New safety device 'fishing' drifting boats

One of the biggest concerns about large shipping is the possibility that technical problems will occur and the boat will drift or, even worse, end up causing environmental disasters.

Thus, according to the staff at the Technological Innovation website, a group of Norwegian engineers has developed a new safety system that acts as an underwater winch for the rescue of large ships. The device, named ShipArrestor, was successfully tested to stabilize a 120, 000-ton vessel, reducing its drift by 58% in just 21 minutes.

Underwater parachute

According to the publication, the system - which basically consists of a 200 meter chain with a hoop at one end and a parachute at the other - is launched into the ship by a helicopter. The rim-shaped end is then attached to the boat's deck by the crew itself, and the other, which has a parachute-shaped anchor, is released into the water.

Once launched, the parachute opens underwater, reducing the boat's displacement, while a tugboat approaches to catch the current and drag the damaged vessel to safer water. The results during the tests were very promising and the engineers hope to be able to launch the new security system soon to the market.