[0002] The invention relates to shipping reels, especially reels of metal bands, onboard a ship. The method and arrangement of the invention can, however, also be used for the shipping of cylindrical goods of other type.

[0003] Various arrangements for shipping reels of this type onboard a ship are known. For instance, a solution is known, in which the reels are shipped in separate reel holders located at the bottom of a cargo space. This type of solution is displayed for example on the web page of Seacon Shipping Ltd, www. seacon. co. uk/shipping. html. Publication WO 01/49559 discloses a solution, in which the reels are shipped on tweendecks that are in a cargo space of a ship at a distance from the bottom of the cargo space and above it.

The solutions disclosed above can be combined in such a manner that the reels are shipped both on tweendecks and at the bottom of a cargo space.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0004] It is an object of the invention to develop a method and ar- rangement for shipping reels onboard a ship, by which the shipping capacity of the ship is utilized better than before.

[0005] The object of the invention is achieved by a method and ar- rangement that are characterized by what is stated in the independent claims.

[0006] Preferred embodiments of the invention are described in the dependent claims.

[0007] In the arrangement of the invention, the reel holder may be located in and fastened to a compartment for reel holders in a ship. The reel holder may be located in and fastened to a compartment in the aft or fore sec- tion of the ship. This compartment may be narrower than the (main) cargo space of the ship that is in the aft or fore section of the ship. In ships, the (main) cargo space usually narrows in the aft and/or fore of the ship, or in the aft or fore section of the ship, there is a cargo compartment that is narrower than the normal (main) cargo space of the ship. The compartment for reel holders can be a type of extension to the cargo space, or it can be in the cargo space. If there are several cargo spaces on the ship, the compartment for reel holders can be between two cargo spaces.

[0008] This compartment for reel holders can also be at a level above the bottom of the cargo space, i. e. higher than the bottom of the cargo space (tank-top). By placing heavy metal reels closer to the metacentre of the ship, the centre of gravity of the loaded ship can be moved closer to the meta- centre, thus reducing the metacentric height of the ship. Among other things, this results in that the rolling of the ship is reduced and becomes slower.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES [0009] The invention will now be described in greater detail by means of the preferred embodiments and with reference to the attached draw- ings, in which Figure 1 is a cross-sectional side view of a ship containing an ar- rangement of the invention and with reels in reel holders, and Figure 2 is a top view of a ship containing an arrangement of the in- vention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0010] The figures show an arrangement for shipping reels 3 on- board a ship 1.

[0011] The arrangement comprises at least one reel holder 2, in which the reel 3 can be placed and shipped onboard a ship 1 in such a manner that the reel 3 remains in place in the reel holder 2 at least in the horizontal and downward directions of the ship 1. The reel holder 2 is fixed to the ship 1.

The figures show arrangements with several reel holders 2.

[0012] There may be at least one compartment 6,7 and 10 for reel holders 2 on the ship 1. The compartment 6,7 and 10 can be part of an actual cargo space 4 and 5 or separate from the actual cargo space 4 and 5 by a fixed or movable partition or the like (not shown). The ship 1 shown in the fig- ures has compartments 6,7 and 10 opening from the top by removing a weather deck 12 that closes them. This type of arrangement makes it possible to place the reels 3 to the reel holders 2 in the compartments 6,7 and 10 from the top by a crane (not shown), for instance.

[0013] The reel holders 2 may comprise a reel 3 binding arrange- ment (not shown) for binding the reels 3 in place in the reel holders 2.

[0014] The reel holders 2 may be of the kind that holds the reels 3 therein crosswise to the longitudinal direction of the ship 1, as shown in Figure

1, or in the longitudinal direction of the ship 1. A single reel holder 2 can be arranged to hold one or more reels 3 in place.

[0015] The ship 1 shown in the figures has a first cargo space 4 and a second cargo space 5. The number of cargo spaces 4 and 5 may differ from that of the figures. In the figures, the first cargo space 4 has a first compart- ment 6 that is narrower than the rest of the cargo space, and the second cargo space 5 has a second compartment 7 that is narrower than the rest of the cargo space. The first compartment 6 and the second compartment 7 have reel holders 2. It is possible that the first compartment 6 and/or the second compartment 7 are respectively a first compartment 6 of the first cargo space 4 and a second compartment 7 of the second cargo space 5 separated from the first cargo space 4 or respectively from the second cargo space 5 by a partition (not shown).

[0016] In the figures, the first compartment 6 and the second com- partment 7 are in height further away from the keel 8 of the ship than the bot- tom 9 of the cargo space of the ship. The first compartment 6 and the second compartment 7 are located above the bottom 9 of the cargo space of the ship, i. e. higher than the bottom 9 of the cargo space. By placing reels 3 closer to the metacentre (not shown) of the ship 1, the centre of gravity (not shown) of the loaded ship can be moved closer to the metacentre of the ship 1, thus re- ducing the metacentric height (not shown) of the ship 1. This results in that the rolling of the ship 1 is reduced and becomes slower.

