Barkmeijer Stroobos BV, based close to Harlingen (NL), have led the way in shipping for the last 150 years. From sea-going vessels, to bulk carriers, dredgers, chemical tankers to fishing vessels, there is no limit and nothing is “impossible, until the contrary is proven”, as Barkmeijer likes to say. Among the big range of ships being built, are also pilot station vessels. Barkmeijer signed a contract with “Het Nederlandse Loodswezen” to deliver 3 such pilot station vessels, with the first delivery at the end of this year and the other 2 in 2013 and 2014 respectively. The vessels will be employed for the Dutch Coast and their pilots will ensure the safe and swift handling of shipping traffic entering and leaving Dutch and Flemish ports on the river Scheldt.
Pronomar are happy to have subsequently received an order from Barkmeijer for the supply of their by now well established Pronomar-Top Trock drying systems, to be installed on each of the new vessels, to dry the crew’s and pilot’s work outfits, such as jackets, trousers and various caps, hoods etc. The drying systems for the pilot’s clothing will further be installed in individual lockers.
The drying systems, all made from high-quality seawater-resistant steel, use a patented drying technology that sets them out from other dryers, in the way that the hangers, over which the clothing is placed, are all formfitting and rounded off, thus preventing damage to the expensive garments. Further there are nozzles at the most neuralgic places, such as armpits, shoulders and back, through which a big amount of warm air, coming from a powerful blower, is guided directly into the outfits thus drying them in an efficient and swift manner from the inside out.
With the drying systems providing perfect maintenance of the outfits on a daily basis their lifetime is prolonged considerably which means quite a saving in purchasing costs. The dryers, being built from heavy stainless steel are built for long-term use requiring practically no maintenance, another weight lifted off the shoulders of the people on-board who have a strenuous enough job as it is. But there is also another advantage not to be missed with view to the people on-board: if they are provided with constantly dry clothing they will be less likely to get sick thus their well-being is increased which goes hand in hand with their motivation and productivity.
