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Abstract
Mooring analysis of a vessel alongside a pier usually involves a number of non-linear mooring lines, extending at different vectors in both the horizontal and vertical planes, with elastic fenders, acted upon by wind, current, and sometimes other forces, which may vary in time and direction. Computer programs are now available which can quickly and accurately analyze such complex mooring arrangements. In this paper, a number of example cases, calculated by a mooring analysis computer program, are used to demonstrate that the characteristics, qualities, and arrangements of the lines can greatly affect the mooring line tensions experienced at a pier. See also: Software OPTIMOOR, mooring analysis program Services Mooring consultancy service
Introduction
A vessel's mooring arrangement is seldom a concern, until a gust of wind, a passing ship, or inattention to changes in tide or freeboard causes mooring line failure and sudden vessel movement. Such an accident can result in costly damage to cargo handling equipment or other nearby vessels and structures, oil or chemical pollution, and personnel injuries and fatalities. Proper analysis of the adequacy of a vessel's mooring gear, a pier's mooring points, and the mooring arrangement can significantly reduce the likelihood of such mooring accidents. Some ports which handle hazardous materials, such as LPG, require such an analysis for each vessel mooring. Other ports simply prescribe the use of a minimum number of mooring lines, without concern for the character, quality or arrangement of those lines. In this paper, a typical large-tanker mooring is analyzed with variations of the number, type, and arrangement of mooring lines. Cases are compared in which winch-mounted wire mooring lines are used together auxiliary synthetic fiber lines. Cases involving several alternative synthetic fiber ropes are examined. Finally, several variations of mooring bollard positions are evaluated.
Computer Mooring Load Analysis to Improve Port Operations and Safety | TTI Papers
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Computer programs are now available which can perform a complete mooring analysis of even a complex system in a few minutes on a personal computer. One such mooring analysis computer program is the Optimoor program, developed by Tension Technology International.
The mooring arrangement which is used in these analyses is shown in Figure 2. The bollards, other than those used for spring lines, are positioned 38 m (125 ft) back from the fender face. Later, the case of 53 m (175 ft) bollard setback is examined. The bollards for the bow and stern lines are positioned substantially ahead and abeam of the moored vessel. Later, a case in which these bollards positioned essentially in line with the bow and stern is examined. In these examples, the forcing environment is a 60 kt wind pushing the moored tanker off the pier combined with a 3 kt current from ahead. This corresponds with the criteria given in the OCIMF Guidelines. Note that these guidelines apply to mooring gear onboard the vessel and do not necessarily apply to mooring analysis of a particular pier. The pier should normally be designed and outfitted in accordance with the most severe environment which is expected at the site.
All-Wire Cases
Case 1, 14 Wire Mooring Lines Alone In Case 1 the vessel is moored by 14 wires, arranged as 2 head lines, 3 forward breast lines, 2 forward springs, 2 aft springs, 3 aft breast lines, and 2 stern lines. The wires are 45 mm (1- in.) diameter steel with fiber core, with a rated break strength of 52.9 GN (235 kip). Each line is pretensioned to 2.2 GN (10 kip).
Computer Mooring Load Analysis to Improve Port Operations and Safety | TTI Papers
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In the case tables at the end of this paper, connection designates the number of the vessel line and the letter of the shore mooring point to which it is attached. Thus for example, 5-C indicates that line 5 is attached to mooring point C. The spring lines are not shown in the tables, because in these examples they were only lightly tensioned. Line 8-G is tensioned to 58% of the rated breaking strength of the wires. This exceeds the 55% maximum mooring line tension criteria permitted by OCIMF. Thus this is probably an unacceptable situation. The common solution is to require the use of auxiliary lines. Here the term auxiliary refers to lines other than winch-mounted mooring lines which are deployed on bitts to provide additional mooring capacity. Case 2, 14 Wire Mooring Lines plus 4 Wire Auxiliary Lines In Case 2, four additional wire ropes are deployed as auxiliary lines. These are mounted on bitts near the edge of the deck and run essentially in parallel with the breast lines. Auxiliary lines 11-D and 12-D are forward breast lines, and auxiliary lines 19-G and 20-G are aft breast lines. Because the wire auxiliary lines are relatively short, as compared to the winch-mounted wires, they are more heavily loaded. In this arrangement the most highly loaded line, 11-D, is tensioned to only 45% of its breaking strength.
