Fixed and Floating Object (FFO) Damage

Access walkways (or walkway bridges) are lightweight structures used to connect different parts of a jetty, such as the shore to a jetty head or, more usually, dolphins to each other and the jetty head.

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A bollard is a short vertical post (usually of concrete-filled cast iron) on a quay, berthing dolphin or mooring dolphin to which a vessel’s mooring lines can be attached.

A mechanically operated hook is sometimes installed as an alternative to a bollard. Usually the hook(s) can be lowered to allow the line to slip off easily when the vessel is due to depart from the berth (hence Quick Release Hook (QRH).

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Breakwaters are designed principally to create sheltered water with reduced wave heights in their lee, while moles are additionally used as a landing pier.  They can be built using natural materials, such as rock when available economically in sufficient sizes and qualities, or from large-scale manufactured items, such as concrete armour units or caissons.

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A bridge is a structure that is built over a topographical depression (valley) that may be flooded (river, estuary or fjord) or other structures (road or railway) to allow people, vehicles and services to cross from one side to the other. While access bridges are provided in ports and terminals to allow service personnel and vehicles access to jetties (and may be combined with carrying pipelines or conveyor belts), they are usually considered as a part of the marine facility.

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Various buildings are located around a port to provide support to a port’s activities. These are of various types such as administration buildings (offices), silos, transit sheds and navigation structures. They are normally situated away from the water’s edge so that berths are free for vessels and cargo movements but sometimes are located in locations in the port or its waterways where they are vulnerable to contact.

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Caissons are large, hollow units manufactured to create a component of a berth or breakwater. They are often made from concrete but caissons fabricated from interlocking steel sheets are also common.  Other uses for steel caissons include gate structures for docks.

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A conveyor system is a large item of mechanical handling equipment used to transfer dry bulk cargo from a berth or berths to an onshore storage facility. In a port setting, conveyor systems are usually of the belt variety. Conveyor belts may be partially covered or enclosed to shield sensitive cargoes (such as grain) from the effects of wind and rain or to provide (partial) dust suppression.

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A crane is a type of machine, generally equipped with a hoist rope, wire ropes or chains, and sheaves, that can be used to lift and lower materials and to move them horizontally. There are several commonly used cranes within the port industry for handling vessel cargo. These are generally the Ship-to-Shore (STS) crane, mobile harbour crane (MHC), straddle carrier, rubber tyre mounted gantry crane (RTG) and rail mounted gantry crane (RMC).

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A dolphin is a fixed structure, isolated from the shore, and most commonly used for berthing or mooring purposes. Dolphins can also be used for lay-by berths and for assisting vessels to turn, for example, at the entrance to locks. Dolphins can be multi-piled, mono-piled or gravity structures.

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A Dry Dock is a man-made basin designed to receive vessels in order that they may be repaired in the dry.  Dry docks built into the land at the water’s edge are known as Graving Docks. Dry docks can also be floating structures, moored against a quay or jetty. A floating dry dock is essentially a type of pontoon, featuring floodable buoyancy chambers and a “U”-shaped cross-section. All dry docks have gates at their entrance to seal the basin once the water has been pumped out.

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A fender is a device that protects a structure from damage due to impact by a vessel. Fenders come in many different types and materials. Modern fender systems can comprise a steel fender panel, faced with polyethylene pads, attached to a rubber cylinder or cone which in turn is attached to the structure. Fenders can also be air-filled (pneumatic), foam filled or made from timber.

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Under construction.

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A jetty is a landing place where vessels may tie up and load or unload. It is usually constructed in deep water some distance offshore. It will normally be constructed from piles with a suspended deck – the open structure allows tides and currents to flow through with less impact on the hydrodynamic regime than a solid structure would have.

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A linkspan is a self-supporting ramp typically used to transfer vehicles (usually road and, more rarely, rail) between the shore and a vessel. Linkspans are hinged at the shoreward end and adjustable at the waterside end in order to accommodate tidal fluctuations and / or vessel trim changes.  Linkspans can be single decked or double-decked to suit the vessels being served. Linkspans are most commonly used to serve ro-ro ferries.

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A marine loading arm is a system of articulated pipes capable of six degrees of movement to accommodate the motions of a vessel on a berth.  It can connect to the manifold of a tanker enabling the transfer of liquid products, such as oil and petrochemicals.  The pipework is manoeuvred by a rigid pantograph arm or a system of sheaves and pullies that are kept in balance by counterweights.

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Gates at either end of a lock to maintain differential water levels. The gates can be opened sequentially to allow passage of vessels while retaining the water in the impounded basin or canal. They may be of several types but will frequently be mitre or sector types. A dry dock has a gate to close off the open end and might be of the floating caisson type that is sunk in position to create the seal.

