Mooring Bollards

Marine Bollards, also known as mooring bollards, are an integral part of the mooring system utilized to secure mooring lines. It serves as the anchor point in which mooring lines are fixed to prevent vessels from drifting away due to environmental loads such as tide, current, and wind. Mooring bollards are simple yet highly stable and efficient methods for fulfilling mooring requirements to secure vessels next to jetties, wharves, berths and dolphins in ports and harbours. ESC offers a wide array of cast iron and steel bollards in different design profiles, sizes, and mooring line capacities to suit all mooring system applications.

ESC bollards are designed and manufactured in accordance with various international standards such as BS 6349 pt 4 and PIANC guidelines. Bollards are safety-critical components, and ESC strives to provide bollards with superior service life and resistance to physical and corrosive environments.

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Bollard Types Material Specification

Bollard Selection & Layout Coating Systems

Bollard Installations Quality Assurance

Bollard Types

T Head Japanese Design

Pillar Japanese Design

Tricorn bollard

Download Catalogue

Bollard Specification

Material Specification

ESC bollards are produced to the highest specifications. The table gives indicative standards and grades but many other options are available on request.

Selection & Layout

Bollard Selection & Layout

Bollards should be designed and laid out according to local standards. Some of the following aspects are to be considered in the design of the berth:

Mooring patterns and line types, sizes and angles
Changes in draft during loading/unloading of the vessel
Wind and current forces
Swell, wave and tidal forces
Other abnormal environmental loadings

Mooring loads should be calculated where possible, but the following table can be used as an approximate guideline, also noting that if the berth is expected to experience adverse weather conditions, the bollard capacity should be increased by 25% or greater.

ESC bollards can cope with horizontal angles of ± 90° (except for pillar bollards which is in all horizontal angles) and vertical angles up to 60° depending on bollard type.

Design codes recommend that bollards are frequently placed at 15-30m intervals, often at the same spacing as fenders (either at the same point as fenders or midway). Another approximate guide is 15% of the length of the shortest ship.

Coating Systems

Exposed to a very corrosive marine environment, bollards require a durable coating system. Standard coating system for a very high corrosive environment are in accordance to BS EN ISO 12944 C5-M. Other high performance paint system, in various colors and thicknesses, can be factory applied on request.

Bollard bodies can also be supplied with hot-dip galvanized (HDG) coating on a special request basis.

Regular maintenance for bollards are needed for wear and abrasion from ropes. Cast steel bollards need frequent painting to retain full strength for it is more susceptible than ductile iron bollard.

Marine Gray

Signal Blue

Signal Yellow

Signal Black

Brown

Signal Red

Bollard Installation

Quality Assurance

Bollards are safety critical items and quality is paramount. Independent third party witnessing of test is available at additional cost on request. A typical quality documentation package will include:

Dimensioned drawings of bollard and accessories
Bollard and anchorage calculations (if required)
Inspection and test plan
Certificate of conformance
Physical, chemical and material properties report for casting and anchorages
Installation guidelines

Bollard Installation

Bollards must be installed correctly for a long and trouble-free service life. Anchors should accurately be installed with a template of the bolting pattern, which ESC can supply on request. Once the grout has cured to full strength, anchors can be tightened to the design preload. A thread loosening compound is frequently applied to allow future removal for replacement. Where possible, recessing the bollard in the concrete is more beneficial than surface mounting.

Fixing options for bollards include: