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Maritime Technology and Engineering 3 – Guedes Soares & Santos (Eds)
© 2016 Taylor & Francis Group, London, ISBN 978-1-138-03000-8
Empirical analysis of the implantation of an automatic mooring system
in a commercial port. Application to the Port of Santander (Spain)
E. Díaz, A. Ortega, C. Pérez, B. Blanco, L. Ruiz & J. Oria
Ocean and Coastal Planning and Management R&D Group, School of Maritime Engineering, Department of
Sciences and Techniques of Navigation and Shipbuilding, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain
ABSTRACT: Recent years have seen a great deal of innovation in all areas of the maritime sector including that
of vessel mooring systems and since 1914, research has been carried out into the possibility of developing alter-
native mooring systems.This is an automatic vacuum-based mooring system. The feasibility of the implantation
of the system in a given port depends on technical factors (winds, currents, type of vessel) and economic factors
(investment, operating costs, traffic flows).The aim of this work is to determine the viability of the implantation
of the system in a commercial port. The technical viability will be analyzed using a real-time maneuver sim-
ulator. The economic viability will be analyzed starting from the determination of the traffic threshold which
would make the investment profitable and the traffic flows of the selected port. The aim is to establish a general
procedure and then apply it to the Port of Santander.
1 INTRODUCTION
Recent years have seen a great deal of innovation in
all areas of the maritime sector including that of ves-
sel mooring systems, though on a smaller scale in this
than in some other areas, the conventional system still
being used today in most ports. However, since 1914,
research has been carried out into the possibility of
developing alternative mooring systems (Hadcroft &
Montgomery 2005), using devices other than the con-
ventional ones. The research carried out over the last
100 years has led to an automatic vacuum-based moor-
ing system (Villa 2014) which has been implanted in
more than 20 ports worldwide, and whose use seems
to be on the rise. It is a hydraulic mooring system by
suckers. The viability of the system to be implanted
in a port has to be assessed taking into account both
technical factors (prevailing winds, currents, types of
vessel, etc.) and economic ones (investment, operat-
ing costs, traffic flows, etc.) (Díaz 2016). The aim of
this work is to determine the viability of the implanta-
tion of the system in a commercial port. The technical
viability will be analyzed using a real-time maneu-
ver simulator, and thus can be applied to any port for
which this information is available or whose activity
can be reproduced in the simulator.The economic via-
bility will be analyzed starting from the determination
of the traffic threshold which would make the invest-
ment profitable and the traffic flows of the selected
port. The aim is to establish a general procedure and
then apply it to the Port of Santander.
2 AIMS AND HYPOTHESIS
As mentioned above, traditionally the conventional
mooring system has been used to undertake the moor-
ing maneuvers of merchant vessels, but new automatic
mooring systems for all vessel types are now being
developed and installed in many ports (Nakamura
2007). In this context, our overall aim is to analyze
the impact of this innovation on the mooring systems
used in commercial seaports. We hope to find out how
much influence the innovation in mooring systems has
had, to whatdegree these have been implanted and how
profitable they have been. This analysis of both tech-
nical and economic aspects will be applied to the Port
of Santander (Spain).
It is intended to reach this overall aim by means of
the following specific aims:
1. Analysis of the technical viability of the implanta-
tion of the automatic mooring system in the port of
Santander, using a real-time maneuver simulator.
Two different system installation scenes are con-
sidered, denominated Scene I (Raos Quay 8) and
Scene II (Raos Quay 9, under construction). These
two terminals are used for the mooring of Ro-Ro
vessels. The application of the automatic mooring
system was simulated in the Port of Santander in
the above scenes comparing three different wind
speed situations, taking into account the reactions
of the vessel as a function of these variables. The
maneuvers were performed in extreme operating
193
Figure 1. Situation of the selected moorings. Source:
authors’ own illustration, based on Google Earth.
conditions with the largest-sized Ro-Ro vessel that
currently uses the mooring system.
2. Estimation of the profitability of the automatic
mooring system in two possible situations (one ter-
minal or both). This requires the estimations to be
carried out in two different scenes: Scene I (instal-
lation of the automatic mooring system in Raos 8)
and Scene III (installation of the system in the two
quays selected: Raos 8 and Raos 9) (Fig. 1).
3 METHODOLOGY
In order to achieve the objectives of the technical via-
bility study and the financial profitability analysis of
the establishment of an automatic mooring system in
the Port of Santander, three different methodologies
were used in the selected scenes.
