Richard Hepworth, President, Trelleborg’s marine and infrastructure operation, looks at issues around fender performance in ports.
Effective and reliable fender systems are mission-critical equipment. However, not all fenders are created equal. Rubber compounds are changing and new manufacturing bases are emerging.
Testing procedures need to keep pace to ensure fender performance standards are maintained. Regulations and guidelines exist, but how can you be sure that the product you buy is genuine? Is the test certificate enough to guarantee performance? Can you really trust catalog claims?
This article seeks to highlight the key steps to authenticating fenders to help designers, operators and owners of port infrastructure procure these systems confidently, safe in the knowledge that they are investing cost-effectively in equipment that guarantees quality and reliable performance over the long-term.
