1. www.bunkerspot.com Volume 11 Number 5 October/November 2014
THE FINAL
COUNTDOWN
WILL SHIPPING PLAY
BY THE RULES?
INSIDE:
VESSEL FINANCE
FUEL TESTING
ARCTIC SHIPPING
INSURANCE

2. T
he maritime press devotes a good
many column inches to technologies
designed to make the measurement
of marine fuel volumes in bunker deliveries
more transparent, accurate and efficient –
witness the recent much anticipated and
highly publicised decision of the Maritime
and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on
the mandatory use of mass flow meters from
2017.
However, there has been less focus on the
‘mechanics’ of the bunkering operation itself
– certainly in terms of press coverage and
perhaps even within the marine fuels industry
itself. Yet the traditional methods of the physical
delivery of fuel can be time-consuming,
cumbersome, and carry inherent safety risks.
As ports become more congested and
reduced waiting times become ever more
critical within the global supply chain, the
lengthy mooring process for bunkering
is increasingly being identified as a
bottleneck in port operations, often severely
impacting on vessel turnaround times.
In an effort to find a more efficient,
cost-effective and safe method of delivering
fuel to clients’ vessels, VT Group approached
Netherlands-based Mampaey Offshore
Industries BV, a well-known supplier of
mooring, berthing and towing systems.
Mampaey has an in-house engineering
and software development capability, and
its product portfolio includes integrated
systems such as iMoor, a dynamic
oval towing system for tugs which was
developed to make the towing process safer,
particularly for high speed applications.
In response to VT Group’s request,
Mampaey has developed the DOCKLOCK
auto-mooring system. The technology allows
for a faster and safer method of mooring
alongside the receiving vessel whilst adapting
to what can be complex and dynamic
events and conditions in port and open
water environments. The system has dual
mooring arms bow and stern with magnetic
connection pads that can attach to a hull with
a flat or undulating, clean or corroded surface.
As an autonomous system, the system
is activated by human command and is
then capable of mooring independently. The
DOCKLOCK arms approach and connect
with the vessel at different positions by
monitoring each other’s movements. As
each arm maintains a different mooring
height, this enables a ‘stepping’ action, if
necessary, to compensate for changes in the
vessel’s position if, for example, bunkering
is undertaken during offloading of cargo.
The system provides continuous real-time
information about each mooring procedure,
and manual override (remotely and locally)
is possible at every stage of the operation.
Once the connection to the hull has been
made, a fender cylinder system validates the
minimum magnetic force required in terms
of worst case loads. Once the magnets are
‘holding’, the system then displays a green light
to give the go-ahead for bunkering to proceed.
When the arms are moored with a firm
The mooring process for bunkering can be time-
consuming, costly and dangerous. Wouter van Reenen
of Mampaey talks to Lesley Bankes-Hughes about an
innovative new mooring system
Balancing act
‘The system has dual mooring
arms bow and stern with
magnetic connection pads
that can attach to a hull’
operations
70 www.bunkerspot.com Bunkerspot October/November 2014

3. connection, the system will then switch
to ‘torque’ mode, which is a precise
collaboration between software control
and hydraulic architecture which allows
for sudden heave movements and the
simultaneous correction of sway movements.
Development of the DOCKLOCK system
began around three years ago, although,
as Wouter van Reenen of Mampaey
explains, the idea for the project was
conceived two years before R&D began.
An eight-month trial period is now coming
to a close and the project will move into a
performance demonstration phase to allow
for Class assessment of its safety features.
Van Reenen outlined some of
the drawbacks of current mooring
practices in relation to bunker deliveries.
‘It involves tedious, sometimes
dangerous handling of mooring lines as
well as climbing to connection points,
bollards and winches. This can cause
many casualties, especially offshore.
‘Existing methods do not provide real
time information on acting forces during the
mooring process,’ he explained. ‘Lines are
used on gut feeling and crew experience
– if anything impacting on the moored
vessels exceeds the mooring lines’ break
load they could snap, which can be lethal.
‘Auto-mooring systems, however, can
constantly inform the user of positioning,
distances and the forces at hand’.
With current practices, there is also
no satisfactory method for emergency
release, except for axing lines, while the
time-consuming mooring procedure
involved with using mooring lines results
in an expensive loss of operational time.
Traditional procedures can also impact
on fuel consumption, says van Reenen. ‘A
ship’s engines remain running as long the
vessel is not moored safely. If this takes 1-2
hours, then it means 1-2 hours of needless fuel
consumption as well as harmful emissions.’
The prototype DOCKLOCK system was
built for a bunker vessel which operates
within the Port of Rotterdam. It was, explains
van Reenen, built to withstand worst case
conditions in terms of the main external
influences on a moored vessel at this location
– Force 8 wind speeds, for example, as well as
the not inconsiderable effect of a vessel such
as the Triple E Emma Maersk passing at a
distance of 60 metres and sailing at six knots.
‘From the tests we have undertaken,
the theory fits the practical situations it was
built for very well,’ comments van Reenen.
The magnetic technology at the heart
of DOCKLOCK has been used in other
industries, he says, but the modules
have been customised for this particular
application. The technology incorporates
a quad-pole technique which enables a
strong, yet shallow flux which guarantees
magnetisation of the hull only. It incorporates
a process which enables magneti-
sation by means of a rapid peak current.
The use of this concept means that
no current is required once the magnets
are attached, so even a black-out will not
de-magnetise them. The introduction of
another peak current will then reverse this
situation and de-magnetise the modules.
The time saving benefits of the system will,
of course, be dependent on each mooring
situation, but van Reenen estimates that
mooring can be achieved in just 30 seconds
while release of the system (by a push of a
button) can be effected in around 10 seconds.
So what next for DOCKLOCK now that
the end of an extensive trial period is in sight?
‘We are currently investigating a number of
requests from businesses looking for efficiency
and safety improvements in their bunkering/
mooring operations. So, we are on the verge of
our first commercial project,’ says van Reenen.
‘As an
autonomous
system, the
system is
activated
by human
command and
is then capable
of mooring
independently’
Wouter van Reenen
Business Development
Mampaey Offshore Industries bv
Tel: +31 78 617 33 22
Web: www.mampaey.com
operations
71www.bunkerspot.comBunkerspot October/November 2014