Dolphins

Hamburg-Finkenwerder
Berthing Basin
for Large Vessels
JOB 0185 / 03.02 / TMH
The Hamburg-Finkenwerder berthing basin
for large vessels
An example of the efficient
combination of flexible steel-pipe
piles with rubber cell fenders on
berthing dolphins
Over the past few years, the Lower
Elbe and part of the port of Hamburg
have been dredged to 14.3 m below
normal sea level. Accordingly, bigger
vessels can now enter the port of
Hamburg from the open North Sea,
approx. 100 km distant. Near Finken-
werder, right on the doorstep of
Hamburg, a berthing basin for large
vessels has been built to permit even
large tankers to leave the fairway in
cases where the envisaged berth is
still occupied or low water prevents
further progress.
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In increasing degree, the port of
Hamburg is also being used by vessels
of such draught that they can use the
Elbe fairway at high tide only. There is
a danger of these ships touching the
bottom if they are prevented from
reaching their dredged-out berths in
good time. The berthing basin under
discussion was dredged out to 16.8 m
below normal sea level (2.5 m deeper
than the Elbe fairway) to provide these
vessels with a suitable berth where
they can wait for the next high tide.
This depth of water is sufficient for
empty or partly-laden vessels of up
to 400 000 dwt.
Fig. 1: The berthing basin for large vessels is located outside the fairway,
The waiting berth basin is equipped
with three berthing dolphins and four
mooring dolphins. Each berthing dol-
phin is designed for the absorption
of 330 Mpm, and equipped with a
movable fender panel measuring
6.10 m x 3.70 m for the transmission
of the berthing impact. In addition,
bollards are provided for absorbing
max. 200 Mp pull from the spring
lines.
immediately in front of the port of Hamburg
 Fig. 2: Section of the berthing basin at Hamburg-Finkenwerder

The mooring dolphins take the cross

lines and the fore and stern lines.
They are designed to accept a hawser
pull of 400 and 250 Mp. Slip hooks
are provided for holding the hawsers.

All dolphins are equipped with a wor-

king platform, ladders, handrails, and
fendering (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3: Berthing dolphin, designed for an

energy absorption capacity of 330 Mpm

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Design and construction
of the berthing dolphins

Design work on the berthing dolphins Embedment calculation: Blum method In the initial stage, efforts were made
was based on the following values, Top edge of dolphin pile: +5.7m M.S.L to attain the specified values for
which were determined by the respon- Calculation level: -18.0 m M.S.L. hawser pull and energy absorption
sible authority, the Strom- und Impact point: +2.0m M.S.L. capacity using single-pile elastic dol-
Hafenbau Hamburg (River and Port Point of action, phins. High-tensile fine-grain structural
Construction Authority of Hamburg): hawser pull: +6.0m M.S.L. steel St E 70 was envisaged for the
Coefficient of soil dolphin sections subjected to the
resistance fw: 6.35 Mp/m3 highest stresses. In this context, due
Specified energy consideration had to be given to the
absorption capacity fact that, for this steel grade, a yield
at +2m M.S.L.: 330 Mpm point of 690 N/mm2 (70 kp/mm2) is
Specified hawser pull guaranteed only up to wall thicknesses
at +6m M.S.L.: 200 Mp of 50 mm. The following table shows
Permissible stress: yield point the mechanical properties for high-
tensile fine-grain structural steels D 53
and St E 70.

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Mechanical properties of high-tensile fine-grain structural steels D 53 and St E 70
Steel grade Wall thickness Tensile strength Yield point Elongation
mm N/mm2 N/mm2 %
(kp/mm2) (kp/mm2)
min. min.