The technical viability analysis of the automatic
mooring system is performed using the Maritime
Constructions Recommendations Methodology ROM
3.1–99 (Ministerio de Fomento 2000), drawn up by
the group of experts of the Coasts and Ports Author-
ities (currently National Ports Authority) in the year
2000. These recommendations are designed for stud-
ies undertaken with a real-time maneuver simulator.
In the present case, a “Polaris” simulator, developed
by “Kongsberg Norcontrol Simulations” (Norway),
and located in the School of Nautical Studies of the
University of Cantabria was used (Snellingen 2013).
Among the methods or criteria most widely used
to assess and select investment projects are the Net
Present Value (NPV) and the return rate or Internal
Rate of Return (IRR) (Suárez 2014). It is intended
to estimate the profitability of the projects to be
undertaken in the two scenes selected with these tradi-
tional methods of investment assessment.The practical
application of these methods is of great simplicity as
both functions can be estimated immediately using a
spreadsheet.
4 SELECTION OF THE MODEL TO INSTALL IN
THE PORT OF SANTANDER AND BUDGET
Taking into account the various automatic mooring
systems found on the market and the fact that the only
Figure 2. Cavotec automatic mooring systems. Source:
http://www.cavotec.com/
Table 1. No. of units to be installed as a function of vessels
size and wind speed.
Wind speed
Vessel 15 m/s 20 m/s 25 m/s
City of Amsterdam 4 6 8
Parsifal 6 10 14
Source: Cavotec.
company that supplies them is Cavotec, they were con-
tacted in order to provide information about the various
models and to ask about the budget for the ideal model
for the selected quays, Raos 8 and Raos 9, and the type
of vessels that could use them.
Based on the experience accumulated over the
years in the use of the MoorMaster™ technology,
this company concluded that there were several ben-
efits to be obtained in the Ro-Ro and Ferry terminals
(Sakakibara & Kubo 2007). These benefits include the
saving in response time; the reduction in infrastruc-
ture costs, the reduction in the maintenance costs for
the port defenses; the increase in safety both on land
and onboard due to the elimination of the ropes and
the reduction in the labor costs both in the terminal
and onboard for the mooring/rope-handling opera-
tions. All of these benefits indicate that the model
MoorMaster™ 40015 (Cavotec 2015) would be suit-
able for the fast mooring of Ro-Ro vessels in the Port
of Santander (Fig. 2).
The number of units recommended for installation
in the mooring quays Raos 8 and Raos 9, for vessels
of the type “City of Amsterdam” and “Parsifal”, are
shown in Table 1.
The “City of Amsterdam” is a car-ferry under an Isle
de Man flag, of 100 meters in length and 2,779 metric
tons of deadweight. The other vessel on which this
budget has been based is the “Parsifal” of the Wallenius
Wilhelmsen Company with a total length of 265.0m
and a deadweight in summer of 43,878 metric tons.
Table 2 shows the budget (2015) for the total number
of units or robots recommended as a function of wind
speeds.
194
Table 2. Budget as a function of number of units and wind
speed.
Wind speed max. m/s Units System Price €
15 6 3,000,000
20 10 4,900,000
25 14 6,700,000
5 DEFINITIONS OF CAPACITIES AND
SYSTEM DETAILS
The capacity of the automatic mooring units (Shang,
Zhen, & Ping Ren 2011) is conditioned not only by
the vessel size, but also by the following factors: wind,
tide, action of the waves, variation in height of tide and
interaction of vessel with defenses. In our study, the
wind and waves do not affect the quay of Raos 8.
The difference in height of the tide in the Port of
Santander can reach up to 5 meters in spring tides,
which means that mooring units will haveto be capable
of supporting the vertical movements of the varia-
tions in the tide, which implies that they will need
two additional units more than in those ports that are
not affected by the phenomenon of the tide.
The points of union between the mooring robot and
the hull of the vessel must be resistant enough to with-
stand a force of 200 kN in vacuum on a surface of
1.9×1.4 m (size of the vacuum pad) and the hull of
the vessel must be free of obstructions. The system
to be installed is made up of robots composed of two
pads each, which exercises a total force of 400kN in
vacuum per robot.
6 DESIGN AND RESULTS OF SIMULATION
6.1 Determination of climatological variables on
the simulation Scenes.
The predominant winds in the Port of Santander in
winter are those of the south, west and north-west.The
south winds are the strongest (more than 55 knots). The
big storms generally begin very strong in the south and
then change to north-west, accompanied by showers.
