Marine systems innovator Cavotec said it has won automated mooring orders from existing MoorMaster customer, the Port of Salalah in Oman, for use at two container berths.
Cavotec will supply 16 MoorMaster MM400E15 units for container berths 3 and 4 at Salalah. A three-year maintenance contract has also been signed – a renewal of an existing agreement – which will see Cavotec onsite service teams working closely with the port to provide support at all five MoorMaster berths.
MoorMaster units were first trialled at Salalah in 2006, and the technology was then introduced at berths 1 and 5. The technology has reduced excessive vessel motion, common to the port, caused in part by “long waves” that are especially pronounced during the Khareef monsoon season.
The new units – eight each at berths 3 and 4 – are scheduled for installation before the 2017 Khareef season. Earlier this year, and prior to the 2016 Khareef season, eight MM400E15units were installed at berth 6. These units have met all operational requirements even during the most severe periods of long wave activity.
MoorMaster is a vacuum-based automated mooring technology that eliminates the need for conventional mooring lines. Remote controlled vacuum pads recessed in, or mounted on the quayside or pontoons, moor and release vessels in seconds. The vacuum units 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.