Comparison of automated mooring systems against existing mooring systems by using the IF-TOPSIS method

Abstract

Even though there are numerous mooring systems in the maritime, conventional mooring system is most prevalent type of mooring system. Modern mooring demands are not entirely met by conventional mooring method, which might be insufficient in some cases. This research examines the most recent advancements in mooring technology and compares these recently circulated automated mooring systems on the basis of their limitations, costs, effectiveness, and safety. This paper also questioned how the new automated mooring system could fail to operate in certain conditions such as high trim conditions, bulk cargo loading and discharging, low decks and high berth, forward or aft acceleration or high rate of turn of a vessel during the maneuvering, the necessity of starting the main engine during shifting or warping, and false reading during the draft survey while the automated mooring system is attached to the vessel. A comparison of these systems was done by allocating expert answers through questionaries and merging to a single response by assigning an intuitionistic importance value based on each expert's years of experience. Then, the intuitionistic fuzzy decision matrix was subsequently created. As a result of the findings, the most suitable mooring systems ranking has resulted as automated vacuum mooring > automated magnetic mooring system > dynamic mooring system > quick release system > conventional mooring system > automated onboard/onshore mooring system > grip-based auto-mooring.