By
Michele Witthaus |
Work has been completed on a passenger access system for Stena Line UK’s Belfast terminal. The passenger gangway and semi-automatic mooring system was manufactured and installed by TTS Port Equipment, which also supplied a gangway at Stena’s Loch Ryan terminal.
The elevated passenger walkway, which connects the berthed vessel to the terminal building, was designed and built by TTS, including a walkway consisting of four fixed sections, together with an elevating gangway and hoisting platform, operated by hydraulic cylinders. The total operational window of the entire walkway is approximately 6 metres high and 23 metres along the quay.
The contract also included the design, supply, fabrication, surface treatment, testing and full installation of a semi-automatic mooring system for the Belfast quay, which was delivered at the same time as the gangway. The design comprised one rig with hydraulic cylinder, control cylinders for the mooring rods, a hydraulic power pack, plus a platform and stairs. Offering a cost-effective and reduced risk alternative to traditional methods of mooring with ropes, the semi-automatic system buffers the transverse forces from dedicated vessels, each of which has been fitted with compatible bollards.
“We are very happy with the installations we have done for the new Stena vessels,” says Håkan Jönsson, senior sales manager for TTS Port Equipment. “The gangway is designed to be flexible and can fit on to different door positions at different vessels.”
The semi-automatic mooring system is situated in the stern of the vessel and can be driven by one person on the quay using a joystick, requiring much less power than is needed with traditional mooring ropes. An arm connects with the vessel and automatically holds it in position.
In addition to the Belfast passenger access system, TTS also supplied an innovative adjustable stop fender, designed for bow approach. The bow of an approaching vessel is protected by the fender, which can be stowed in position to keep it out of the way of other vessels.
TTS Port Equipment is part of the global TTS Group, which develops and supplies handling equipment for ships, ports and offshore oil and gas installations worldwide. The Port and Logistics division designs and delivers systems and equipment for the world’s ports, terminals, and shipyards.