Page 17 - European Energy Innovation - Autumn 2016 publication
P. 17
Autumn 2016 European Energy Innovation 17
COMMUNICATION
The power behind vessel charging
and automated mooring
Global engineering group “The speed of the operation supports At departure, a signal received from
Cavotec is working actively key industry objectives such as the bridge or ramp indicates to the
to develop innovative reducing the overall cost of investment MoorMaster™ vacuum pads to retract
wireless charging and in terms of battery cost, vessel weight, from the vessel within 10 seconds. The
automated mooring technologies for and heat load.” charging sequence ends when the
ships – systems that make dramatic induction plates are no longer within
improvements in safety, operational As ferries approach the berth, the IPT acceptable operational limits.
efficiency, and environmental system readies for the charging and
performance. Speaking exclusively to mooring sequence. Crucially – and in MOORMASTER™ AUTOMATED
European Energy Innovation, one of the key features of this system MOORING
Cavotec Group Chief Marketing & – charging can begin before the vessel MoorMaster™ is a vacuum-based
Strategy Officer, Yann Duclot, outlines is fully moored, thereby generating automated mooring technology that
how Cavotec hopes to support significant time savings, which in fast eliminates the need for conventional
the wider use of vessel charging turn-around ferry service settings are mooring lines. Remote controlled
and automated mooring in what is especially relevant. vacuum pads recessed in, or mounted
sometimes described as a conservative on the quayside or pontoons, moor and
industry. An advanced detection system release vessels in seconds.
determines when the IPT unit is within
“For us, innovation and partnerships an appropriate range of the vessel, The system dramatically improves
are the two key aspects of encouraging and once 75 per cent of the surface safety and operational efficiency, and
the wider use of systems that drive area of the charging plates on the ship in many cases enables ports to make
efficiency, reduce environmental and MoorMaster™ are overlapping, considerable infrastructure savings. To
impact, and improve safety,” explains charging starts. date, some 200 MoorMaster™ units
Duclot. have performed more than 200,000
Operators manoeuvre the ferry mooring operations at 30 – soon
“Earlier this year, we entered into a alongside the berth, and once in to be 42 – ferry, bulk handling, Ro/
co-operation agreement with Finnish position, a number of vacuum pads Ro, container and lock applications
marine and energy group Wärtsilä to – typically around four for the size of worldwide.
develop the world’s first integrated ferry envisaged in this co-operation –
marine wireless charging and extend, and attach to the vessel’s hull, The vacuum units hold vessels at set
automated mooring concept.” achieving safe, secure mooring within distances from the berth, thereby
30 seconds. avoiding the need for ships to be
“The agreement incorporates Wärtsilä’s repositioned along the quay – resulting
innovative wireless vessel charging “This really is a step-change in in operational improvements and
system, which is based on inductive operational efficiency,” says Duclot. reduced emissions from ships and tugs.
power transfer, (IPT), and incorporates
our vacuum-based, automated mooring
technology MoorMaster™.”
“Significant interest already exists in
this system, with the first prototype
scheduled for installation at an
application in Norway during the first
half of 2017.”
THE IPT SEQUENCE
“What we have done is to combine
MoorMaster™ vacuum pads with
Wärtsilä’s IPT to achieve the fastest
ever automated mooring and charging
sequence,” claims Duclot.
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