Measurement of marine vessel berthing parameters

• This manuscript presents the development and deployment of a modern, state-of-the-art, structural monitoring system designed specifically for measuring structural response to vessel impacts.
• The system simultaneously measures vessel approach velocity, fender displacement upon impact, strain in the support structure, and tide level.
• The data collected is used to infer the impact energy (strain energy) absorbed by a berthing structure, vessel impact velocity, and force on a ferry landing structure.

Load demands on ferry berthing structures are not well understood due to lack of information about berthing parameters for ferry-class vessels. Therefore, a great deal of uncertainty exists when designing these structures. Engineers are often forced to make assumptions about the magnitude of vessel impact energy as well as forces imparted to the structures. In order to gain a better understanding of berthing demands on ferry landings, an automated monitoring system was devised and implemented at active ferry terminals. This manuscript discusses berthing parameters of interest when designing vessel berthing structures. It also presents previous work on the topic of measuring these parameters. With modern data acquisition systems, it is possible to collect a much more sophisticated representation of berthing parameters than in the past. This manuscript discusses how a state-of-the-art monitoring system was devised and implemented for the purpose of measuring vessel berthing parameters. This included nearly simultaneous measurement of vessel approach velocity, fender displacement and axial strain in structural components. With this system, vessel berthing parameters and structural response may be actively monitored. The output of the monitoring system is presented here and demonstrates the utility of the system.