The installation of the automooring equipment is proceeding as planned
Cavotec’s MoorMaster, an automatic attachment and detachment system, arrived in our port in early July. The automatic vacuum-based ship automooring system, developed in New Zealand, will be installed at Viking Line’s berth by the end of the year and will be used by both M/S Viking Grace and M/S Viking Glory which is currently under construction.
The goal of our environmental work is to minimize the environmental impact of port operations. We want to reduce the carbon footprint of our operations in accordance with the guidelines of the City of Turku’s climate plan. The introduction of the automooring system is one step towards achieving this goal. When time is saved in mooring and unmooring a ship, more time is left for the voyage. This allows the vessel to run slower, saving fuel and reducing emissions. Emissions are also reduced by the fact that the system allows the ship’s main engine to be switched off a little earlier when entering the port and switched on only very close to the ship’s departure. The system also improves occupational safety when the traditional way of mooring with ropes is not used.
The automatic mooring and detachment system is part of the NextGen Link project, which aims to, among other things, increase the sustainability and environmental friendliness of maritime traffic. It is part of the Motorways of the Seas project, which in turn is part of the CEF (Connecting Europe Facilitated) network, in which ports are involved as hubs for sea and land transport. The project has received financial support from the European Union through the CEF Transport programme.