What is ISO 4568 about?
ISO 4568 discusses windlasses and anchor capstans for sea-going vessels in ships and marine technology.
ISO 4568 specifies the requirements for the design, construction, safety, performance, and acceptance testing of windlasses and anchor capstans.
ISO 4568 is applicable to windlasses and anchor capstans of sea-going vessels, that have an electric, hydraulic, pneumatic, or external drive, of the following types:
- Symmetrical double cable-lifter windlasses
- Single cable-lifter windlasses
- Single cable-lifter windlass units
- Anchor capstans
- Double cable-lifter windlasses with the connecting shaft
Who is ISO 4568 for?
ISO 4568 on windlasses and anchor capstans is applicable to these entities:
- Windlasses and anchor capstans manufacturers
- Ships and marine industries
- Deck equipment manufacturers
- Vessel manufacturers
- Shipping and goods transport industry
- Shipyards
- Water transport engineering industries
Why should you use ISO 4568?
A windlass is a machine in which the cable-lifter is mounted on a horizontal shaft whereas an anchor capstan is a machine in which the cable-lifter is mounted on a vertical shaft.
The guidelines provided in ISO 4568 assist while designing and constructing windlass. Because most of the times materials may suffer from fatigue or stress-related failure under loads of tension. Thus, for an anchor windlass that has to lift a weight of nearly a ton, specialized mechanisms have to be used.
Mechanism given in ISO 4568 for windlass and anchor is beneficial when the windlass allows a higher degree of control while operating the device and the space occupied by it can be used for storage.
ISO 4568 covers all the requirements for design, construction, safety, performance, and acceptance testing of windlasses and anchor capstans. It creates a standardized approach for manufacturers of windlasses and anchor capstans that they need to adhere to if they supply their materials for use by the ship and maritime industry.
By adopting ISO 4568, you can build effective windlasses and anchor capstans and have the quality assurance to ensure that windlasses and anchor capstans are produced according to the requirements and build trust in their use throughout the ship and marine supply chain.
What’s changed since the last update?
BS ISO 4568:2021 supersedes BS ISO 4568:2006. BS ISO 4568:2021 includes some technical changes concerning BS ISO 4568:2006. These include:
- The definitions of working load, nominal size, and overload pull has been revised
- The definition of nominal recovery speed has been deleted
- New definitions for the windlass, double cable-lifter windlass with connection shaft, and control braking system have been added
- Requirements have been added on: the mooring winch, the design of the cable lifter, and the electric motor
- The strength requirements have been updated
- Test methods have been added

