The Problem
Snapback events occur when vessel mooring lines part and retract violently, posing serious safety hazards, including possible fatalities and severe damage to infrastructure. To effectively manage and mitigate these risks, our maritime engineers accurately model the trajectory of these snapback events across thousands of mooring arrangements and conditions, including varying tides, ballast conditions, and vessel motions.
Technical Solutions
Setting a new best practice in industry, WGA maritime engineers developed an analytical methodology for modelling mooring line snapback paths. Using finite element analysis and in house developed software, WGA are able to simulate hundreds of thousands of mooring line failures and produce detailed cartesian plots of their coordinates and velocities.
Our data analytics team developed custom scripts and programs to parametrically iterate over all possible combinations of tide, mooring arrangement, vessels, ballast, and vessel motion to produce the envelopes of snapback paths.
WGA developed novel algorithms for processing the snapback data that allows for visualisation of the battery limits of snapback path with a 99.97% reduction in file size, allowing for visualisation on typical everyday laptops without the requirement for high performance graphics cards.
Client Focus
This groundbreaking solution produces a detailed dataset that improves insights into mooring line snapback and allows our clients to analyse the particular risks posed by certain vessels and mooring configurations. Through the use of readily available BIM and 3D visualisation software, such as Navisworks, clients can see the interaction between expected snapback paths and their facilities and assess the risk it poses to operations. This innovative approach has been recognised by PIANC and WGA maritime engineer Jordan Butler was appointed chair of Working Group 251 as a result, which is tasked with providing guidance on the design of parted mooring line arresting systems.
Our innovative approach was acknowledged with an industry award for innovation, underscoring its importance. This recognition illustrates WGA’s dedication to leading the way in developing capabilities that enhance safety and streamline workflows.
Rio Tinto Innovation Award 2024
The Industry Leading Snapback Path Analysis is included in the following sectors & services.
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