In Raos 8, when the wind is over 50 knots, the use of
tugboats is required to keep steady the moored vessels.
The orientation of the mooring quay is 095o, so that
the winds which have a south component, which are
the ones that come in squalls, and those of the south-
west, which are the strongest, are the ones which most
affect the moored vessels. The west and north-west
winds with speeds between 15 and 45 knots, without
squalls, rock the vessel softly against the quay, without
causing any problems during their mooring.
The orientation of Raos 9 is N-S, so that the winds
which have the greatest effects in this quay are the
west winds as these come in sideways. When the wind
speed is over 50 knots, the use of tugboats is required
in order to keep steady the moored vessels. It will also
be affected, though to a lesser extent, by winds with a
south-west component.
Taking into account all of the above and the calcula-
tions made to verify the most harmful wind directions
for the vessel selected, the maneuvering simulations
are performed using the following conditions: SW
with speeds of 35, 45 and 50 knots, S with speeds
of 45, 50 and 60 with gusts of more or less 10 knots
and W with speeds of 35, 45 and 50 knots.
The movements of the vessel will be monitored for
the different conditions.
Movements:
1. Vertical up and down movement: Heave.
2. Lateral movement on both sides: Sway.
3. Lengthwise movement forwards or backwards:
Surge.
Rotations:
1. Along the vertical axis ’Z’: Yaw.
2. Along the horizontal axis ’Y’: Pitch.
3. Along the longitudinal axis ’X’: Roll.
For the study (Thoresen 2014; Yamase & Ueda
2007) of the technical viability of the implantation of
the automatic mooring system in the two scenes, it was
decided that the maneuvers should start with the ves-
sel moored in three different situations with different
meteorological conditions; that is, with different wind
directions and speeds.
Starting from these wind conditions, the following
situations were proposed in the two scenes, Raos 8 and
Raos 9.
Situation 1: Vessel moored without any rope made
fast to land and applying the various alternatives or
wind conditions. With these maneuvers, it is demon-
strated that the wind really does affect and shift the
vessel in different directions and speeds depending on
the wind direction and speed. In this way, the simulator
will be tested for each wind condition.
Situation 2: Vessel moored with ropes. With the ves-
sel moored, the movements of the vessels are observed
when subjected to the various alternatives or wind
conditions. These maneuvers have made it possible to
observe the extreme wind conditions after which it is
necessary to reinforce the ropes or to keep tugboats
pushing throughout the whole maneuver.
In fact, the number of ropes commonly used are
2+4 fore and aft in summer and 2 +2+3 fore and
aft in winter. The winter conditions are the ones that
will be recreated so a total of 14 mooring ropes will
be used of 392 kN each -which is the model used by
the simulator- with a total of 5493 kN of retention.
The tensions of the ropes and their working direction
have been monitored in order to control not to pass the
global retention limit. The lengths of the mooring ropes
have also been defined so that the vessel is always
moored in the same position.
Situation 3: Vessel moored with the automatic
mooring system. With these maneuvers, we will try to
demonstrate that the movements of the vessel moored
with this system are reduced to the minimum and
195
that it will not be necessary to use ropes or tugboats
in order to keep steady the moored vessel in any
extreme wind condition. In the maneuvers that have
been performed simulating 14 robots with a retention
capacity of 400 kN each, making a total of 5600kN of
retention – more or less the same as that achieved with
the mooring ropes- we have used 10 pushing tugboats
of 560 kN each positioned all along the length of the
vessel.
In the maneuvers performed with the automatic sys-
tems, the tension of the robots is always kept constant
in order to see if there is any change in the position of
the vessel.
Cavotec has set the dimensions at 14 robots for
winds up to 25 m/s, or around 48 knots.
For each situation, (1, 2, and 3) three “options” of
wind direction are proposed: A=SW, B =S, C =W;
and each wind option has three associated “alterna-
tives” or wind speeds: a=35 knots, b =45 knots,
c=50 knots.
During the undertaking of the maneuvers, the same
data has been recorded for each situation: time, head-
ing, bow direction, location, wind speed, wind direc-
tion, sway, surge and roll. The vessel with which
the maneuvers are performed in the simulator is the
container ship converted to a Ro-Ro vessel “Barber
Texas”, which is a reproduction of the real vessel
“Texas” of the WalleniusWilhelmsen Company, a ves-
sel which frequently makes calls in Santander. It is
261.5 meters in length, 32 meters in beam and has a
total dead-work of 40 meters.
