Trelleborg welcomes PIANC's plans for the evolution of fender best practice
Jul 03, 2019
Trelleborg’s marine and infrastructure operation recently hosted PIANC’s Working Group (WG) 211 in our manufacturing facility in Qingdao, China, and discussed the evolution of fender design best practice.
As part of the discussion on the future revision of PIANC’s 2002 Guidelines for the Design of Fender Systems, the WG talked about fender testing, berthing energy calculations and a number of other vital topics including vessel structure and hull pressure. The WG also met a number of ship builders from Korea to understand the factors they consider for the design process of the ship hull.
The meeting was part of a three-day event in Qingdao which saw the WG visit Trelleborg’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in the city. Managing Director of Trelleborg’s manufacturing facility in Qingdao, Jackie Huang, led the factory tour and discussed the facility’s capabilities and contribution to the industry. As part of the factory tour, the group was given a guided walk around of our laboratory, fender testing facility and production floors which manufacture solid fenders, pneumatic fenders and other fenders, as well as other port/marine equipment.
In addition, Trelleborg is pleased to have sponsored the WG to a tour of Qingdao’s stunning coastal waters and Qingdao Qianwan port, as well as a city tour, which ended on a high note with a Chinese dinner where our guests were treated to a traditional musical performance.
Since the establishment of PIANC’s 2002 Guidelines for the Design of Fender Systems there has been a number of evolutions in vessel design and industry applications, as well as advances in the design of fender systems themselves. As a result, Trelleborg has committed significant time and resources in taking a smarter approach to fender specification, design, manufacture, testing and refocusing the industry on high quality solutions that will help to protect port infrastructure and investment.
We’ve long supported the work of PIANC and so were delighted to host the WG and begin the wider discussion of establishing new guidelines, which when they become available, will reflect the needs of a changing industry.
