„In the traditional way, ie using mooring lines and bollards, it takes linemen ten or more minutes to help the ship moor at the quay, but with the vacuum automooring equipment, the same process takes less than two minutes, and we measure the time in seconds when the ship is released. The whole system is remotely controlled and can only be operated by the captain,“ described Peeter Nõgu, Port of Tallinn’s chief infrastructure officer.

Saving time also leads to environmental protection. “As the ship spends less time maneuvering at the quay, it can sail a bit slower. Even the 5 minutes of saved travel time reduces the ship’s fuel consumption and emissions. In the long run, it will have a significant environmental impact,” explained Nõgu.

The new vacuum automooring equipment was installed on the quays serving the Tallinn-Helsinki route. Quays 5 and 12 were equipped with the company’s Cavotec equipment, quay 13 with Trelleborg equipment. The devices are similar in terms of their technical parameters.

The CEO of Cavotec Mikael Norin said: “We are extremely proud that our MoorMaster systems are now supporting Port of Tallinn in their ambitious plans to improve sustainability and air quality and becoming the most innovative port on the shores of the Baltic Sea. By saving time mooring and releasing, our automated vacuum mooring solution enables faster turnaround of vessels. The time saved in port reduces harmful emissions in Tallinn’s city center equal to some 10,000 diesel cars and lets the vessels cruise slower to Helsinki, thereby reducing up to 12,000 tonnes of carbon emissions per year.”

Automatic mooring devices are reliable and can be used in practically all weather conditions. Only the wind limit of 17 m / s has to be taken into account, and even in circumstances where the wind blows perpendicular to the outer edge of the ship. In this case, the mooring lines of the vessel shall also be used to ensure safety.

The nearest similar devices are located in the Helsinki West Harbour, the Port of Marienhamn and the Port of Langnas in Åland.

The new mooring systems were installed in the framework of TWIN-PORT 3 project and are being co-financed by the EU Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). It is a collaboration project between ferry operators (Tallink, Viking Line and Eckerö Line), the ports of Tallinn and Helsinki and the City of Helsinki for the years 2018-2023 with a total budget of 61.2 million euros. Port of Tallinn invested a total of 15.8 million euros within the project.