Baird was engaged by BHP to undertake an assessment of the increasing frequency of mooring line failures at BHP’s Port Hedland terminals. This study included analysis of incident root causes, investigation of force and Moored Ship Response (MSR) for selected incidents, and identification and prioritizing of controls and systems to reduce the frequency of mooring failures.
The study assessed and prioritized over 20 recommendations to reduce the risk of mooring line failure and to improve incident reporting and assessment. The key root cause of mooring line failures was the poor quality and/or condition of mooring lines, with many failures occurring at recorded line tensions that were over 50% of the expected load capacity for the mooring equipment.
The key recommendation from the study was for BHP to implement low tension alarms in the mooring tension monitoring system to warn BHP staff and ship’s crews when slacklines are present. The Stage 1 solution developed by Baird had a low implementation cost, and utilized the existing technology available at BHP’s terminals. Baird has continued to support BHP since 2015 to implement the real-time mooring tension system and to evaluate system effectiveness. In 2016, Baird presented the project at the 10th International Harbour Masters’ Congress in Vancouver.
Whiting, IN, USA
An assessment of storm damage to a rubble mound revetment protecting a park in Whiting, IN, along with the design and construction of emergency repair works and preliminary design development for comprehensive rehabilitation works for the structure.
Lake Nipigon, ON, Canada
Baird was retained to complete the planning, design and construction services to protect 1,400 metres of eroding shoreline on Whitesand First Nation traditional land, located on the north shore of Lake Nipigon. The design consisted of an armour stone revetment and slope stabilization.
