Smart Bollard

The Smart Bollard is similar to a standard bollard and is permanently installed on quays; however it measures the loads on the mooring lines on the bollard by sensing and translating structural movement caused by the mooring line tension. The actual data will be available for the port authority, terminal operator or the vessel itself. The Smart Bollard can be used for all seagoing vessels, such as container and bulk carriers.

Why a Smart Bollard?

Until now it has not been possible to measure the load on mooring lines. The lack of exact data measured on moored vessels means that ports have to assume maximum mooring loads. For the Port Authority and Terminal Operator it is important to know exactly what the loads on the mooring lines are doing, especially in case of bad weather with high waves, strong currents and gusts. If the loads on the lines are too high, the ropes can break and the ship will detach from the quay which may cause serious accidents. Usage of Smart Bollards can prevent this from happening. It increases safety by giving a real-time overview of the loads of the mooring lines and it provides a better understanding of mooring forces. Through its sophisticated MoorControl software system, clear information is provided to the Terminal Operator, Port Authority and vessel owners due to all the data that is displayed and stored. All this will result in a more efficient use of the port. Especially with vessels getting bigger and more stormy weather it is important to have better insights in mooring loads.

The monitoring and data collection from the Smart Bollards will lead to more efficient port operations, and help to prevent unsafe situations from arising while vessels are moored.

A dashboard provides all the necessary information to fully utilize the capabilities of the Smart Bollard. The following data is displayed and logged for future analysis:

Load on bollard
Line direction
Line angle
Tide level
Weather data
Vessel history (AIS data)

With a friendly interface, the administrator of the system can easily add users and set alarms. With the provided API all data can be accessed to be imported into other systems. All data will be available for the Port Authority, terminal operator or vessel operator.

Benefits of the Smart Bollard

Increased safety for operators and assets, thanks to real-time load monitoring and predicted forces.
Gives a complete overview of mooring forces in all environments, allowing for improved efficiency of vessel movements.
It will give a better insight into the capabilities of the quays, potentially allowing larger vessels to be moored.
Potentially reduces the requirement for expensive resources such as tugs, thanks to gathered data and predicted forces.
Creates a long-term picture of the forces acting on the berths and vessels. This cumulative data can be used for port improvement projects, as well as continuous improvement of operations and processes.

Data connection Smart Bollard

The Smart Bollard can be connected with ethernet or it can operate wireless. When connected to ethernet a separate switchbox is necessary to gather and transmit the data to the cloud. For wireless operation a gateway needs to be installed on site.

Cloud and API

Data will be send to the cloud (AWS) and is available in our portal. This portal also provides information about weather and current, and can hold a vessel database. With our standard API our system can easily be integrated in other systems.

Do you want to know more about Smart Bollards?

Trial at Port of Rotterdam

Straatman developed the Smart Bollard in close cooperation with the Port of Rotterdam. Along the quay of ECT Delta Terminal, the Port of Rotterdam has installed the Smart bollard as part of a trial. The product is in line with the ports policy of making the port more efficient through digitisation. Next step will be to install the Smart Bollards on a large scale along the quays of the Port of Rotterdam. Read the Press release Port of Rotterdam for more information.