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Development
The Moormaster™ 200 system
The Moormaster™ Series E externally mounted system (Click to enlarge)
In simple terms, MSL’s breakthrough system consists of a rectangular vacuum pad attached to hydraulic cylinders, which are either mounted on the side of a ship or onto the side of a wharf. When docking, the pad is extended out and “sucked” onto the side of the ship, or, in the case of the shipboard model, onto a pad mounted on the wharf. The system has been installed on vessels and wharves around the world and is attracting a lot of attention from ship owners and port operators keen to improve safety, productivity and turn-around times.
It was clear from the outset of the project that any alternative to conventional mooring systems would have to be not only as strong, but more cost effective, and at least as safe. Otherwise why change? It also became apparent early on that any new system would also have to be flexible enough to cope with the dynamic forces acting on a moored vessel produced by the waves and the rise and fall of the tides.
Initially, Montgomery thought in terms of a purely mechanical system, but it became clear that the cost, complexity, and inherently lower reliability of such a system meant the approach was a dead-end one. Magnetism was rejected on the grounds that it would require a large electricity supply, which, if interrupted, could see a ship drift from its moorings. In 1996, Montgomery and his team settled on the idea of using vacuum pads, as a reliable, powerful and simple solution.
Developing the system’s hydraulics was a challenge, particularly the design and build of the large hydraulic cylinders that attach ship to shore. Montgomery and his design team combined hydraulic and pneumatic technology to create cylinders that could attach quickly and then settle into a steady mooring mode.
