Automated mooring method and mooring system

A method of mooring a vessel utilising at least one mooring facility comprising a location sensing system;

• emergency buffer elements movable between a deployed and a non-deployed position;
• and at least one or more mooring robots each comprising an engaging mechanism for engaging with the side of a vessel approaching a mooring facility, and a moving mechanism for moving the engaging mechanism, said method comprising the steps of;
• a) measuring the location of a vessel relative to a terminal by way of a location sensing system;
• b) calculating an index value indicative of the kinetic energy of the approaching vessel at least in a direction acting towards the mooring facility;
• and
• c) deploying said emergency buffer elements to their deployed position upon detection, via the location sensing system and/or the mooring robot(s), that a vessel's kinetic energy is greater than what can be absorbed by the mooring robots.

A method of operating a mooring system suitable for receiving a vessel that is approaching a mooring facility that includes emergency buffer elements movable between a deployed and non-deployed position;

• a plurality of mooring robots mounted to a mooring facility, said mooring robots including an engaging mechanism for engaging with the side of a vessel and a moving mechanism for moving the engaging mechanism relative the mooring facility, said mooring robots forming part of a system that comprises;
• a) a location sensing system suitable for sensing the location of and/or part of the vessel relative to the mooring facility and/or each of the mooring robots and/or each of the engaging mechanisms,
• b) and a processor for calculating movement required by the engaging mechanism of each mooring robot, and
• c) a controller to control movement of the mooring robots in response to information received from the processor,
• said method comprising the steps of;
• d) providing movement calculating instructions for instructing the processor to use a generated location signal for calculating an index representative of the kinetic energy of the vessel;
• and
• e) configuring the instructions to direct the processor to use deploy the emergency buffer elements to their deployed position in the event that the calculated kinetic energy of the approaching vessel is greater than what can be absorbed by the mooring robot(s).

A method of mooring a vessel utilising at least one mooring facility mounted mooring robot that comprising an engaging mechanism for engaging with the side of a vessel approaching a mooring facility, and a moving mechanism for moving the engaging mechanism, said method comprising the steps of;

• a) measuring the location of a vessel relative to a terminal by way of a location sensing system;
• b) calculating an index value associated with the movement required by the mooring robot to engage the engaging mechanism with the vessel in a condition to allow control of movement of the mooring robot to reduce the kinetic energy of the vessel in at least a direction acting towards the mooring facility by the mooring robot, while resulting in the smooth transition in the application of force between the mooring robot and said vessel;
• c) calculating an index indicative of the kinetic energy of the vessel;
• d) instructing the deployment of emergency buffer elements to a deployed condition to shield the mooring robot in the event that the calculated index indicative of the kinetic energy of a vessel exceeds a predetermined threshold.