraulic winches. Slewing ramps serve a similar purpose to the quarter ramp, but are more flexible. The slewing ramp moves around the stern on a curved guide rail, the movement being affected by the lifting and lowering wire purchases which are led to hydraulic winches.

Text c. Side Doors and Loaders

Side door/ramps are available for ro-ro operations and are similar to stern door/ramp installations. Most side door installations, however, are intended for quayside fork lift operations with palletized cargo being loaded onto a platform at the door by the quayside forklift and stowed in the ship by another forklift truck. Instead of a loading platform on ships trading to ports with high tidal ranges a ramp onto which the quayside forklift truck drives may be fitted. Elevator platforms may be fitted immediately inboard of the side door to service various tween decks and the hold. A particular type of elevator system is that developed for the transportation of paper products especially newsprint. The quayside forklift places the newsprint rolls on the height-adjustable loading platform which together with the elevator platform is fitted with roller conveyors. Movement of the roller conveyors is automatic, the newsprint rolls being transferred from the loading platform to the elevator platform which travels to the pre-selected deck or hold level for unloading.

Upward folding doors with hydraulic cylinders actuating the hinge are usually fitted to the side opening, the load platform being fitted inside the door and hinged at the bottom of the opening, automatically being lowered when the door is opened. Combined side door/hatch covers are fitted in designs where the ship is low in the water relative to the height of quay in order to provide sufficient head room for forklift truck operation. With the side port elevator system referred to above a combined door/hatch is fitted to the hatch carrying part of the tower which houses the upper part of the cargo elevator.