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05/12/02 Certex and Easylift team up to deliver safer conditions for offshore crane operations

Easylift – a leading manufacturer of lifting and logistics technology systems – has appointed Certex UK Ltd as exclusive global distributor for its innovative Remote Control Release System (RCRS) for offshore, marine and specialist cranes.

The RCRS is a newly-launched product developed with financial backing from Shell Expro and represents a major step forward in improving safety conditions during offshore lifting procedures by physically distancing personnel from sling release operations on the decks of ships and offshore platforms. The system has also shown a 25% increase in machine and crew productivity.


From left Charles Gillespie, Sales and Marketing Director for Certex UK Ltd. with Philip Leone, Executive Director for Easylift, launch the Remote Control Release System for off-shore, marine and specialist cranes.	The RCRS allows loads of up to 10 tonnes to be automatically released by a remote control handset up to several 100 metres away.	The new RCRS system manufactured by Easylift and distributed by Certex UK Ltd.

Using hydraulic energy, the RCRS allows loads of up to 10 tonnes (test loaded to 26 tonnes) to be automatically released from a sling and hook system when the crane operator activates a hook release using a remote control handset. This means that handlers do not have to climb up or on to containers to unhook slings. A further advantage is that personnel are removed from the danger zone allowing them to be several hundred metres away from the object being lifted. As a result, there is less risk of accidents when loads shift or swing.

These safety attributes are seen as key contributors to the UK oil and gas industry’s ‘Step Change’ initiative, which seeks to reduce fatal and major accidents by 50%. More specifically, the aim is to reduce accidents and dangerous occurrences involving lifting and manual handling equipment by 15% by 2010.

In 1999/2000 there were 68 dangerous lifting occurrences and 60 injurious or fatal lifting accidents in the UK offshore energy sector.

Certex – one of the country’s largest distributors of lifting products and services and part of the international FKI Group – will not only sell and rent the RCRS, but also provide users with its comprehensive suite of support services, including certification management, repair and maintenance, inspection and testing and training services.

Philip Leone, Executive Director of Easylift, explains why the company chose to award the exclusive distribution contract to Certex. “Easylift and its multi-national customers in the oil production and exploration business require a service provider with global reach and a comprehensive portfolio of technical and training services. Certex, with 130 branches in 22 countries is widely recognised as the global leader in offshore lifting services.”

Charles Gillespie, Sales and Marketing Director for Certex UK Ltd, expects the RCRS technology to be widely adopted by the offshore industry.

“Certex is a leading supplier of lifting equipment and services to the offshore energy sector and the RCRS is a highly innovative technology that will provide quantifiable returns in safety and productivity to our customers.”

The latest version of the RCRS – completed in April this year – was developed by Easylift under contract to Shell Expro in Aberdeen. It included RCRS downsizing and a new Zone 1 multi-channel telemetry system for hook releases and some new logistics features such as bar code reading of containers.

Certex will offer the RCRS to users through a convenient, full service rental plan.

The system already has patents in the US, UK and Norway and is currently being launched at Certex offices in Aberdeen, Great Yarmouth, Stravanger and Houston.