Automation helps speedy mooring

Trelleborg has won a contract to install six units of its AutoMoor T40 Twin Arm at the Estonian port’s Old City Harbour Berth 13 cruise ferry wharf to facilitate faster berthing processes and improve safety levels within the port environment. Installation will take place in the first quarter of 2020, enabling vessel operators to minimise the amount of time pollution-causing engines are running.

Peeter Nogu, chief infrastructure development officer at the Port of Tallinn, said: “Berth 13 will service large cruise ferries from Finnish shipping companies including Viking Line and Eckero Line, on the Tallinn to Helsinki route across the Gulf of Finland, our busiest route.

“As a result, it was vital that we upgraded the berth to ensure 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.”

Vacuum technology

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’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, enabling 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.

Multiple AutoMoor units will also be installed across two berths at Port of Långnäs in Finland