These high-modulus fiber ropes are almost as strong as wire ropes of the same size, and they are also almost as stiff. At 50% of new break strength, wire rope extends about 1%, and broken-in high -modulus fiber rope extends about 2%. Case 4, 14 Wire Mooring Lines with 4 High-Modulus Auxiliary Lines
Computer Mooring Load Analysis to Improve Port Operations and Safety | TTI Papers
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Case 4 illustrates the use of high-modulus fiber rope in place of polypropylene in the above example. The high-modulus fiber auxiliary lines are used in the same positions as the auxiliary lines in the preceding examples. And as before, they are pretensioned to 2.2 GN (10 kip). The resulting maximum line tensions are much less than with polypropylene auxiliary lines. The tension in line 8-H, which was overloaded in Case 1, is reduced by 10.4 GN (46 kip), a 35% relative reduction in tension. Note that tensions are relatively equally distributed among the various lines, including the highmodulus fiber auxiliary lines. The maximum line tensions in this case are lower than those of Case 2 where wire auxiliary lines were used. The high-modulus lines, which are about twice as elastic as the wire auxiliary lines, are not as greatly affected by the relatively short leads from the bitts to the shore mooring points.
Computer Mooring Load Analysis to Improve Port Operations and Safety | TTI Papers
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and polyester) ropes of the same size and with wire rope and high-modulus fiber rope of the sizes typically used as vessel mooring lines. The following case illustrates the use of 18 polypropylene ropes in the example situation discussed here. The vessel movement is much greater than with wire or with high-modulus fiber rope, although it is not as great as with nylon. The mooring line tensions are similar to those of the above all-high-modulus fiber and nylon rope cases. But because the polypropylene rope is not as strong, several auxiliary lines are tensioned to over 90% of the rated break strength and others are tensioned to over 80%. Several breast lines are tensioned to over 70% of the rated break strength. Tensions in a number of other mooring lines exceed the 55% criteria. Clearly, this is an unacceptable situation, even though a total of 18 mooring lines are used.
Discussion
Many ports establish criteria for a minimum number of mooring lines, without regard to the character, quality, or arrangement of the mooring lines which might be employed by a particular vessel. This practice does not necessarily guarantee an adequate mooring. Case 1 illustrated a situation in which 14 wire mooring lines were not adequate, meaning that the OCIMF 55% maximum line tension criteria was exceeded. In Case 2, an additional 4 wire auxiliary lines made the situation acceptable. Case 9 and also Case 10 demonstrated how repositioning the original 14 wire lines achieved an acceptable mooring arrangement. Case 6 demonstrated how 14 high-modulus fiber mooring lines in the original arrangement provided an acceptable mooring situation. Thus 14 lines are sufficient in some circumstances. Case 3 demonstrated how the use of 4 polypropylene auxiliary lines turned Case 1 into an acceptable situation. The use of 4 high-modulus fiber auxiliary lines in Case 5 created an even better situation. In Case 7, 18 nylon lines would be judged acceptable by the maximum tension criteria. However, the greater elasticity of these nylon lines permit excessive vessel movement. In Case 8, a total of 18 polypropylene lines was not sufficient, because the break strength of at least one of these lines
Computer Mooring Load Analysis to Improve Port Operations and Safety | TTI Papers
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was exceeded. Thus specifying a minimum of 18 mooring lines does not always ensure an adequate mooring. These example cases demonstrate that each particular mooring situation should be individually analyzed to determine its acceptability, instead of simply specifying a general criteria without considering the character, quality, or arrangement of the mooring lines. In some cases, 14 lines alone was sufficient, and the additional auxiliary lines were not necessary. In other cases, even 18 lines was not sufficient.
References:
1. OCIMF, Guidelines and Recommendations for the Safe Mooring of Large Ships at Piers and Sea Islands, Witherby & Co., London, 1978. 2. Flory, J.F. and A. Ractliffe, " Mooring Arrangement Management by Computer ", 1994 Ship Operations, Management, and Economics Symposium, SNAME, Jersey City, NY, 1994. 3. Flory, J.F., H.A. McKenna, and M.R. Parsey, " Fiber Ropes for Ocean Engineering in the 21st Century", pp 934-947, Proceedings of Civil Engineering In the Oceans V, ASCE, New York, Nov. 1992
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