Cavotec automated mooring offers safety, efficiency gains to Middle East ports
As the ports sector strives to make further improvements to safety standards, operational efficiency and environmental performance, the benefits offered by Cavotec's automated mooring technology, MoorMaster, are becoming increasingly apparent to port operators and shipping lines across the Middle East region, the company reports.
With the upcoming World Ports & Trade Summit in Abu Dhabi (March 19-20), where the industry's leading figures will gather to discuss the evolving dynamics of seaborne trade development, Cavotec will demonstrate how MoorMaster supports safe, efficient mooring operations.
"Automated mooring is an evolution in port technology: its safety and operational benefits are considerable. Automated systems, such as MoorMaster, enable port operators to perform tasks faster, more reliably and more securely," says Juergen Strommer, Managing Director at Cavotec Middle East.
"MoorMaster reduces the time it takes to moor a ship from up to 90 minutes to about 30 seconds in what becomes a one-man operation," he adds.
MoorMaster is a vacuum-based automated mooring technology that eliminates the need for conventional mooring lines. Remote controlled vacuum pads recessed in, or mounted on, the quayside or pontoons, moor and release ships in seconds.
It offers increased safety for shore and ship personnel, improved operational efficiency, and in some cases, reduced infrastructure investment. It also reduces emissions from ships and tugs.
The system is used at passenger ferry, bulk, Ro-Ro, container handling and lock applications all over the world. Cavotec is also seeing interest in the technology for offshore applications.
Cavotec has continuously maintained its position in the maritime industry as a technological pioneer and innovator, and has played a vital role as a catalyst in the development of automated mooring systems at ports across the globe, a trend that the Middle East region is keen to follow suit.
The system is in service at two container-handling berths at the Port of Salalah in Oman, and Cavotec is seeing growing interest in the system at several other ports in the Middle East.
Reductions in emissions from ships and tugs are an additional benefit of MoorMaster. As vessels using MoorMaster are "all secure" far more quickly than those using conventional means, they shut down their engines sooner and reduce the amount of time tugs are required.
MoorMaster units also hold vessels more securely so ships do not need to reposition along the berth. The technology thus has a positive effect on air quality in ports.
Cavotec supplies automated and electrical power control systems to the ports and shipping sectors, including shore-to-ship Alternative Maritime Power systems, Panzerbelt cable protection systems, power chains and connectors, marine propulsion systems, radio remote controls and motorised and spring driven cable reels.
Cavotec's recent successes in the UAE maritime equipment market include a major contract for motorised cable reel technologies that will power 19 ship-to-shore (STS) cranes and 50 rail-mounted gantry (RMG) cranes at DP World's Jebel Ali Port Terminal 3. In another project, Cavotec delivered 30 Automated Stacking Cranes (ASC) and six STS cranes to Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi, These units have been operational since September 2012.
Cavotec Middle East, the Cavotec's Jebel Ali-based subsidiary, will be among the top companies to exhibit their latest innovations during the two-day World Ports & Trade Summit at the St. Regis Saadiyat Island in the UAE capital.
A major annual event for economists, port authorities, terminal operators, shipping companies, cargo owners and investors, the summit features a keynote session followed by conference sessions giving delegates the chance to interact with leading figures in the industry.