The recommended values of movement for the
moored vessel are: surge 0.3 meters, heave 1.0 meters,
yaw 0.5 meters, pitch 0.6◦, roll 0.8◦and sway 0.6
meters (Ministerio de Fomento 2011).
6.2 Results of simulation of maneuvers in the
different situations
This work only presents the results of the simulation
in the two scenes for the three situations, and only for
the most harmful wind conditions (SW in Scene I and
W in Scene II) and for wind speed of 35 knots. The
illustrations are the graphic output of the simulator,
representing the movements of sway and roll.
In the simulations without ropes of the vessel
moored in Raos 8, it has been observed that the vessel:
•Maneuver n◦1: with a SW wind of 35 knots the
vessel is displaced 190 metros, in a NE direction in
three minutes (Fig. 3).
•Maneuver n◦4: with winds of 45 knots, the vessel
is displaced 200 meters. Direction NE.
•Maneuver n◦7: with winds of 50 knots, the vessel
is displaced around 225 meters. Direction NE.
Analyzing the simulations and the data obtained, we
concluded that with SW winds of over 35 knots, the
capacity of retention of the vessels, in order to remain
moored and without movements that reduce the safety
levels of the operations, must be over 5493 kN (Fig. 4).
Hence, it can be inferred that if the system retains the
Figure 3. Maneuver n◦1. Scene I, Situation 1Aa. Simula-
tion: Raos Quay 8, with 35 knots of SW wind. Duration 3
minutes. Data on Surge, Roll and Sway.
Figure 4. n◦20 Scene I Situation 2Aa. Simulation: Raos 8,
with 35 knots of SW wind, with ropes, 15 minutes duration.
Data on surge.
moored vessel with 14 robots of 400 kN each, making
a total of 5600 kN, it is retaining the vessel with more
force as the ropes but without movements (Fig. 5).
After 35 knots, it will be necessary to reinforce the
196
Figure 5. Maneuver n◦37. Scene I Situation 3Aa. Simula-
tion: Raos 8, with 35 knots of SW wind with the automatic
mooring system. Duration of Maneuver 15.
Figure 6. Maneuver n◦10. Scene II Situation 1Ca. Sim-
ulation: Raos 9, with 35 knots of W wind, without ropes.
Duration 3.
system with ropes and tugboats may even be required
to push on the side. This extreme situation arises on
average between 5 and 10 days a year.
Figures 6, 7 and 8 represent the three situations in
Scene II, Raos 9, with winds from the W of 35 knots.
Figure 7. Maneuver n◦29. Scene II Situation 2Ca. Sim-
ulation: Raos 9, with 35 knots of W wind, with ropes.
Duration 15.
Figure 8. Maneuver n◦46. Scene II Situation 3Ca. Simu-
lation: Raos 9, with 35 knots of W wind, with the automatic
mooring system. Duration 15.
In the simulations without ropes in Raos 9 (Fig-
ure 6), it is observed that:
•Maneuver n◦10, with a W wind of 35 knots, the
vessel is displaced 155 meters to the east in 3
minutes.
197
Table 3. Scene I, Situations 2 and 3 alternatives A and B.
Wind speed Ropes retention 14 robots system Wind speed Ropes retention 14 robots system
(knots) SW (kN) retention (kN) (knots) S (kN) retention (kN)
35 5797.71 5493.6 45 7161.3 5493.6
45 6749.28 5493.6 50 7455.6 NO BEAR
50 7710.66 5493.6 60 7651.8 NO BEAR
Summary of kN of retention force obtained with simulations with ropes and with the system, in Raos 8 with winds from the
SW and S. Source: authors’ own table.
Table 4. Scene II, Situations 2 and 3 alternatives y B.
Wind speed Ropes retention 14 robots system Wind speed Ropes retention 14 robots system
(knots) SW (kN) retention (kN) (knots) W (kN) retention (kN)
35 5189.49 5493.6 35 6170.49 5493.6
45 6082.2 5493.6 45 7553.7 5493.6
50 6867 5493.6 50 8691.66 NO BEAR
Summary of kN of retention force obtained with simulations with ropes and with the system, in Raos 9 with winds from the
SW and W. Source: authors’ own table.
•Maneuver n◦13, with winds of 45 knots, it is
displaced 245 meters to the east.
•Maneuver n◦16, with winds of 50 knots, it is
displaced around 267 meters to the east.
