Hollund Industrial Marine has only one competitor in the world at the present time, Triton Logging.
Triton Logging has two technologies used for recovering underwater timber. The first technology unveiled by Triton was the Sawfish. Basically, the Sawfish is a submarine about the size of a car or small truck which is tethered to the surface with a series of cables and air hoses. But before the Sawfish can get to its trees, a path must be cleared so its cables and air hoses are not caught and hung up in the branches of trees it hopes to recover. The operator must also be mindful of underwater features that could cause a hang up, such as cliffs and boulders in the immediate area.
As anyone with marine experience knows, a submarine is a maintenance intensive technology. Virtually anything that makes a submarine work, can also cause things to go wrong. In addition, the trees the Sawfish seeks to harvest weight far more than the Sawfish, and may extend a hundred or more feet upward. Can anyone say fish tail. Once the trees are cut, these massive trees take off and do their own thing, and the Sawfish is helpless to do anything about it.
The second technology utilized by Triton is called the Sharc. The Sharc is basically a backhoe that features a slide arm that can go straight down a limited distance to harvest trees. The vision system and lighting for the Sharc are located on the platform where the operator is housed, and since the Sharc has little more than up and down motion, the platform must be maneuvered into position for each and every tree. This positioning is a difficult process under the best of conditions, and with turbulent water and limited visibility, the positioning is even more difficult and time consuming.
Of the two technologies, only the Sharc is used extensively by Triton --- for obvious reasons. However, the Sharc is currently only capable of around a thirty foot reach, and with only basic up and down motion. This means Triton is currently doing little more than topping trees in Lake Volta, and most people know the real value of trees is found from their roots systems to their branches. This means that except for the most shallow of reservoirs, the most valuable part of the tree is left standing at the bottom of its watery graveyard.
The advantages of Hollund Industrial Marine's TigerLynk are extensively detailed for all to read simply by visiting their website. The TigerLynk clearly holds an enormous advantage over all competitors found anywhere in the world.
