WE HOPE
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An invention from down-under could save hauliers valuable time getting their trucks off ferries. Suction pads to replace the mooring ropes that normally tie ships to bollards have been successfully tested on the ferry that sails between the North and the South Islands in New Zealand.
What happens is that when the ship comes into dock, enormous suction pads reach out and attach themselves to the vessel's side. The suction pads are mounted on rails in a box on the side of the quay, which Mows them to move up and down with the tide and the swell. So now, instead of the traditional 15-minute chore, it takes only four seconds to "tie up" and two seconds to castoff.
The pads were the brainchild of inventors John Hadcroft and Peter Montgomery from Christchurch in New Zealand. However, the Kiwis' big idea received a cautious response from naval architect Simon Pollard of the P860 Stena Line in Dover. While he acknowledges it is a good idea, he argues that there will always have to be a backup mooring system in case of failure.