Fender Design Criteria:

Introduction:
The principal function of the fender system is to prevent the vessel or the dock from
being damaged during the mooring process or during the berthing periods. Forces during
the vessel berthing or anchoring may be in the form of impact, abrasive action from
vessels, or direct pressure. These forces may extensive damage to the ship and structure
if suitable means are not employed to counteract them. The amount of energy absorbed
and the maximum impact force imparted are the primary criteria applied in accepted
fender design practices.
Selection of fender system type:
A variety of factors affect the proper selection of a fender system. These include, but not
limited to, local marine environment, exposure of harbor basins, class and configuration
of ships, speed and direction of approach of ships when berthing, available docking
assistance, type of berthing structure, and even the skills of pilots or ship captains. It is
considered impractical to standardize fender designs since port conditions are rarely
identical. Previous local experience in the application of satisfactory fender systems
should be considered, particularly as it applies to cost-effectiveness characteristics. Here
is a good guide for selecting a fender system fit for your needs. We follow the PIANC
2002 and other Standards set forth by other manufacturers with a long history in the
marine fender industry.
General Design Procedure:
The design of a fender system is based on the law of conservation of energy. The
amount of energy being introduced into the system must be determined, and then a
means devised to absorb the energy within the force and stress limitations of the ship's
hull, the fender, and the pier. General design procedures are as follows:
1. Determine the energy that will be delivered to the pier upon initial impact. It is
recommended to consider the heaviest/largest vessel capable or allowed to use your
dock.
2. Determine the energy that can be absorbed by the pier or wharf (distribution of
loading must be considered). For structures that are linearly elastic, the energy is onehalf the maximum static load level times the amount of deflection. Allowance should also
be made in cases where other vessels may be moored at the pier. If the structure is
exceptionally rigid, it can be assumed to absorb no energy.
3. Subtract the energy that the pier will absorb from the effective impact energy of the
ship to determine the amount of energy that must be absorbed by the fender.
4. Select a fender design capable of absorbing the amount of energy determined above
without exceeding the maximum allowable force in the pier. Please contact us for our
product catalogue. You can get specific performance information of our products.

Gross Tonnage(GT): Total Volume

total interior capacity of a vessel b

Net Tonnage(NT): Total Volume o

Displacement Tonnage(DPT): To
loaded to draft line.

Dead Weight Tonnage(DWT): W

vessel.

Light Weight(LOW): Weight of Ve

Ballast Weight(BW): Weight of sh

improve its stability after it has dis

II. Calculation of the Normal

Side Berthing:

Side Berthing is the most typical ca

following kinetic equation:

Where EB : Berthing energy (KJ, N*m

WD : Water displacement of the be

Displacement Tonnage(DPT) of the
use our tables to view standard ves
here to view our tables.

VB : Berthing velocity of the Ship a

ft/sec) - Berthing velocity is an imp

on the size of the vessel, loading condition, port structure, and the ease of difficulty of
the approach. Therefore the berthing velocity is preferred to be obtained from actual
measurements or relevant existing statistical information. When the actual measured
velocity is not available, the most widely used guide to estimate the berthing velovity is
the Brolsma table, adopted by BSI, PIANC and other standards. To facilitate the
calculations, designers can use tables, graphs or equations shown below.

Va: E
asy Berthing, sheltered.
Vb: Difficult Berthing, sheltered.
exposed.
Vd: Difficult Berthing, exposed.

Vc: Easy Berthing,

CM : Virtual mass factor - As a vessel makes contact with the berth and its movement is
suddenly stopped by the fenders, the mass of water moving with the vessel adds to the
energy possessed by the vessel. This is called "Mass Factor" or "Added Mass Coefficient"

and the weight of the water is generally called "Additional Weight". The added mass
coefficient makes up for the body of water carried along with the ship as it moves
sideways through the water. As the vessel is berthing a body of water is carried along
with the ship as it moves sideways through the water. As the ship is stopped by the
fenders, the momentum of the entrained water continues to push against the ship and
this effectively increases its overall mass. CM is normally calculated with the following
formula:

where,
D: Full Load Draft(m, ft)
B: Molded Breadth(m, ft)

Another calculation method for the virtual mass factor is:

where,
D: Full Load Draft
L: Ship Length

: Sea Water Density(1.025 t/m3)

CE : Eccentricity factor - In the case when a vessel contacts a berth at a point near its
bow or stern, the reaction force with give a rotational movement, which will dissipate a
part of the vessel's energy.

