Blog post -
Automated mooring helps make Salalah fastest riser in One Hundred Ports survey
The Port of Salalah climbed 17 places in the One Hundred Ports survey published by Lloyd’s List. A performance made possible – in part at least – by the installation of our innovative automated mooring technology, MoorMaster.
The annual study provides a comprehensive overview of how the world’s container ports compare in terms of Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit (TEU) throughput.
The year’s star performer was the Port of Salalah in Oman, which climbed 17 places to the 44th spot, with TEU throughput in 2016 of 3,325,044, up from 2,569,363 the previous year.
According to the report, the MoorMaster units “mitigate the impact of the long waves typical during the monsoon season in Salalah and support faster mooring of vessels, which facilitates quicker turnaround and less idling of vessels and berths.”
MoorMaster eliminates the need for mooring lines. Instead, automated vacuum pads recessed in, or mounted on the quayside or pontoons, moor and release vessels within 30 seconds.
The technology dramatically improves safety and operational efficiency, optimises the ship-to-shore interface, and in many cases, enables ports to make infrastructure savings.
MoorMaster has been used for many years at container handling, lock, ferry, and bulk handling applications worldwide. To date, it has performed more than 330,000 mooring operations, and has been installed at more than 46 different ports since its inception.
Vacuum pads hold vessels at set distances from the berth, thereby avoiding the need for ships to be repositioned along the quay, resulting in operational improvements and reduced emissions from ships and tugs.
The system was first trialed at Salalah in 2006, and was subsequently introduced at two berths. More recently, the technology has been installed at a further three berths at Salalah.
As with all our customers, we’re delighted to play our part in helping Salalah realize safety and environmental benefits, as well as operational improvements through innovative technologies.
