Bechtel launched a new research initiative to improve the safety of mooring large cargo ships off the coast of West Africa. The combination of heavy ocean swell, squalls and shallow coastlines can create unpredictable conditions which limit the number of dry bulkers that can be moored safely in the area. The results of this research aim to provide new mooring guidelines and systems, which will improve the transfer and transshipment of natural resources from the region. Bechtel’s senior ports specialist, Marco Pluijm, who chairs the new joint-industry project, announced the new research initiative at the Smart Ports Seminar in Wageningen, Netherlands.