The German marine engineering company Shibata Fender Team (SFT) has supplied the PSA-operated container terminal in the Portuguese Port of Sines with double cone fender systems.
SFT had already supplied the fender systems for two previous phases of construction works at the Port of Sines, totalling a quay wall length of 1,140 metres and an overall of 50 cone fender systems.
With an annual capacity of 2.3 million TEU, PSA Sines has been expanded to accommodate the increased capacity of larger and additional container ships and to facilitate further growth.
PSA Sines contracted the Portuguese construction companies Mota Engil and Etermar for the fourth phase of the berth expansion at Terminal XXI, which are projected to extend the quay to a length of 1,750 metres.
For this phase, the terminal operator requested a change in the design of the panels to increase the service life of the fender systems by a reduced submerged portion of the panels and improved maintenance.
SFT has therefore proposed a modified design “to meet the customer’s requirements and updated spacing between the fender systems.”
The company’s Spanish office handled the order for 17 sets of double SPC 1,100 cone fender systems, which are a type of rubber fender, used in various applications.
The team also provided the Portuguese terminal with nine pieces of 850 mm x 4,200 mm rubber ladders and 16 SFT staghorn bollards with a capacity of 200 tons.
Despite Covid-19-related government restrictions in Malaysia and logistical problems due to limited cargo space for such oversized steel panels (4,750 mm x 37,00mm), which required special flat racks for shipment, SFT delivered the order in the middle of 2021.
SFT’s colleagues Alvaro Rodero and Matheus Torres performed the commissioning together with the contractors during an inspection of the installed systems. They also checked the fenders of the previous phases, which were in good condition, according to a statement.
