the Twelve Quays ro-ro berths at Birkenhead in the UK;

Turkmenbashi ro-ro berths in Turkmenistan; Iskenderun Coal Unloading Facility in Turkey;

Copena Petrochemical Berth, Brazil; the RT1 ro-ro floating barrier at Hull in the UK, and Mostyn ro-ro terminal, also in the UK.

In addition, Fentek was recently awarded a contract by Edmund Nuttall (an HBG company) to design, manufacture and install a total of 21 Parallel Motion fender systems (SCN 900 and SCN 800) on the new East Lead-In Jetty at Newport.

The new jetty replaces the original timber structure built in 1911 and will help guide vessels into the main lock into the port.

When first constructed, the Newport lock was the world's largest - predating Panama as it did. Newport also boasts the second highest tide in the world, some 14m.

The new Parallel Motion fenders are designed to cope with vessels from 1,500dwt up to 45,000dwt - including a head-on collision case for ships up to 20,000dwt. Fentek claims that forces from these Parallel Motion fenders are 60 per cent lower than conventional designs.

This is due to the twin series-mounted Super Cones which are unique to Fentek.

The reduced reaction in turn saves substantial construction costs by reducing the number and size of piles, requiring less concrete for the deck and so on.

These latest Fentek Parallel Motion fenders for Newport extend the total number supplied to well over 160 systems since their introduction just over three years ago.

At the Port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Fentek has also completed the delivery of 82 No SCN1050(E3.1) fender systems with 2.15m wide x 3.55m high fender panels. Installation is now well in hand by the contractor, Six Construct, who confirmed the ease and speed with which the Fentek design can be fitted to the quay face.

The project consultant is Mott MacDonald.

For the second time in succession, Fentek have been awarded the three-year term contract to supply all of the Composite Fenders for protecting the lock walls of the Panama Canal. Composite Fenders were chosen because of their resilience combined with low friction UHMW-PE face, and their low profile - essential to avoid restricting the maximum lock width.

PIANC's Working Group 33 was established to conduct a thorough review of its previous 1984 report on 'Improving the Design of Fender Systems', including a long overdue reassessment of fender testing and reporting procedures.

Fentek co-operated and contributed to many aspects of main report, and the fender testing guidelines in particular.

Recently, Fentek was invited by the British Section of PIANC (the Permanent Association of Navigation Congresses) to present a paper entitled Design and Testing of Fender Systems - The Suppliers' Viewpoint, at The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) in London .

This was well received and provoked lively discussions on the validity of some unorthodox fender testing methods now being promoted as an alternative to currently accepted JIS/ PIANC protocols, particularly as it became clear to delegates that these methods appeared to unrealistically enhance the performance of certain fender products.

It also became clear to all that the job of designers was much harder than it first appeared because the products of different manufacturers could not necessarily be directly compared.

New PIANC Guidelines for the Design of Fender Systems are due to be published imminently, reports Fentek.