Mooring & Berthing

The optimum use of tugs can have different interpretations depending on the economic priorities of the parties involved. The shipowner for example may want the fastest operations which in turn may lead to stronger tugs, the port on the other hand may not have the repeated use for very large tugs so that the owners cannot recover their investment.

Floating docks and protective barriers cost often less to build than traditional fixed structures. They do not rely on heavy construction works, which can be costly and time consuming. Installing a prefabricated floating structure is generally much less disruptive to the berth’s immediate surroundings.

Together with the Rotterdam Port Authority, the Royal Boatmen Association Eendracht (KRVE) has developed the ShoreTension System. ShoreTension is a mooring system used for mooring of sea-going vessels. The basis for the development was dramatic environmental and economic losses in a number of ports caused by drifting ULCVs. Therefore, the Rotterdam Port Authority required proper action and innovations.

For this article, Walter Vervloesem decides to look at mooring issues from the port’s point of view. When mooring incidents happen in a port, port operations may be seriously disrupted. Accidents like fatalities, injuries, breakway incidents, damage to quay/wharf, other ships, cranes, pollution and so on will result in time consuming investigations, inquiries (P&I, H&M, PSC, Flagstate, Class, industry vettings, and so on) and will cause delays that might affect access to the port, stevedores’ activities and berthing schedules.

The International Navigation Association (PIANC) Working Group 44 (WG44), of which one of the authors (Ashok Kumar) is chairman, has recently submitted the final report on their findings on ALWC. The most common form is limited to a horizontal band around low water, although it can be found occasionally in patches, and extends down to bed level.

Unheard of in the UK until around 15 years ago, the phenomenon of concentrated corrosion on marine sheet piles known as Accelerated Low Water Corrosion (ALWC) is posing port executives and facilities managers with unexpected engineering and financial challenges.

No matter how good the rubber fender unit might be, the whole integrity of a fender system is compromised by poor quality and/or badly designed accessories. This article will focus mainly on fender accessories and the specifications needed to reduce unnecessary risks and costs.

Demand for larger and deeper berthing facilities at harbours and ports is constantly increasing to satisfy the expansion of world trade. The Port Engineer has a range of construction techniques available when planning new structures, and steel piling is often the material of preferred choice for qualities of robustness, reliability, and speed of installation compared to other options. This paper presents an overview of steel pile types, their durability, and the methods of installation and driving equipment most commonly used in maritime situations.

Around the world we are seeing dramatic increases in demands on shipping. Ships are getting bigger, and although new ports are being built to cope with them, many existing ports have little scope to expand.

The design of port layouts and terminals suitable for LNG carriers has to meet exceptionally high safety standards. The highly sensitive subject is always treated by responsible parties with the utmost concern for the design of inherently safe terminals. This is reached through the careful choice of the terminal location within the port and the definition of strict nautical procedures for the entrance, transit, mooring and loading/unloading of the vessel.

The demand for freight transportation has increased enormously throughout Europe and is expected to keep growing for the foreseeable future. With roads becoming ever more congested, numerous new concepts of transportation are being developed, designed to create a shift from road transportation to other forms of transport.

Low pressure (LP) pneumatic fenders have been in use in the offshore and port services industries for over 40 years, and have been utilized extensively for both large and small scale port operations and ship-to-ship transfers, including successful use in the Exxon Valdez oils-spill clean-up.