Since fenders are designed to create a safe environment for ships, passengers and port infrastructures, safety, reliability, and durability are extremely relevant during the design life of a fender and beyond. The quality of a fender can exclusively be measured by its physical properties and its performance in its specific field of application.
Every fender project is unique and establishes a customized solution for the respective case and scenario. The fourth and final part of the SFT White Paper Series, which is being published in partnership with Port Technology International, follows up on the previous three parts. It completes the series with a thorough examination of testing methods for fender systems, best-practice approaches to verifying the required performance properties and the durability of a commercial fender.
The paper can be used as a practical, hands-on guide for clients to the ideal approach to the complex fender testing agenda, based on the point of view of
an experienced manufacturer.
The overview of the four test methods – fundamental, durability, type approval and verification testing – presents valuable information on current industry practice and basic knowledge of fender testing in general. The main focus of the paper lies on verification testing, since this is the most relevant test area to assure the client, that the final fender has been manufactured precisely as expected.
In the following, we would like to explain some key findings of the white paper as a Q&A.