Obviously, the higher the wind speed, the greater
the movements.
Maneuver n◦29 (Figure 7) shows that for west
winds of 35 knots, the capacity of retention of the
ropes, in order to remain moored and without move-
ments that reduce the safety levels of the operations,
must be greater than 5493.6 kN. For winds of 45 knots,
7553.7 kN of retention will be required and for winds
of 50 knots, 8691.6 kN.
6.3 Analysis of the simulation results
The analysis has been based on the results of the
maneuvers performed with the vessel moored with
ropes and with the automatic mooring system, taking
into account, as mentioned above, that the maneuvers
without ropes were undertaken in order to demonstrate
that the simulator faithfully reflects reality.
Maneuver n◦46 (Figure 8) shows how the vessel
remains steady with winds of 35 knots due to the use
of the automatic mooring system.
From the simulations performed for the SW and S
winds in Raos 8, it can be concluded that the stay of
the ship is much safer when moored with the automatic
mooring system than with the ropes.
With ropes, it would be necessary to add tugboats at
the side after 35 knots while with the system this would
not be necessary. If, at one point, the wind should blow
at over 50 knots, with the vessel moored with the sys-
tem, it could be reinforced with ropes, avoiding the use
of a tugboat pushing at the sides, which means that the
vessels are self-sufficient (Table 3).
In Scene II, Raos 9, the results shown inTable 4 are
obtained for SW and W winds. With ropes, it would
Table 5. Structure of the installation costs. Repayable.
Structure Of
Installation Costs Scene I Scene III
(Repayable) €€
Civil Works 1.190.000 2.380.000
Equipment (Robots) 6.700.000 13.400.000
Total Installation Costs 7.890.000 15.780.000
Source: Authors’ own table.
be necessary to add tugboats after 45 knots while this
is not the case with the automatic system If, at one
point, the wind should blow at over 50 knots, with the
vessel moored with the system, it could be reinforced
with ropes, avoiding the use of a tugboat pushing at the
sides, which means that the vessels are self-sufficient.
7 ECONOMIC-FINANCIAL ANALYSIS OF THE
AUTOMATIC MOORING SYSTEM
When it comes to assessing a project in order to deter-
mine its economic-financial viability, an analysis is
made of the economic results of its installation, in
the predicted conditions, and it is determined whether
the project can be undertaken. The profitability of the
project to be carried out is generally determined using
the NPV and IRR investment assessment methodolo-
gies mentioned above in the methodology. To this end,
an estimation of the costs is made as well as a predic-
tion of the revenues, and of the accounts that make
up the financial plan. The plan has been executed,
as is generally the case, on the two basic levels, one
related to the capital cycle or to long-term operations
(investments in fixed assets and basic funding) and
another related to the cycle of the exploitation or cur-
rent operations (investments in short-term circulating
198
assets). The financial instrumentation of these eco-
nomic cycles has been formalized using the budgets of
capital, exploitation and treasury. Finally, the NPV and
the IRR have been estimated for the predicted scenes.
7.1 Estimation of costs
The present section presents the formalization of the
results of the estimation performed both of the costs
and expenses of installing the automatic mooring
system and of the costs directly associated to its pro-
ductive process (exploitation) withoutVAT (21%).The
estimation is based on the data provided by compa-
nies that operate with similar mooring systems. All of
the estimations have been applied in the two different,
though complementary, scenes, in which it is intended
to undertake the activity: Scene I (RAOS Quay 8) and
Scene IIII (RAOS Quays 8 and 9).
7.2 Installation costs
The installation costs are the investment and expenses
required to set up the automatic mooring system,
before it can begin to be exploited (Table 5). These are
the works and installations that must be carried out and
are susceptible to amortization (structural adaptations,
electrical installations, equipment and systems, exter-
nal adaptations and conditioning of the surrounding
area).
The exploiting company starts under the premise
that the Port Authority of Santander will take charge of
the installation adaptation works. Hence, the exploit-
ing company will only have to repay the equipment,
recovering its investment in 30 years.
7.3 Exploitation costs
Most of the exploitation costs (Table 6), except for the
running and management of the system operators, has
been externalized in order to adapt to the variations
in demand. In this sense, the maintenance and repair
services, consumptions (electricity, water and tele-
phone) and insurance will be provided by companies
and personnel from outside the installation.
7.4 Financial costs
The initial installation costs are intended to be financed
through two different sources.The equipment (robots)
will be funded with a loan and the adaptation works
will be funded by the Port Authorities.
