2 Manual Anchoring Winches for CEMEX – A Robust Solution for River Barge Operations

For CEMEX’s Haute-Seine shipyard, ILC engineered two manual anchoring winches designed for a river barge operating in demanding fluvial conditions. The requirement looked simple on paper — lift a 950 kg anchor with a holding capacity of 8 tonnes — but the challenge was far more technical: deliver a fully manual, highly reliable system able to withstand continuous daily operation.

Key technical challenges

• 100% manual operation required — no motor allowed.
• Variable river currents and water levels.
• High safety constraints for barge operators.
• Large rope capacity: 75 m of Ø 26 mm wire rope.

ILC’s solution

We designed two fully custom winches equipped with:

• a high-capacity declutchable drum,
• a manual high-safety drum brake,
• reinforced mechanical structure for impact and vibration resistance.

A durable, operator-friendly solution tailored for river operations.