Adapting and Developing Hands Free Mooring for Navigation Locks Speaker: Benoit Nolet
The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System A gateway to the heartland of North America 3,700 km (2,300 m) marine highway 41 ports connected to the System Provides access to Western Canada and US Midwest markets Serves a region that is: home to 100 million people 26% of US industry 60% of Canadian industry
First Welland Canal 1829-1844 Built by the Welland Canal Company (a private enterprise) Completed in 1833, the first Welland Canal was 44 km (27 miles) long. There were 40 wooden locks with a maximum size of 33.5 m by 6.7 m (110 x 22 feet) and a depth of 2.4 m (8 feet). Wooden locks proved to expensive to maintain
Second and Third Welland Canals 2 nd Canal (1845 1886) Work began to increase the canal depth to 2.7 m (9 feet) and to reduce the number of locks to 27. The new locks were masonry 45.7 m (150 feet) long and 8.1 m (26.5 feet) wide. 3 rd Canal (1887 1931) The canal had 26 cut stone locks, each 82.3 m (270 feet) long and 13.7 m (45 feet) wide. The limiting depth was 4.3 m (14 feet) In 1889, nearly 2,000 vessel transits were recorded, 820 by steamships and 1,141 by sailing vessels. Canalers, a distinctive type of vessel using the third canal, had a maximum length of 79.9 m (262 feet) and could carry as much as 2,700 tonnes (3,000 tons).
Fourth Welland Canal Construction of the present canal finished in 1932 The difference of 99.5 m (326.5 feet) between the levels of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie is overcome with eight locks and 43.4 km (27 miles) of canal Each of seven lift locks has an average lift of 14.2 m (46.5 feet) Lock 8 at Lake Erie is a control lock with a shallow lift varying from 0.3 to 1.2 m (1 to 4 feet) to make the final adjustment to the level of Lake Erie
The St. Lawrence Seaway Ranked as one of the outstanding engineering feats of the twentieth century, the St. Lawrence Seaway includes 13 Canadian and 2 U.S. locks.
The Seaway Story The Seaway was built to transport bulk cargoes grain out for export and iron ore in Since 1959, the Seaway has moved over 2.5 billion tonnes of cargo valued at over $375 billion
The St. Lawrence Seaway An average of 40 million tonnes of cargo transits the System The Seaway has the capacity to significantly increase traffic volumes without additions to existing infrastructure
The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System The system:
Status of the Global Fleet: Expanding System Access World s commercial fleet (Sea Web) consists of 83,667 ships Seaway sized vessels represent a total of 21,839 Most of the Seaway sized vessels are not Seaway fitted Need to be able to accommodate Seaway sized vessels, whether or not they are Seaway fitted
Tie-up Requirements
Service customization Modified Practices and Procedures (Seaway Fittings) Acceptance of soft lines for vessels <150m LOA (490 ft) Acceptance of 3 line tie ups for vessels <150m LOA (490 ft) Hands Free Mooring Program Attract more vessels in order to diversify our cargo base Reduce barriers to system by lowering crewing requirements for lock transits / minimize overtime Enhance crew safety and productivity
Hands Free Mooring Safety
Hands Free Mooring Insert Hands Free Video Here
Hands Free Mooring Buoyancy Unit
Hands Free Mooring Winch Unit
HFM Video
Hands Free Mooring Success Rate HFM Results as of September 20, 2010: Breakdown of 622 tests 14 3 Success Rate 76% of tested transits 132 473 Successful Lockages Pads failed to attach Pads failed to retract or detach Pads disengaged prematurely Failures mainly due to presence of wear bars or surface quality Half of the transits not tested due to: Presence of wear bars HFM Equipment Out of Service
HFM Success Rate HFM Results as of September 20, 2010: Breakdown of 622 tests 14 3 132 473 Successful Lockages Pads failed to attach Pads failed to retract or detach Pads disengaged prematurely
Wear Bars
Torn Seals
Questions What are the two different types of Hands Free Mooring Units currently installed at the St-Lawrence Seaway? What is one of the reason the Seaway is pursuing this technology? What is one of the two main challenges the Seaway faces with the Hands Free Mooring equipment?
Adapting and Developing Hands Free Mooring for Navigation Locks Benoit Nolet, Manager, Transit of the Future, St-Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, St-Catharines, Ontario, CANADA Bnolet@seaway.ca 1. INTRODUCTION Automated or "hands free" mooring (HFM) provides many advantages over conventional methods to secure a vessel. In simple terms, a HFM 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 to improve safety, productivity and turn-around times. The application of HFM in an inland waterway lock system, whilst producing all the known and some new advantages, also presents some unique challenges. This presentation will deal briefly with the potential benefits of HFM and focus primarily on the implementation challenges and results of the pilot tests carried out In the Welland Canal of the St. Lawrence Seaway system. 2. MAIN CONTENT The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System is a vital transportation route from the Atlantic Ocean to Lake Superior, serving the industrial heartland of North America. The St. Lawrence Seaway, which was opened in 1959, is a key component of this system consisting of navigation locks and connecting canals. It provides ship access from Montreal to lake Erie and includes two sections: The Montreal - Lake Ontario Section (MLO), consisting of five Canadian and two U.S. locks, and the Welland Canal with its eight locks. In 2005, St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) and MoorMaster in 2007; MoorMaster joined with Cavotec Ltd and the vacuum mooring business is now known as Cavotec MoorMaster (CMM) of New Zealand started discussion regarding the potential to adopt their vacuum mooring technology for use in a Seaway lock. Whilst the vacuum mooring technology had been in use for a number of years, the standard units manufactured by MoorMaster would not be suitable for the situation in a navigation lock. In 2006 an order was placed with MoorMaster to develop a prototype unit that is suitable for lock operations. Following successful testing in New Zealand, one vacuum unit was installed in a shallow lock on the Welland Canal in early 2007. The testing confirmed the viability of the concept and identified certain improvements to the design. Based on the results, two HFM units were installed at a deep lock in the Welland Canal for further testing to evaluate the system s capabilities, limitations and its impact on vessels and lockages. Data gathered during the tests was to be used to assess the risks involved, determine if more comprehensive testing should be pursued and help define the benefit-cost analysis. This paper will present the path to where we are today including the development of the first concepts, decision to build a prototype and the testing carried out in both New Zealand and Canada, the design improvements on the second prototype unit and the issues arose from the trials (successes and set backs). From this set of testing, a specification for the optimum unit is being developed for trial in 2009. The test results of this new unit will also be presented for discussion.
Benoit Nolet is Manager, Transit of the Future, St-Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation where he has worked on: Research & Development on Hands Free Mooring. Management of Maintenance and Engineering departments. Long-term Asset Renewal Planning. Structure inspection and condition monitoring. Lock wall concrete investigation & restoration.he is a registered Professional Engineer in the provinces of Ontario and Québec with over 23 years of experience in various fields of Engineering and Maintenance. Nolet has a Civil Engineering Degree from Sherbrooke University (1986) and is a Marine Club member