Operational thresholds of moored ships at the oil terminal of inner port of A Coruña (Spain)

Abstract

Minimizing the stay of a vessel in port can lead to improvements in harbor efficiency. Currently, downtimes of cargo operations or their performance reduction because of excessive vessel motion are especially relevant. This work aims to evaluate the operational conditions of moored vessels in the inner port of A Coruña (Spain), comparing them with motion thresholds established by international standards for cargo operations. To this end, motions of 19 ships were monitored. Data analysis revealed large angular motions, particularly roll and yaw, including amplitudes that exceeded the limiting criteria of the standards in most of the analyzed vessels, with no registered downtime. Regarding linear movements, heave and surge recorded lower amplitudes compared to the values of standard thresholds. The specific behavior of each vessel was analyzed in terms of its size, maritime conditions, and mooring location. Field campaigns such as those performed in this work are an effective way of analyzing the operational conditions of ports, which could help in identifying problems in the mooring zone.