Combating glare
Seawork 2015 exhibitor Sola-Cure, the UK-based anti-glare window blind supplier, has recently installed blinds on the 16.50m survey vessel ‘Porth Dinllaen’. The ‘Porth Dinllaen’ is owned by Holyhead-Based company, Turbine Transfers Ltd and is currently under charter to Dutch company, Van Oord as part of the Liverpool2 deepwater container terminal project.
Initially, Sola-Cure was asked to provide and install blinds to the wheelhouse as an aid to navigation. Blinds were fitted to all forward, overhead, port and starboard windows. Master of the Porth Dinllaen, Rob Roberts explained, “Operating as a survey vessel, it is critical that we have clear visibility on the survey monitor mounted in the wheelhouse. The blinds not only support this requirement, they provide protection against the sun’s rays reflecting off the surface of the water which can be extremely problematic.”
Having witnessed at first hand the impact the blinds had in the wheelhouse, Van Oord’s surveyors in the main crew deck requested similar for the port side windows where a number of monitors are located. Sola-Cure has now supplied and installed blinds on all port side windows. In addition to improved visibility of the monitors, the blinds will reduce the temperature on-board in the summer months and create a more comfortable working environment for the crew.
Outside of the UK, Sola-Cure has also recently supplied Holyhead Towing with blinds on an additional five vessels in their fleet. Despite operating in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, Sola-Cure was able to provide a pre-production, on-site measuring service through its partnership with Technology Ventures, based in the UAE.
<spancalibri”,sans-serif;>By Jake Frith
