Syncrolift

Syncrolift AS is a supplier of ship-handling equipment for shipyards.^[1] It manufactures the Syncrolift shiplift.

Syncrolift, Buenos Aires

Shiplift

The Syncrolift shiplift is a piece of equipment for lifting boats, ships and vessels onto land and back at sea for maintenance work or repair.

The vessel is maneuvered over a submerged cradle, which is then lifted by a set of synchronized hoists or winches. The vessel can be worked upon in place, or it can be moved inland.

The largest shiplifts can lift vessels up to 100,000 tons.^[2] Because of this capacity, shiplifts have almost completely supplanted the older dry dock systems, most of which could handle only one vessel at a time.^[3]

History

The Syncrolift shiplift was invented in the mid 1950s by Raymond Pearlson when he was working as Chief Engineer for Merrill Stevens, a small Miami shipyard. In 1958 he formed Pearlson Engineering Company (PECO) to develop his invention.

In 1979, PECO was taken over by the British engineering group Northern Engineering Industries (NEI) . PECO became NEI Syncrolift, and later part of Rolls-Royce. Rolls-Royce developed the modern Syncrolift shiplift until 2015.

In 2002, Raymond Pearlson was awarded the Elmer A. Sperry Award for the "invention, development and worldwide implementation of a new system for lifting ships out of the water for repair and for launching new ship construction.".^[4]