TTS has delivered and installed a new hoistable cardeck onboard Stena Forteller as a conversion project. The contract was signed with Stena RoRo in beginning of January 2008 and the equipment was delivered and installed onboard during voyage between Finland and Sweden in July 2008. The deck panels were manufactured locally in a modulated design to minimize installation time and transportation cost.

'The installation of the decks in such a short time was a difficult task, but TTS had an attractive technical solution and the installation team made a good job. The cooperation between TTS and the crew onboard Stena Forteller also helped the project to succeed,' says Mikael Abrahamsson, Project Manager at Stena RoRo.

A new feature for the project was the electric drive, using frequency converters to control the electric winches. It is also new to support and guide the hoistable cardecks only from the deck above to minimize the steel work in the existing side structure and tanks. The design also leave the cargo space free from obstructions when the decks are hoisted.

The cardecks are made in steel frame with plywood surface and has a hoistable ramp to access the new deck level.

The project is important as a reference to the new technology of using electric winches in hoistable car decks. TTS has delivered electric car decks before, already in 2002 it was installed in a Wallenius car carrier built in Korea, but the delivery for Stena is of a new design and in a larger scale. There is a trend towards electric operation of cardecks mainly due to the lower risk of oil leakage and less complex installation compared to a hydraulic solution.