Hiring fenders offers the double whammy of reduced capital expenditure and increased flexibility.

Fenders are certainly a core component of the operational hardware for ports — you’d find few people arguing against that fact. But perhaps less appreciated is that it is not always necessary to make a long-term capital investment to furnish berths with the required equipment — particularly if it is for a short-term need.

Ports which need to equip for a project or special contract can keep capex investment costs to a minimum and ensure flexibility by opting for the hire of fenders. Some mainstream fender manufacturers advertise fender-hire, while some third parties purchase fenders and then hire them to others. An example of the latter is COMAP in Italy, which hires Yokohama fenders to private terminals, shipowners and shipping lines specialising in heavy-lift transport.