[0017] The first compartment 6 and/or the second compartment 7 can be a low space with a height of approximately 2 metres or corresponding to the height (diameter) of the reels 3 shipped onboard the ship 1.

[0018] It is also possible that such a first compartment 6 that is nar- rower than the rest of the cargo space only exists in the aft (not marked with a reference number) of the ship 1, and that the reel holder 2 is in this first com- partment 6.

[0019] It is also possible that such a first compartment 6 only exists in the aft of the ship 1 and above the bottom 9 of the cargo space of the ship, i. e. higher than the bottom 9 of the cargo space of the ship 1, and that the reel holder 2 is in this first compartment 6. It is possible that this first compartment 6 above the bottom 9 of the cargo space of the ship is also narrower than the rest of the cargo space.

[0020] It is also possible that such a second compartment 7 that is narrower than the rest of the cargo space only exists in the fore of the ship 1, and that the reel holder 2 is in this second compartment 7.

[0021] It is also possible that such a second compartment 7 only ex- ists in the fore of the ship 1 and above the bottom 9 of the cargo space of the ship, i. e. higher than the bottom 9 of the cargo space of the ship 1, and that the reel holder 2 is in this second compartment 7. It is possible that this second compartment 7 above the bottom 9 of the cargo space of the ship is also nar- rower than the rest of the cargo space.

[0022] The ship 1 shown in the figures has two cargo spaces 4 and 5. Between the cargo spaces 4 and 5, there is a third compartment 10 with the reel holder 2. In Figure 1, this third compartment 10 is above the bottom 9 of the cargo space of the ship, i. e. higher than the bottom 9 of the cargo space of the ship 1. This third compartment 10 can also be at the bottom 9 of the cargo space. The third compartment can be a low space with a height of approxi- mately 2 metres or corresponding to the height (diameter) of the reels 3 shipped onboard the ship 1.

[0023] It is also possible that such a third compartment 10 only ex- ists between the two cargo spaces 4 and 5, in other words, that the aft of the ship 1 does not have the first compartment 6 shown in the figures and that the fore of the ship 1 does not have the second compartment 7 shown in the fig- ures.

[0024] At the bottom 9 of the cargo space of the ship shown in Fig- ure 1, there are also reel holders 2 with reels 3 in them. These reel holders 2 can be separate or fixed structures at the bottom 9 of the cargo space. Alterna- tively, these reel holders 2 can be fastened to a support structure 11 or form recesses in the support structure 11. The support structure 11 makes it possi- ble to easily move the reel holders 2 at the bottom 9 of the ship for instance to the first 6 or second 7 compartment or the third compartment 10, when the reel holders 2 are not needed at the bottom 9 of the cargo space. In Figure 1, this type of support structure 11 with reel holders 2 fastened thereto is located in the second compartment 7 in the fore of the ship 1. In the first 6, second 7 or third 10 compartment, the reel holders 2 to be located at the bottom 9 of the cargo space are protected and transported onboard the ship 1 when the cargo space 4 and 5 is used to transport other type of cargo.

[0025] Figure 1 also shows the weather deck 12 closing the first and second cargo spaces 4 and 5. The weather deck 12 preferably comprises sev- eral separate weather deck sections (not shown) that can be lifted with a crane (not shown) onboard the ship 1 or a harbour crane (not shown). In this type of arrangement, no turning arrangement is needed to turn the weather decks 12, and consequently, the space required by the turning arrangement, which usu- ally is in the aft and/or fore of the ship 1, can be used for shipping the reels 3.

The weather deck 12 can be arranged to keep the reels 3 in place in the reel holders 2. The distance between the reel holder 2 and weather deck 12 can be designed by taking into consideration the height, i. e. diameter, of the reels 3 shipped onboard the ship 1.

[0026] It is apparent to a person skilled in the art that a ship 1 hav- ing the arrangement of the invention can also ship the reels 3 with some other arrangement, for example in separate reel holders placed on tweendecks (not shown) or at the bottom of the cargo space.

[0027] The invention also relates to a method for shipping reels 3 onboard a ship 1. The method employs a reel holder 2, which is placed on- board a ship 1 and arranged to keep a reel 3 placed in the reel holder 2 in place at least in the sidewise and downward directions of the ship 1, and places a reel 3 on the reel holder 2. In the method, the reel 3 is placed in the reel holder 2 that is fixed to the ship 1. The preferred embodiments of the ar- rangement of the invention can be applied to the method of the invention.

[0028] It is obvious to a person skilled in the art that while the tech- nology advances, the basic idea of the invention can be implemented in many different ways. The invention and its embodiments are thus not restricted to the examples described above, but can vary within the scope of the claims.