The most commonly accepted practice for calculating hull pressure is to calculate the average hull pressure by dividing the reaction of the marine fender over the entire frontal flat area of the marine fender panel. While this calculation normally serves as a good parameter for sizing fender panels often times it does not truly depict the true loading scenario between the hull of the vessel and the panel.

Non symmetric fender arrangements, hull belting, and hull flare are just few examples of obstructions which cause the panel loading to be anything but evenly distributed. However, even in the case of a flat hull berthing against the face of flat panel, the loading cannot truly be considered fully distributed. Since the hull of most vessels are commonly designed with an external plate membrane supported by an internal structure of stiffer gussets, the high berthing loads will be more directly transferred into the internal frames of the vessel rather than the membrane of the vessel. As the hulls external membrane is loaded, it will deflect slightly until the loading is almost completely transferred into the frames of the vessel. Due to this loading phenomenon fender panels must be designed such that they are capable of bridging the gaps between adjacent hull frames. If properly designed this is actually a favorable loading condition for the vessel since the hull; which is not meant to handle high compressive loads, will be somewhat spared as the panel bridges the girders and imparts most of the fender reaction directly into the frames of the vessel designed for high shear loads. More and more vessels are being designed with gussets that are farther and farther apart. While panel systems are good at bridging these gaps, this condition is starting to cause problems for marine fender systems that do not use a panel such as foam and pneumatic fenders. Such fendering system impart a truly hydrostatic load into the hull of the vessel which is likely to deflect the hulls external membrane so greatly that there exists the potential for permanent deformation on the hull of the vessel. As vessel design evolves designers must always be cognizant of the true load transfer between panel and vessel.

At Maritime International, our engineering staff takes the time to understand the needs of your project, and if possible we'll provide you with an alternate design for your marine fender system, giving you a more affordable, and more efficient option. To facilitate this process, we can provide you with clear, easily understandable documentation including a high-quality, interactive 3D rendering of your project. You more than likely have Adobe Acrobat already installed on your computer, so there's no need for additional software.

In dock construction, there are a variety of factors that must be considered when designing a marine fender system. Maritime International's product line includes 5 main types of marine fenders for use in dock facilities: Cell, Cone, Leg, Arch, and Cylindrical. In this series of blog posts, we'll profile each fender type, and review potential design issues of each.

The latest generation of marine fenders is the MCN Cone Fender. The design evolved from the highly popular Cell Fender. Its tapered shape gives them the un-paralleled ability to deflect 70% of its height, maximizing its energy performance for its rated reaction. The MCN Cone Fender‘s locking style deflection shape (Revolved S), allows the fender to handle high shear loads, reducing the need for shear and weight chains. Cone fenders have good durability qualities which Maritime International confirmed by conducting a 40,000 compression cycle in our marine fender test laboratory.

In comparison to a cell fender the cone fender does have a slight trade off in durability for its gained efficiency, but in most cases the durability of the cone fender is far in excess of what is necessary for today's docking systems. In further comparison the design of a panel for a cone system and a cell fender system will have a few distinct differences. Most noticeable is the panel stool design which is adapted to stick away from the back of the panel such that it can "plunge" into the fender during the deep 70% deflection cycle of the fender. The face of a cone fender has a slightly smaller footprint than the cell fender causing for higher panel stresses which must be considered when designing a panel system properly for cone fenders. Finally the cone fender system will typically utilize a smaller rubber body with a slightly larger steel body than the cell fender, understanding the cost impact of these variable is essential in making the proper selection between cone and cell fenders.

For more information about the MCN Cone fender, or for design assistance, contact a Maritime International representative today.

Long ago, back in the early days of the internet, there was a consistently neglected page of many websites; Contact Us. The neglect persisted for so long that even today a user questions himself as he submits an email to a generic address he found on a website, "Will anyone ever respond to this message?" Many business tried to band-aid the problem by sending automatic responses letting you know that a representative (a real, live, human being) will respond within 48 hours. Often times this never happens, or is many days or even weeks later.

But every so often you'll submit a contact form, or send an email and get an immediate response from a business. As a customer, it's refreshing. As a business, It's one of the easiest ways to provide great customer service, and it's what Maritime International strives for. A quick response has always been our policy with any method of communication. This builds trust in our company from our clients and potential clients.

So if you have any questions regarding our product line of marine fenders and mooring bollards, you can send emails directly to any of our offices and you will receive a direct response from an engaged customer service person (engineering or sales) within a 24 hours at most. Additionally we have added a feature to our website for those of you who prefer very quick responses. Try out our ‘Live Chat' system located at the top of every page on our site. Our sales and engineering staff are here to help.

When a customer purchases mooring bollards from Maritime International, we deliver more than just a product. We provide peace of mind that our bollards will perform to their exact specifications by including the following quality control documentation.

• Drawings of the bollard and associated anchors with installation details
• Engineering calculations and analysis demonstrating load capacity
• Installation procedure
• Chemical analysis test reports
• Mechanical test reports
• Dimensional as-built report
• Coating test reports

Additional quality assurance and control can be supplied in the form of full scale proof loading of the bollards as well as coupons attached to the supplied bollards that allow our customers the opportunity to perform their own chemical and mechanical testing after delivery. These documents are supplied at the delivery time of the bollards or cleats.