The new terminal is located in Dande Municipality, just north of Angola’s capital and an important area in country’s coastal region.
The facility will be used to ensure the country’s fuel supply while also enabling fuel exports. Barra do Dande is a two-phase project: the first includes the construction of a 1,700-meter jetty to accommodate large vessels, and the second is still in the planning.
OECI (Odebrecht Engenharia e Construção Internacional), who had been awarded the project, entrusted ShibataFenderTeam the task of designing and supplying the fender systems for the new berth. We designed and delivered two Cone Fender Systems (SPC 1600, G1.4) with closed-box steel panels measuring 2,300- by-5,200 mm, and four Cone Fender Systems (SPC 1300, G1.5) with steel panels of 2,300- by-3,600 mm. Both solutions featured UHMW-PE pads with an unusual thickness of 80 mm, selected to support the intended service life of the fendering application.
The high reaction forces developed by the fender systems meant that large panel dimensions were essential to ensure safety and efficient performance. For example, the SPC 1600 systems generate up to 1,929 kN of reaction force, which necessitated the use of panels over five meters in length. To meet the vessel hull pressure limit of less than 200 kN/m², our in-house engineering team designed the panels with optimized pressure distribution, ensuring safety without compromising the system’s ability to absorb energy effectively and within the hull pressure limits of the project.
In response to the project’s rigorous quality requirements, we conducted combined compression and shear testing of the rubber units at our facility in Malaysia. The ability to carry out these tests and witness the results firsthand reinforced confidence in the reliability of the fender systems and demonstrated SFT’s full compliance with international standards, including the updated PIANC Fender Guidelines 2024.
