Marine AHUs In Hazardous Locations

The mission of the Strategic Sealift ships is to transport, or transport and preposition afloat, military unit equipment and logistic support for the military forces of the United States. In January of 1995, National Steel and Shipbuilding Co., (NASSCO) awarded DRS Marlo Coil purchase orders for Cargo Hold Air Handling Units for the three Strategic Sealift Ships plus an option for up to three additional shipsets.

Each shipset includes eleven (11) central station air handling units ranging from 2,000 cfm to 27,995 cfm designed in accordance with American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and U.S. Coast Guard requirements. DRS Marlo Coil has delivered the first two (2) shipsets and anticipates manufacturing one shipset per year through the end of the program.

The entire cargohold on these 950 foot long ships is temperature and humidity controlled in order to maintain equipment during periods of long term storage.

Due to fuel, batteries and other combustible material stored on these ships, the cargoholds are Class 1, Division 2, Group D, hazardous locations and as such, all equipment located therein, including DRS Marlo Coil's air handling units, must be explosion proof, spark proof or intrinsically safe.