Customized Fender Systems for Limited Mounting Space at Port of Narvik, Norway

The Port of Narvik, located on the Ofotfjord in northern Norway, is one of Northern Europe's strategically important ports. Its LKAB bulk terminal serves as a key export gateway for iron ore products from mining company LKAB, which has operated in Narvik for over 120 years. Each year, more than 300 vessels call at the terminal, approximately 200 of which are loaded with LKAB's products.

The refurbishment of an existing quay at the terminal presented a particular engineering challenge: the old concrete wall offered only a limited mounting height for the new fender systems. At the same time, the quay required long steel fender panels and configurations capable of accommodating vessels of different sizes.

ShibataFenderTeam was appointed by Consto Anlegg Nord A/S, with LKAB as the end client, to design and supply the fender systems for the refurbishment. The scope comprised 36 Leg Fender Systems in three different configurations, reflecting the specific requirements of the quay refurbishment:

• 6 systems with four Element Fenders, FE 1600x1500, and one 5000x3000 mm steel panel
• 20 systems with two Element Fenders, FE 1600x1500, and one 2300x3000 mm steel panel
• 10 systems with four Element Fenders, FE 1400x1500, and one 2300x6000 mm steel panel

The order also included 35 T-head Bollards and 9 steel ladders measuring 800 x 6000 mm.A specific section of the quay required a special fender configuration to accommodate smaller vessels. To facilitate their berthing, SFT designed systems with 6000 mm-long steel panels supported by a double fender arrangement. However, the limited height of the existing concrete quay wall did not provide sufficient mounting space for these systems. SFT's in-house engineering team therefore developed specially designed steel substructures to extend the available mounting area. This solution presented significant engineering challenges, particularly regarding the design of the substructures and the anchor calculations. Each complete fender system weighed approximately 20 tones.

The environmental conditions in northern Norway also required specific protection measures for the steel components. Given the low temperatures and potential exposure to corrosion, all steel panels were treated with thermal zinc spraying followed by painting to provide additional corrosion protection.

The refurbishment at the Port of Narvik demonstrates how project-specific engineering can overcome the structural limitations of existing quay infrastructure without compromising the operational requirements of the fender systems (#6198).

📷 More pictures about the Fender System delivered at the Port of Narvik, Norway.