D 53 35 630800 520 14
(6482) (53)

60 630800 510 14
(6482) (52) 14

St E 70* 50 790940 690 12

(8095) (70)
*St E 70 is a water-quenched steel

Fig. 4: The berthing basin for large vessels, with arrangement of the berthing and mooring dolphins

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Design and construction
of the berthing dolphins (continued)

A review of various pile diameters
(Fig. 5) showed that it is possible to
attain the specified energy absorption
capacity of 330 Mpm using a single-
pile dolphin with a diameter of about
2.2 m, a wall thickness of 50 mm,
of material St E 70. However, this
single-pile dolphin would have been
relatively stiff; it would have had
a high spring constant of about
400 Mp/m. Impermissible pressures
against the ships hull could have
been prevented only by using a
very big fender panel designed for
all-round movement to provide load
distribution. The pile would have
weighed 85 t.*

Fig. 5: Comparison of different pipe diameters (heaviest section: 50 mm wall thickness, 70 kp/mm2 yield point)

Fig. 6: Comparison of two different dolphins Fig. 7: Spring characteristic of a rubber cell fender (Bridgestone system)
with the same energy absorption capacity

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To achieve softer spring reaction,
steel-pipe piles with a diameter of
1800 mm and having a more resilient
characteristic (spring constant only
290 Mp/m instead of 400 Mp/m) were
chosen, and combined with four rub-
ber cell fenders in each case. Fig. 6
shows the spring characteristic of this
combination, and the spring charac-
teristic of a rigid steel-pipe dolphin
with a diameter of 2200 mm.
Fig. 8: Each longitudinal weld seam is subjec-
ted to a stringent ultrasonic test using several
probes simultaneously
As shown in Fig. 6, the four rubber * At this juncture, attention must be drawn
cell fenders make a substantial contri- to the fact that the spring constant must be
viewed together with the depth of water. In
bution towards the overall energy many cases, the water depth exceeds that in
absorption capacity of the dolphin the Finkenwerder berthing basin under discus-
only at an impact load exceeding sion. With very great depths of water and
240 Mp, or more than 60 Mp per certain soil conditions, pile diameters of 3.0 m
and more can be optimum.
fender element. This is explained by
the spring characteristic of the fender
elements employed (Fig. 7). It can
clearly be seen that once the limit load
of 71 Mp is exceeded (284 Mp with
four elements) the fender elements
continue to deform without any addi-
tional load being imposed.
Fig. 9: Submerged-arc welding of a girth weld
Fig. 10: X-ray testing of a girth weld Fig. 11: A finished dolphin section ready for
shipment
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Design and construction
of the berthing dolphins (continued)

Side view

Top view

Fig. 12: Arrangement of the rubber cell fenders between the fender panel and the dolphin pile

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For economic reasons, the piles 2) It is expendient not to transmit
were assembled from pipe sections the transverse forces acting on
of various steel grades and with the fender panel (vertical and
different wall thicknesses (Fig. 14). parallel to the fender) to the
The overall pile weight was only dolphin pile via the rubber cell
approx. 63 t. elements. With the berthing
dolphins of the Hamburg-Finken-
Various design aspects must be werder berthing basin, these for-
given consideration when using ces must be absorbed by a heavy
rubber cell fenders: steel pin arranged between the
rubber cell elements. This pin
1) Vessels always berth at a certain transmits the forces into the pile
angle. If several rubber cell fen- (Fig. 12). The rubber cell fenders
ders are used as in this case are not capable of transmitting
they are compressed to different these forces on their own.
degrees, and thus make differing
contributions towards the energy
absorption capacity of the dol-
phin. Also, the energy absorp-
tion capacity of the individual
elements must be reduced by
correcting factors for angular
loading, as provided by the rub-
ber manufacturers in their tables.
Fig. 13 shows in schematic form
the varying degrees of compres-
sion of the rubber cell elements
under angular loading.
Fig. 13: Compression of two rubber cell
fenders (Bridgestone system) under
angular loading

Fig. 14: Section arrangement of the

complete dolphin pile

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 Fig. 15: High-capacity tanker in the Hamburg-Finkenwerder berthing basin

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Notes

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Thyssen Mannesmann Handel GmbH
Hans-Gnther-Sohl-Strasse 1
D-40235 Dsseldorf
Postal address:
P.O.Box 10 36 51 D-40027 Dsseldorf
Tel.: (*49 211) 9 67-0
Fax: (*49 211) 9 67-78 06
e-mail: offshore@t-mh.com
www.thyssen-mannesmann-handel.de