Highs and lows for mooring system

The vacuum technology is being placed on a lock on the St Lawrence Seaway in Canada which sees waters vary by as much as 14m.

European company Cavotec, working in coordination with the St Lawrence Seaway Management Cooperation (SLSMC), has adapted three MoorMaster 400LC units that are to be installed at one of the Beauharnois Locks.

This is the world’s first inland waterway to introduce automated mooring, a move which initiated the long running collaboration between Cavotec and the SLSMC. Two MoorMaster units underwent trials in 2007 and 2008 and the following year, the SLSMC ordered an additional two units that were installed at Lock 7 on the Welland Canal.

MoorMaster is a vacuum based automated mooring technology that eliminates the need for conventional mooring lines. Remote controlled vacuum pads recessed in, or mounted on, the quayside, moor and release vessels in seconds.