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Mente-san for PMA

Mente-san is a device for inspecting the condition of outer panels or structural members safely. Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (Class NK) issued a statement of approval for Mente-san as an alternative "permanent means of access" (PMA) that meets SOLAS* requirements.

SOLAS*: The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea of 1974.

Summary

Mente-san can be easily assembled and installed by combining widely available ladder and scaffold parts. It can be set up on either side of a ship, and ship size does not matter. Inspectors can carry out inspection work speedily, properly, and safely. Mente-san can be ass­embled and disassembled easily.

Features

  • Since we adopted as many widely available ladder and scaffold parts as possible, the cost was reduced and it is easy to get replacement parts.
  • When you need more layers of scaffolding, they can easily be added according to the same assembly procedure.
  • By rearranging parts, Mente-san becomes available for various uses:
  • Mente-san is held firmly to either side of a ship so that you can get a safe scaffold in high places.
  • Rakuraku Ladder Noboru-kun (up to six stages) is an easily movable tower-type maintenance ladder.
  • Rakuraku Ladder Noboru-kun (one stage to several stages) can facilitate maintenance on the bottom of hatch covers and around high places in the accommodation space.
  • Lon-chan can facilitate maintenance of vertical places on the ship's hull or within ballast tanks.

Typical Cases

Mente-san is going to be adopted as an alternative PMA required by SOLAS. It has started to be installed in bulk carrier ships since spring 2009. The crews in the ships use Mente-san to do maintenance and inspection work inside the holds.

Specifications

  • The triple-extension ladder can be adjusted to fit the length of any hopper.
  • To fix the ladder securely, an upper-end fixing unit is connected to the ladder, and bars are put into scallop holes.
  • Connecting pins and fixing clamps hold the platform part of each stage securely to the hold's framework.
  • You can adjust the scaffolding platforms to the vertical wall height of the ship.
  • Scaffolding platforms with access hatches ensure that you go up and down safely.
  • For additional safety, handrails and chains surround each platform.

FAQ

Q:Can you tell me about the statement that you acquired from Class NK?
A:Shipping societies such as Class NK have not formally approved any portable inspection equipment that has been made commercially available so far.
Because the requirements for formal approval are not yet definite, the shipping societies could not give formal approval to any portable inspection equipment as an alternative PMA. But the people in charge from the ship's hull departments and inspection departments of five shipping societies ? ABS, BV, DNV, LR, and NK ? then studied how Mente-san is installed and its fully installed condition.
And since they found no problem with Mente-san, we created a manual for it. Thus, Class NK issued the world's first statement saying, within an inch, that Mente-san (equipment and manual) meets SOLAS requirements.
Q:Is Mente-san available for irregularly shaped holds or any size of ship?
A:Mente-san is compatible with Handysize to Capesize ships that have hold frames in their holds. It is also compatible with ships that have curved frames, long big ships whose stern/aft is bent, or ships whose hold frames offer limited access in bulk-head areas.
Q:What is the price?
A:Mente-san costs about 2 million yen (excluding tax). Basically, a single Mente-san includes a top fixing device, a triple-extension ladder, and a set of five platforms. When the ship's shape is special, please contact us.

Reference

For Additional Information

Meihan Senpaku Co., Ltd. E-mail; meihan-yk@k5.dion.ne.jp

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