May June 2020 Marina World

PRODUCTS, SERVICES & PEOPLE
Mooring pontoons
the smooth way
The DualDocker mooring system was developed to make mooring up in a
marina berth an easier and infinitely more stable experience for boat owners
who felt this part of boating to be particularly challenging. The concept has
since been further engineered as a heavy duty mooring system capable
of keeping floating homes, floating pontoons and any other water-based
structures secure.
In principle, DualDocker is an
alternative solution to traditional
methods such as chains and piles. Its
main strength is its ability to absorb the
forces that impact on a floating pontoon
- unlike a pile, for example, which
has virtually no damping capacity.
DualDocker completely avoids the build
up of kinetic energy caused by wind,
waves or current, and any wake energy
from the docking of ships and yachts.
It is a highly damped mooring solution
without play.
Manufactured in Austria using top
quality materials and available to ship
worldwide, the system is extremely
environmentally friendly as nothing is
secured to the seabed or drags across
the seafloor.
New heavy-duty systems can be
used to secure aluminium, steel and
concrete pontoons and gangways
in a manner that is safe, has no
visual impact and requires very little
A DualDocker pontoon mooring solution
installed in Corsica boosts the number
of recreational berths.
maintenance. It can be used to solve
problems in challenging shaped sites or
where sea levels significantly vary.
Arrangements ideal for floating
pontoons include the TriDocker and
the V-Setup. TriDocker incorporates a
docking arm at each end of the pontoon
and one in the centre along either the
length of a pier (for alongside mooring)
or at the quay wall end of a stern-to
mooring.
The V-Setup replaces each of the
arms with a V-shaped docking arm.
This arrangement can also be installed
on piles or on concrete mounts on the
quay wall.
In tandem with Swedish company
Seaflex, DualDocker has also
developed the 90m (295ft) floating
pontoon concept (left). This moors a
90m aluminium pontoon comprising six
15 x 3m (49 x 10ft) sections. The result
accommodates up to 30 boats of up to
15m (49ft) in length and is moored by
DualDocker at ‘landside’ and Seaflex
‘seaside’. The system absorbs up to
500kN, and pontoon movement is just
0.05m (2in) in normal conditions and up
to 0.25m (10in) in a heavy storm.
Pontoon mooring installations to date
range from heavy 5,000 ton floating
structures in the UAE and a floating pier
for heavy tug boats in Tangier, Morocco
(12 DualDocker arms) to medium
and smaller sized floating pontoons
in marinas around the world, and
numerous recreational pontoons and
large, heavy floating homes worldwide.
In addition to the significant benefits
of high and instant damping capacity
and the lack of mechanical parts
requiring maintenance (no hydraulics,
oil, gas or pneumatics), DualDocker is
available in a choice of materials that
offer great durability. The anodised
aluminium alloy version is fully resistant
to salt water and UV rays.
www.dualdocker.com
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