PIANC USA Webinar: Updated Guidelines for the Design of Fender Systems

PIANC USA hosts Rune Iversen to discuss findings from PIANC Maritime Navigation Commission (MarCom) Working Group 211: Guidelines for the Design of Fender Systems. As soon as a ship enters the port, it needs to be berthed. To protect the ship from the berth or the berth from the ship, a fender system is installed on the berthing line to absorb the energy of the berthing ship and to provide a buffer between the ship and the berth when the vessel is moored. A good and suitable design of the fender system is therefore necessary to avoid costly damage. In 2002, the PIANC Maritime Navigation Commission Working Group 33 (WG33) published the Guidelines for the Design of Fenders Systems: 2002. That report is the one reference document to which all other national guidelines and codes that specify or prescribe fender design refer. Every country with a serious port has some guidance on the construction of marine infrastructure, such as the internationally well-known design codes, standards, or guidelines, like the Spanish ROM, EAU, British Standards, ASCE, or OCDI. While the WG33 report is very valuable, it is also outdated in some areas. PIANC started a new working group in 2019, WG211, tasked with updating the current fender design guidelines. This webinar presents an overview of the tasks of WG211, the structure of the new guidelines, and a summary of the new subjects or major changes compared to the old guidelines. This includes new information on berthing velocities and the development of energy safety factors. The WG211 report is expected to be published in 2023. All PIANC reports are free for PIANC members. Learn about the other perks of membership and join today at https://pianc.us/membership. PIANC reports are also available for purchase at https://www.pianc.org/publications. This event was originally recorded on December 7, 2022.