BERTHING AID SYSTEMS
BERTH RIGHT John Bensalhia examines the latest developments and innovations in docking and berthing aid technology
8 The Straatman Berthing Aid System employs laser technology to measure vessel approach speed, distance, and angle
With higher capacity and physically bigger vessels, the docking and berthing process poses more potential issues for ports than ever before. Increases in scale present a greater risk of accidents, damage to the vessel and/or cargo and damage to port infrastructure and equipment. There is also potential for environmental hazards: if, for example, chemicals or other hazardous cargo spills into a port’s water area. All these potential problem areas can result in significant costs – direct costs and costs associated with the non-availability of a vessel or port facilities. One path, however, open to ports and terminals to reduce the potential for accidents occurring during the berthing process is the use of modern berthing aid systems. Traditionally, earlier generation systems have been deployed in high capacity liquid or dry bulk terminals where correspondingly large vessels call. But now with the significant scaling up of container vessel designs in recent years and berthing system technological advances – stateof-the-art laser technology for example - there is a much wider scope for their application. “World ports are seeing significant increases in vessel size and vessel traffic which are driving port utilisation and safety strategies,” says Robert Spain, General Manager, Allison Equipment Group, Inc (US distributor for Straatman BV). “Increasing the efficiency and safety of vessel docking manoeuvres are key elements of these strategies. This is especially true for hazardous area LNG and liquid bulk marine terminals.” POSITIVE SUPPLIER RESPONSE The berthing system supplier side of the industry continues to keep pace with user requirements and to ‘push the envelope’ on the development front.
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Trelleborg’s SmartDock is a system that comprises two laser sensors, controller, central PC and data display options which can all be used to monitor and adjust the vessel approach during the push-up phase of docking. A typical application for SmartDock is in conjunction with the docking and mooring of LNG carriers in Singapore. Another example is Laser Communications Inc’s Rover, which measures the closing speeds and approach distances of vessels, while recording the data on a computer. The incoming information is sent to operatives both on the ship and in the docking area, via portable receivers. The Rover is designed to help port and terminal operators manage risky scenarios such as challenging tidal levels and currents. The Straatman Berthing Aid System (BAS) utilises the latest PLC and computer hardware and propriety application software to acquire, measure and display real time information critical for vessel docking manoeuvres. “Two precision lasers installed on the dock are used to measure vessel approach speed, distance, and angle,” explains Robert Spain. “A large LED flat screen,” he elaborates, “is installed on the dock for shore to ship visual communication with the vessel in real time. The latest sensor technologies are used to monitor environmental conditions, including wind speed and direction, tide levels, and marine current and speed and direction.” “All the BAS data is displayed on a Human Machine Interface (HMI) on the dock. It is also recorded to enable forensic analysis. This information may additionally be provided on a range of wireless, portable, handheld devices typically used by the Harbour Pilot and Ship Captain as well as dock personnel. Further, Straatman BAS systems can also be configured to interface with other digital systems on the dock and in the marine terminal facility.”
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