7.5 Amortization
Part of the installation and exploitation costs corre-
spond to works and equipment which are susceptible
to amortization, as shown in Table 7.
The linear amortization criterion has been used
with a residual value of 15% of the purchase value.
The works and equipment will be repaid in 30 years,
the vehicle in 10 years.
Table 6. Structure of the exploitation costs.
Scene I Scene III
Structure of the (RAOS 8) (RAOS8y9)
exploitation
costs. 2014 2015 2014 2015
Installation 7,890,000 15,780,000
Vehicles 18,000 18,000
Personnel 194,378 194,378
Electricity 244,944 489,888
Consumption
Fuel 324 648
Consumption
Maintenance 60,300 107,200
Insurance 67,000 120,600
Other outside 1200 1200
services
Financial 268,720 536,720
costs
Total 7,890,000 854,866 15,780,000 1,468,634
exploitation
costs
Source: Authors’ own table.
Table 7. Annual f inancial amortization.
Investment Table (Annual Amortizations)
Works, installations and equipment Scene I € Scene III €
Installation Costs Equipment 219,983 439,967
Civil Works 39,072 78,143
Vehicle 1773 1773
Total 260,828 519,883
Investment
Source: authors’ own table.
7.6 Revenues and sources of funding
The predicted revenues and sources of funding for the
development of the activity of the automatic moor-
ing system, as can be seen in Table 8, have three
clearly distinct origins: the sale of the mooring ser-
vices; subsidies from the Port Authority of Santander
and loans.
7.7 Profitability of the investment
The profitability of the investment in the port termi-
nals has been estimated in keeping with the VAN and
IRR criteria for the two scenes. In both cases, the esti-
mations have been made under the assumption of full
employment in the terminals.
Scene I: The investment is not profitable. The
project is not viable for one terminal and should be
rejected, even though low average revenues have been
considered in relation to the traffic it is hoped to attract,
in order to consider more restrictive conditions.
IRR =−0.46%
VAN =−736,304 €
199
Table 8. Revenues and sources of funding.
Revenues and sources Scene I Scene III
of funding €/year €/year
Sale of mooring services 1,080,000 2,160,000
Subsidies from the 1,190,000 2,380,000
Port Authority of Santander
Loans 6,700,000 13,400,000
Source: authors’ own table. Amounts in current €.
Scene III: The investment is profitable both in
absolute and in relative terms, so that it can be
undertaken.
IRR =2.5%
VAN =1,023,940 €
The investment in the two terminals allows scale
economies to be applied.
8 CONCLUSIONS
From the results obtained from the research described
above, the following conclusions have been drawn:
1. The use of the real-time maneuver simulator has
proven to be a highly useful and efficient tool for
the design, development and construction of engi-
neering projects in quays, as it has enabled all of
the conditions (variables) that might be found in
the real Scene to be accurately reproduced.
2. The use of the automatic mooring system has made
it possible to increase safety margins during the
stay of the moored vessel. The vessel can remain
moored in total safety with stronger winds than the
conventional system, without the need to resort to
tugboats.
3. The automatic mooring system reduces the total
time of the stay in port of the vessels, which means
an increase in the available port capacity and a
reduction in the risk of congestion.
4. It has been verified that the use of the automatic
mooring system increases safety and reduces the
movements of the vessel during its stay in the port.
On studying the maneuvers performed in the sim-
ulator, it has been observed that there are fewer
movements with the automatic mooring system.
5. With the automatic mooring system, the mooring
service costs are reduced for the full-use traffic
flows of the terminals in Scene III. This means that
a total of 2,160 calls per year are recorded.
6. The exploitation of the automatic mooring system
in the Port of Santander, for the predicted traffic
flows (2,160 calls per year), is only profitable if it
is installed in the two terminals (Scene III: RAOS
8 and 9) due to the operating scale economies
involved.
7. The automatic mooring system would appear to be
profitable in ports of great dimensions and high
traffic flows, where operating scale economies can
be broadly expanded. It might also be profitable
in ports where the wind and tide conditions are not
too extreme and the system could work with a small
number of robots.
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Cavotec. 2015. MoorMaster Automated Mooring. Technical
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Díaz, E. 2016. Innovation in the Commercial Seaports Moor-
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Hadcroft, J. M. & Montgomery, P. J. 2005. Mooring device.
Google Patents.
Ministerio de Fomento. 2000. ROM 3.1-99: Proyecto de
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