What is a Smart Bollard?
The Smart Bollard looks like a traditional dock bollard but comes with advanced technology to improve the safety and efficiency of mooring operations. Permanently installed on quays, it features sensors that measure the load on mooring lines. These measurements capture the structural forces caused by line tension, providing real-time, valuable data to port authorities, terminal operators, and vessels.
This intelligent bollard system is suitable for all types of seagoing vessels, including cruise ships, container ships, and bulk carriers.
Why Choose a Smart Bollard?
Traditional bollards cannot measure the load on mooring lines, leaving ports to assume maximum loads for moored vessels. This lack of precise data can be risky, especially during bad weather, high waves, strong currents, or gusts. Excessive loads on mooring lines can cause ropes to break, leading to serious accidents if a ship detaches from the quay.
Smart Bollards solve this problem by providing real-time monitoring of mooring line loads. They increase safety by offering accurate insights into mooring forces and logging data for better operational understanding.
Beyond safety, Smart Bollards improve port efficiency. Ships must remain stable during loading and unloading. Loose lines can allow excessive ship movement, potentially causing damage from cranes or other operations. By continuously monitoring mooring line loads, port operators, crew, and staff can maintain stability, enabling smoother, faster, and safer cargo handling.
Overall, Smart Bollards enhance port safety, streamline operations, and provide actionable data to prevent hazardous situations while vessels are moored.
Moorcontrol Dashboard
The Moorcontrol dashboard provides real-time monitoring and data logging for enhanced mooring management. Key features include:
- Load on each bollard and vessel
- Line direction and angle
- Tide levels
- Weather conditions
- Vessel history via AIS data
Administrators can easily manage users, set alarms, and integrate data with other systems using the built-in API, ensuring seamless and efficient port operations.
Benefits of the Smart Bollard
- Enhanced Safety – Continuously monitors mooring line loads in real time, keeping both port workers and vessels safe.
- Better Mooring Insights – Provides detailed data on how ships behave at the dock under varying conditions, helping optimize mooring strategies for safer, more efficient operations.
- Maximized Dock Space – Accurate force measurements allow ports to utilize space more effectively and potentially accommodate larger vessels.
- Cost Efficiency – Predicting mooring forces reduces the need for extra resources, such as tugboats, lowering operational costs and improving port management.
- Valuable Long-Term Data – Continuous monitoring tracks trends over time, supporting smarter decisions for port development, maintenance, and operational improvements.
Smart Bollard Data Connectivity
Flexible Connections – The Smart Bollard supports both wired Ethernet and wireless connections. Ethernet setups use a dedicated switchbox to transmit data to the cloud, while wireless setups rely on an on-site gateway.
Cloud Access & API Integration – Data sent to the cloud (via AWS) can be accessed through our portal, which also provides weather and current information and supports a vessel database. The system easily integrates with other platforms through a standard API, ensuring seamless connectivity and data sharing.
