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.
Langnas is situated in the Baltic Sea on the Aland archipelago, which sees intensive ferry traffic between Sweden and Finland via Aland.
Developed after several years of customer consultations and recently successfully trialled at Melbourne in Australia, AutoMoor uses smart technologies to enable a faster berthing process and improve safety levels within the port environment, Trellebrog claimed.
Ronny Eriksson, Port of Langnas CEO, 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 34,000 gt to 66,000 gt and between 165 to 230 m 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,” he said.
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 optimise day-to-day port and terminal operations. It also minimises personnel involvement to reduce human error and improve safety, Trelleborg said.
“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 on board personnel and operating costs,” added Eriksson.
Richard Hepworth, Business Unit President, Trelleborg’s marine systems operation, said: “AutoMoor will minimise 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,” he said.
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 s are required alongside the vessel until the mooring operation is complete, cutting emissions overall.
