Recommendations for Fender Testing in PIANC WG 211

Fenders are key asset to ports and maritime structures to accommodate vessels, absorbing berthing energy without inducing excessive loads onto structures. A great sum of money is spent on the construction of maritime infrastructure globally; therefore the pressure to further reduce costs of marine fenders with cheaper alternatives has led to a worrying number of low-quality fenders and fender designs being supplied across the industry. PIANC Guidelines for the Design of Fender Systems: 2002 Working Group 33 (WG33) is the current accepted industry guideline for the design and testing of marine fender systems. The maritime industry has progressed a long way in design development of fenders, in the intervening period of almost two decades; consequently PIANC has established WG122 to revise and update this document. It is therefore important to review the testing recommendation in the present guideline and highlight areas where improvements in fender testing could be made so that future guidelines can be improved with the aim of achieving: (1) Maintain a standard quality assurance throughout the fendering industry; (2) Ensure materials used to manufacture fenders are durable and of high standards; (3) Fender performance design correction factors are established based on a standard procedure that does not leave room for interpretation; (4) Performance verification for fenders in service; and (5) “Type approval” certificates are issued by 3rd party witness agencies using a well defined testing protocol.