To determine the Eccentricity Coefficient, you must firstly calculate the radius of
gyration(K), the distance from the vessels center of mass to point of impact(R), the
velocity vector angle(

) and berthing angle(

) using the following formulas:

Where K: Radius of rotation of the vessel (usually 1/4 of the vessel's length)
R: Distance of the line paralleled to wharf measured from the vessel's center of
gravity to the point of contact. Usually 1/4- 1/5 of vessel's length.
CB: Block Coefficient, which is related to the hull shape and is is calculated as
follows:

Where, WD: Water displacement of the berthing ship(Tons, Kg, Lbs)

: Sea Water density(1.025 Tons/m3)
LBP: Length between perpendiculars. Please see sketch below for better
explanation:

x: Distance from bow to point of impact

B: Beam(m, ft)
If the Length, beam and draft are not known, this table can be used to estimate the block
coefficient:
Typical Block Coefficients(CB)

Type of Vessel
Tankers
Bullk Carriers
Container Ships
General Cargo
RoRo Vessels
Ferries

CB
BS 6349
0.72~0.85
0.72~0.85
0.65~0.75
0.60~0.75
0.65~0.70
0.50~0.65

CB
PIANC
2002
0.85
0.72~0.85
0.60~0.80
0.72~0.85
0.70~0.80
0.55~0.65

You may also use the following formula to calculate the eccentricity
coefficient:

Some designers prefer to calculate the eccentricity coefficient using the simplified
formula above. Care should be used as this method can lead to an underestimation of
Berthing Energy when the berthing angle( ) is greater than 10 degrees and/or the point
of impact is aft of quarter-point(x > LBP/4). To verify your calculations, the eccentricity
coefficient values generally fall within the following limits:

CC : Berth configuration factor - This is the portion of berthing energy which is absorbed
by the cushion effect of water between the approaching vessel and the quay wall. The
smaller the draft(D) of the vessel is, or the larger the under keel clearance(KC), the more
trapped water can escape under the vessel, and would give a higher CC value. Also, if
the berthing angle of the vessel is greater than 5, we can consider CC = 1.
Case 1: Closed Dock
A Closed Dock would be a wharf, where you have a concrete wall going directly to the
sea ground. In this case the quay wall will push back all the water that is being moved by
the vessel. This creates a resistance factor that can be calculated as follows:
If KC D / 2, CC 0.8
If KC > D / 2, CC 0.9
Case 2: Open or Semi-Closed Dock
A Semi-Closed Dock is a Dock that water can flow underneath the dock, but the depth
changes below the dock. Open Dock is usually a dock with piles underneath and the
water can flow freely underneath the dock. In such case we can assume the following
value of 1.

CC 1

CS : Softness factor - This is the portion of berthing energy which is absorbed by the
deformation of the vessel's hull and fender. When a soft fender is used, CS can be
ignored. Otherwise, we can assume a value for CS 0.9

II. Fender Selection:

After the effective berthing Energy(EB) of the ship is calculated as explained above, the
selection of the fender system should be conducted in accordance with the fenders
performance(Reaction Force, Energy absorption, and deflection curve). The fender
system selection has the following requirements:
1. Energy absorption of the selected fender system exceeds effective impacting energy
of ships(EB).
2. Reaction force of the selected fender system is less than the ship's allowable reaction
force.
3. Surface pressure of the selected fender system is less than the allowable hull surface
pressure. You can meet the requirements by changing the dimensions of the frontal
panel.
4. When the ship is berthing in a slanting direction, the fenders will bear a angular
compression which will decrease the energy absorption at point of impact. Therefore the
fender performance should be adjusted in accordance with the berthing angles when
selecting the fender system.
5. The selected fender system should satisfy special requirements of extreme
environments(high/cold temperature, strong winds, waves, high/low tides, etc.)
6. The selected fender system should be chosen wisely for the
investment(performance/price). The price of maintenance and installation should be
considered in your investment. Fenders that have an easy installation and maintenance
are a better option for your investment.
Fender Spacing:
This calculations are critical, due to the possibility of a vessel hitting the dock structure
while berthing at an angle. As per British Standards, for continuous quay, the installation
pitch is recommended to be less than 15% of the vessel. Minimum installation pitch of
fender can be calculated with the following equation:

Where
S: Maximum spacing between fenders
RB: Bow radius of board side of vessel(m, ft)

PU: Uncompressed
panel(m, ft)
C: Fender height in rated compression.

Height of fender including

: Fender deflection(m, ft)

If the bent radius(RB) is not known, we can estimate by the vessel's overall length(LOA)

and width(B) as follows:

For vertical orientation arrangement, the types and sizes of all ships berthing shall be
considered. All possible tides vary scope. To assure safe berthing we must consider the
height and draft of the smallest and largest vessels to determine the point of contact on
the structure. Do not design your arrangements considering only the largest vessels
berthing in your dock, since your design might not work for smaller vessels berthing in
your dock.

Fender Panel Design:

Hull Pressures:
Permissible hull pressures vary greatly with the class and size ship. The best guide to hull
pressure is the designer's experience in similar cases. If this information is unavailable,
then the following table may be used as an approximate guide for design:

Allowed Hull Pressures

Type of Vessel

Hull
Pressure
KN/m2

Tankers
ULCC & VLCC(Coastal Tankers)
Product & Chemical Tankers
Bullk Carriers
Post-Panamax Container Ships
Panamax Container Ships
Sub-Panamax Container Ships
General Cargo
Gas Carriers

150~250
250~350
300~400
150~250
200~300
300~400
400~500
300~600
100~200

Hull pressures are calculated using the frontal panel area(excluding lead-in chamfers) as
follows: