Simulation of Load Distribution along a Quay during Unparallel Berthing Manoeuvres

The marine berths are normally secured for safety reasons with a system of fenders. Their role is to absorb and dissipate the kinetic energy of a ship coming into a contact with a berth, so the structural in-tegrity of both the berth and ship's hull is preserved. Normally the combination of a number and the single fender strength indicate the ship's maximum allowable lateral speed in parallel berthing conditions (of course, with a safety margin frequently taken into account). More or less directly and/or approximately, this is also a general selection method for fender systems. The main objective of this conference contribution, as inspired by some suggestions and needs within a domestic marine society since the author's developed and successfully implemented fender effect in ship manoeuvring simulation, is to analyse the local loads in a particular fender around the region of contact during an oblique berthing. Various conditions of ship's lateral and angu-lar velocities are tested. The results are compared with some practical shiphandling tips, as to be found in the literature, leading to a necessity of revision of the existing practice. The presented investigations are believed to be very helpful also for fender system designers.