Trelleborg, DHI Pact on Port Enhancement

Swedish global engineering group Trelleborg AB said that its marine and infrastructure operation has announced that it is to collaborate with Danish water environment specialist, DHI, enabling marine consultants and port owners to more realistically simulate vessel movements in ports and increase port efficiency.

AutoMoor, Trelleborg’s rope-free automated mooring system which uses smart technologies to enable a faster berthing process and improve safety within the port environment, will be integrated into DHI’s MIKE 21 Mooring Analysis Software (MIKE 21 MA) over a five-year period.

The integration will give port operators the ability to analyze the mooring performance of AutoMoor in order to hold a vessel at berth in a given set of environmental and metocean conditions.

The collaboration will mark the first time that analysis models of automated mooring systems have been fully integrated into mooring analysis software that customers of the software can purchase with the models built in. This will allow port operators to analyze AutoMoor independently of Trelleborg and apply it to projects in their own timeframe.

Timothy James Womersley, Team Lead Development at DHI, said: “Our collaboration with Trelleborg allows consultancies using DHI’s software to analyze the performance of AutoMoor to help port operators achieve more efficient and safe port operations.

“To date, there have been few, if any, standalone mooring analysis software packages available that can accurately simulate automated mooring systems for all mooring scenarios such as vessel-at-berth, passing vessel, long period wave and ship-to-ship,” he added.

Richard Hepworth, President of Trelleborg’s marine and infrastructure operation, said: “Unlike some mooring analysis software packages which can only model one moveable body alongside a fixed body, MIKE 21 MA models multiple moveable bodies as well as fixed bodies to realistically simulate vessel movements in ports."

"Most consultancies have to use one or two software packages to create the model environment required for the port application simulation. Therefore, we’re delighted to collaborate with DHI and create this consolidated offering which we’ve no doubt will result in significant improvements in port efficiency,” he added.