A recent example of TTS Marine GmbH engineers assisting naval architects in overcoming the challenge of cargo access in ship design is the development of the piggy-back hatch cover. The challenge concerned a new generation of bulk carrier whose design required its hatch opening to be up to 80 per cent of its width but without any stowing space in either direction. TTS Ships Equipment subsequently developed a highly-automated hatch cover system to meet the cargo access needs of this vessel.