Trelleborg To Supply Smart Rope Free Mooring System To Port Of Langnas

Trelleborg’s marine systems operation will supply its rope-free automated mooring system, AutoMoor, to the Port of Langnas’ international cruise ferry and domestic ro-ro ferry berths. The Port of Langnas is situated in the Baltic Sea on the archipelago of Aland, which has intensive ferry traffic between Sweden and Finland via Aland. Developed following several years of customer consultations and recently successfully trialled at the Port of Melbourne in Australia, AutoMoor uses smart technologies to enable a faster berthing process and improve safety levels within the port environment.

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Ronny Eriksson, CEO at the Port of Langnas, commented: “The port’s international cruise ferry berth alone accommodates nearly 3,000 vessel moorings per year. The majority of which are some of the most advanced cruise ferries worldwide with sizes ranging from 34,000GT to 66,000GT and between 165 to 230 meters in length. Given what is a significantly high volume for just a single berth, it was vital that we upgraded both berths in the port to ensure they continue to sustain such a high vessel throughput. With that in mind, it was essential that the upgrade saw the adoption of automated mooring systems to facilitate quick, safe and reliable mooring operations.”

Using vacuum technology to rapidly attach to and secure a vessel at berth, AutoMoor reduces vessel motions and continuously monitors all mooring loads acting on the vessel at berth. This provides live data to the operator to optimize day-to-day port and terminal operations. It also minimizes personnel involvement to reduce human error and improve safety.

Developed specifically for the use at the Port of Langnas, Trelleborg’s AutoMoor T40 Twin Arm has two mooring arms that can operate in synch or independently to provide flexible mooring of vessels with varying hull profiles. This enables ports to accept a greater range of vessel types. The AutoMoor T40 Twin Arm also has a compact footprint allowing for installation in limited spaces including between gantry rails and the wharf edge.

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“Through the use of AutoMoor at Langnas, ship operators such as Viking Lines, Tallink-Silja and Finnlines, will be able to manage crew rest periods more efficiently while reducing onboard personnel and operating costs. Trelleborg certainly didn’t disappoint with their AutoMoor system, which I’ve no doubt will prove its worth in optimizing mooring operations at the berth moving forward,” added Eriksson.

Richard Hepworth, Business Unit President, Trelleborg’s marine systems operation, says: “AutoMoor will minimize downtime by reducing the effects passing ships have on moored vessels. When using mooring lines, operators may need to interrupt operations, costing time and money in delayed product transfer. Using an automated mooring system to dampen vessel motions and extend the range of conditions in which efficient transfer can take place can have huge implications for efficiency.

“We are happy to have the first milestone completed of a long relationship ahead with Port of Langnas. Thanks to Trelleborg’s AutoMoor – a state of the art mooring system – we are sure that Langnas, an early adopter in the industry, will benefit considerably given their remarkably high frequency of operations serving the leading operators in the maritime sector.”

AutoMoor is also intended to help ports and terminals become more environmentally efficient, because vessels can be secured in under a minute and released in 30 seconds. This reduces vessel idling time and lowers the time tug boats are required alongside the vessel until the mooring operation is complete, cutting emissions overall.

Trelleborg’s AutoMoor solution falls under the operation’s SmartPort portfolio. SmartPort powers the critical interface between ship and port, on land and at sea. It connects port operations, allowing operators to analyze performance and use data to improve decision making. The system integrates assets like fenders, mooring equipment, ship performance monitoring, and navigation systems, underpinned by cloud and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies.

Reference: steinias.com

Source: Maritime Shipping News