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Marine hoses are fabricated from reinforced composite materials and are used to connect pipelines flexibly to vessels. Submarine hoses are used to connect a Pipeline End Manifold (PLEM) with the shore-based terminal.  Float-equipped risers connect the PLEM to a buoy from which floating marine hoses are used to convey product between ship and shore.

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Moorings are laid to locate a vessel in a particular position with respect to loading / discharging infrastructure. The mooring will be orientated or arranged to minimise environmental loads on the moored vessel and hence the mooring itself. Spread or Conventional Buoy Moorings (CBM) will fix the plan position of the vessel most usually with respect to its alignment with the strongest current flows. A Single Buoy Mooring (SBM) by contrast is a more complex structure that will permit the vessel to rotate freely in reaction to environmental loads.

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Navigation aids are the items of physical infrastructure that help vessels to transit in and out of ports safely. Light houses, marker buoys and fixed navigation lights are the most common navigations aid involved in FFO incidents. Navigation aids are frequently mounted on dolphins and quays and as a result can frequently be considered as secondary damage in major FFO cases.

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The term Offshore Facilities encompasses a wide range of structures from lighthouses, sea islands, oil and gas platforms, and offshore wind turbines.  The inspection and repair of damage can frequently be challenging due to the remote and exposed locations of many of these types of facility.

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In common usage, pier is interchangeable with jetty, quay, wharf and dock to name a few. In the UK it is more commonly used to describe a platform projecting out from the coast providing leisure or recreational facilities, or relatively small structures providing shelter alongside berths for fishing boats.

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A pile is long slender structural member that is partially or completely buried in the ground or seabed. Piles can be circular, square or multi-sided, hollow or solid, and made from steel, reinforced concrete or timber.  Piles can be used individually or in groups.  Piles can either be vertical or raking.

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Under construction.

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A quay wall is a linear, vertical structure that can have a number of functions including:

• Providing a berthing face and supporting fenders and mooring equipment;
• Supporting rails for ship-to-shore cranes or other loaders/unloaders;
• Retaining reclaimed land that forms yard space with a port.

Quay walls can be constructed from steel sheet piles, large concrete blocks, or full height hollow concrete units called caissons.

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A reef is a bar of rock, sand, coral or similar material, lying just above or just below the surface of the water, often dangerous to ships. Many reefs are formed from natural processes such as the deposition of sand, wave erosion wearing down rock outcrops, etc. The best-known reefs are typically coral reefs found in tropical waters. Artificial reefs (e.g. shipwrecks) are sometimes created to enhance featureless sand beds or protect shorelines from aggressive wave climates.

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Revetments typically consist of sloping structures intended to preserve the existing uses of the shoreline. They protect the slope against erosion by wind, current and / or waves and from scouring induced by strong currents, vessel-generated waves and vessel propeller wash. Revetments typically consist of graded rock or proprietary concrete elements which are sized during the design process to suit the anticipated wave heights and current velocity.

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A ship (un)loader is a large specialist machine used for the loading or unloading of bulk solid materials like iron ore, coal, fertilizers, grains etc. onto and off ships. Ship (un)loaders are commonly used in ports and jetties from where bulk materials are exported/ imported.

The (un)loader typically consists of either a mechanical or pneumatic conveyor system supported within an extendable boom, a belt conveyor, a tripper to elevate and transfer product from a source conveyor and a mobile structure to support the boom. The (un)loader is usually mounted on rails (sometimes on wheels / tyres) and can move along the quayside or jetty in order to be able to reach the whole length of the ship.

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A slipway is a ramp on the shore by which vessels can either be moved into and out of the water or onto which vessels can discharge cargo. They are also used for marine operations ranging from the construction, launching and repairing of ships and marine infrastructure, to the launching and retrieving of small boats.  A slipway is usually constructed from concrete or stone and is located within, and immediately above, the tidal zone so as to accommodate a range of water depths and vessel drafts.

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A submarine pipeline (also known as marine, subsea or offshore pipeline) is a pipeline that is laid on the seabed or below it in a trench. They are used primarily to carry oil or gas, but some are also used to transport water.  A submarine cable is laid on the seabed between land-based stations to carry telecommunication signals or electric power across estuaries, lakes, seas and oceans. Communications cables use optical fibre technology to carry digital data.

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A trestle bridge / approachway is a bridge composed of a number of short steel structure spans supported by these rigid frames. A trestle / approachway typically connects a marine based liquid or dry bulk loading or discharge facility to the mainland, often supporting a pedestrian and/or vehicle access and carries a range of liquid bulk pipelines or dry bulk conveyors. Trestle structures are typically suspended on driven tubular steel or precast concrete piled structures at regular intervals.

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