Japan’s ports to cut GHG emissions with new mooring system

Japanese shipping major NYK Line has concluded a consulting contract with Trelleborg Marine Systems (TMS), a group company of the Swedish polymer manufacturer Trelleborg AB, to introduce and promote a new mooring system to ports mainly servicing bulk carriers in Japan.

DynaMoor, a load-balancing mooring system, is developed by TMS and is expected to ensure the safety and efficiency of port operations.

Vessels are usually moored at ports by connecting the mooring line from the ship to the bit installed on the pier, but vessels often do not stay completely still during the mooring process because they are moved by sea swells and long-period waves.

Moreover, hull shaking can escalate when the mooring lines and fenders (the cushioning materials installed on the sides of the pier) act as springs. Increased hull shaking can then force a vessel to evacuate from the port, thus resulting in a decrease in port operation efficiency.

Furthermore, heavy loads to the mooring line caused by hull shaking increase the risk of serious incidents, such as breaking the mooring line.

As the size of ships has become larger in recent years, this hull shaking issue has become one that needs to be resolved to ensure the safety and efficiency of port operations.

The new system DynaMoor can be installed on the pier, even in a small area, and connected with the mooring line from a ship. It then adjusts the tension of the mooring line and keeps it constant using an electronically controlled hydraulic damper.

The system is expected to contribute to a reduction in GHG emissions throughout the supply chain including emissions from moored vessels at the port.

In the future, NYK Line and NYK Group’s firm Japan Marine Science Inc. (JMS) will conduct simulations of hull shaking at Japan ports and proceed with verifications of DynaMoor installed at these ports.

The two companies will also provide advice to TMS to promote the use of the system at Japan ports servicing bulk carriers by making use of knowledge and experience of port characteristics, ship types, meteorological and oceanic conditions, and ship operations.

Recently, NYK Line has teamed up British oil and gas company BP to work on  future fuels and transportation solutions to help industrial sectors, including shipping, decarbonise.