Global engineering group Cavotec MSL, has won a major order to supply a system of 12 MoorMaster automated mooring units for the APM Terminals container facility at the Port of Salalah in Oman.
“MoorMaster has a proven track record in creating substantial time and cost savings for operators, and is also far safer than traditional mooring techniques. Put simply, our technology provides greater reliability and boosts profitability while offering significant efficiency gains thanks to reduced mooring times and accelerated cargo handling operations,” says Ottonel Popesco, Cavotec MSL CEO.
MoorMaster is a vacuum-based automated mooring technology that moors vessels in seconds, eliminating the need for conventional mooring lines. The system counteracts vessel surge in port caused by changes in wave dynamics.
The agreement will see the 12 MoorMaster MM200C units installed at Salalah’s Berth 5. Delivery is set for late October. This sale represents a first for Cavotec’s new generation of machines called the MoorMaster 200C (MM200C). The MM200C solution has been specifically designed for a near universal application within container and bulk ports, combining a greater outreach and a reduced footprint on the berth.
As part of the project, Salalah’s existing MoorMaster MM600 units are to be moved to and installed at Berth 6. When completed, Salalah will have 2 berths (5 & 6) equipped with MoorMaster. The new MoorMaster system can be used to handle any ship class, including the new PS-class of 11,000TEU (MS Emma Maersk).
Situated on the southeast coast of Oman on the Arabian Sea, Salalah is one of the region’s most rapidly growing deep-sea container ports, handling over 2.6 million TEU in 2007.
The new order is the latest in a series of projects undertaken by Cavotec and the Port of Salalah with MoorMaster. The MoorMaster technology was first adopted at Salalah in 2004. During extensive trials in 2007, undertaken by Cavotec, APMT, and the Port of Salalah, MoorMaster was able to consistently reduce surge motion along the quay to less than 50 millimetres for all vessels, in all conditions, compared to up to three metres surge when using traditional mooring lines.
MoorMaster has already been installed by Searoad Shipping Australia, Toll in New Zealand, the St. Lawrence Seaway in Canada, and will be installed on three high frequency fast ferry routes in Denmark, operated by Nordic Ferry Services A/S.
Cavotec is a global leader in innovative and environmentally friendly engineering solutions, supplying fully integrated systems to the maritime, airport, mining, and general industry sectors.
To find out more about the Cavotec group, please visit our website at www.cavotec.com.
For further information about this press release, please contact Michael Scheepers, Cavotec MSL Corporate Communications Manager, at michael.scheepers@cavotec.com.
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The Cavotec Group is listed on the New Zealand Stock Exchange
