OPTIMOOR Users Guide Appendices

These are from the old DOS guide and have not yet been updated.
Most of the information in these appendices is still applicable. But they do not
cover changes and enhancements in the newer Windows versions of OPTIMOOR.
Also, the screen images do not represent the Windows version.

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Appendix A

CALCULATION METHOD IN THE OPTIMOOR PROGRAM

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Introduction

This Appendix documents the general calculation method used within OPTIMOOR to
calculate the balance of forces and moments on the moored vessel. First, the general
calculation method employed in Optimoor is discussed. The Optimoor analyses results for
several very simple mooring arrangements are compared with hand calculations. The
Optimoor analysis results for a more complex mooring arrangement are compared with the
computer results for this case published by OCIMF. Other mooring analysis methods are
then discussed.
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The Calculation Method Used in OPTIMOOR

A-2.1 General Force/Moment Balance Equations

Figure A-1 shows a free body diagram of a vessel moored by several lines, restrained by
several fenders, and acted on by external forces. Each time data is entered or altered on the
Mooring Screen (or Arrangement Screen), the OPTIMOOR computer program carries out a
series of calculations to seek the vessel position which satisfies the force and moment
equations for the system. This series of equations can be represented by the following:

A-(1)

where

Fx
Px
Fy
Py

is the x vector component of an externally applied force, e.g., wind, current, or

user defined.
is the x vector component of a mooring line force (fenders exert no force in
the x direction).
is the y vector component of an externally applied force, e.g. wind, current, or
user defined.
is the y vector component of a mooring line force or fender force.

Mxy is the moment in the x-y plane produced by an externally applied force, e.g.
wind, current, or user defined.
Nxy is the moment in the x-y plane produced by a mooring line force or fender
force.

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A-2.2 Seeking Equilibrium Position

The program seeks an equilibrium position which satisfies these equations by applying
small iterations to the position of the moored vessel, first in the X (longitudinal) direction,
then in the Y (transverse) direction, and then in the X-Y (rotation) direction. After each
iteration in a particular direction, the program checks to see if the applicable equilibrium
equation is satisfied. If the equation is under satisfied, the program then applies an iteration
of the same magnitude in the same direction. If it is over satisfied, the program then applies
a smaller iteration in the opposite direction.
During each iteration step, the program recalculates the force in each mooring line and
each fender for the iterated vessel position. The various mooring line force vectors are
determined by the relative positions of the respective fairlead and bollard points. The fender
vectors are applied perpendicular to the side of the vessel at the respective fender positions.
A-2.3 Mooring Line and Fender Descriptions
The initial length of each mooring line is defined as the outboard distance between the
vessel fairlead and the shore bollard (including elevation differences) plus the on-deck
distance between the fairlead and the winch or bitt. The initial force in each mooring line is
defined by the pull-in applied to that particular line, accounting for the lines nonlinear
force-deflection characteristic and initial length. For lines with tails, a composite forcedeflection characteristic is used, accounting for the characteristics of the line and the tail and
their relative lengths.
The fenders are defined by average linear force-deflection characteristics. This is
sufficient to model most typical fender systems. In the case of a nonlinear fender system,
the user probably does not have sufficient information to adequately define the nonlinear
force-deflection fender characteristic. The typical fender deflection is much less than that of
a typical mooring line, and thus any error introduced by this linear fender assumption is
generally insignificant.
As the program seeks equilibrium, it recalculates the force in each mooring line in the
iterated position, based on the change in distance between the fairlead and bollard and the
nonlinear force-deflection characteristic for that line. The on-deck line distance is constant,
but as the line length changes due to tension, some of this line which was originally on deck
then extends outboard. The program also recalculates the force in each fender, based on its
deflection in the iterated position.
Friction effects of the mooring lines on the fairleads and of the fenders against the vessel
are ignored. It is virtually impossible to calculate the direction and magnitude of friction in
most situations. The mooring line friction is generally negligible. Fender friction can have
an effect on vessel motions, but ignoring this effect is generally conservative.
A-2.4 "Inadequate Mooring" Warning
If the program finds that there are inadequate constraints, e.g. not enough lines or fenders
to hold the vessel, it displays a warning message Inadequate Mooring and waits for
additional input data. When this occurs, it may be necessary to alter the bollard position of
one of the lines, to deploy another line, or to define an additional fender point in contact with
the vessel.

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Verification of OPTIMOOR

The OPTIMOOR computer program (and other mooring analysis programs) should be
verifiable by comparison with simple cases which can be solved by hand calculations.
Figure A-2 shows the Vessel Printout and the Berth Printout used in the following
examples. The vessel has 6 mooring lines. Lines 1 and 6 are intended to be bow and stern
lines extending along the vessel centerline. Lines 2 through 5 will be used as breast and
fore/aft lines in various combinations. For simplicity of analysis, all of the lines are
connected at the vessel centerline. All of the lines are wire rope to provide linear forcedeflection characteristics. The berth has 8 mooring points. Points A and H are on the vessel
centerline. The other points are 40 m from the side of the vessel, but since the vessel beam
is 20 m, these points are 50 m from the vessel centerline. Points B and G are thus positioned
such that lines 2 and 5 extending to them are at an angle of 45 to the vessel centerline. The
berth elevation and vessel freeboard are the same, such that all of the mooring lines are in
the horizontal plane. The applied force in all of these examples is 1000 tonne.
A-3.1 Four-Line Case with Transverse Force
Figure A-3 shows the Arrangement Printout with the vessel moored by two breast lines, a
head line, and a stern line. The breast lines extend perpendicular to the vessel.
The 1000 tonne force is applied perpendicular to the vessel centerline at midship. Each
breast line is loaded to 500 tonne, as shown in the Mooring Printout This simple analysis
can be verified by hand calculations.

A-(2)

A-3.2 Four-Line Case with Force at 60

Figure A-4 shows the Arrangement Printout with the vessel moored in the same manner
as int the preceding example. The 1000 tonne force is applied at 60 to the vessel centerline
at midship.. One breast line is loaded to 434 tonne and the other is loaded to 428.9 tonne.
The stern line is loaded to 493.6 tonne. The errors are less than 1% and are due to the fact
that OPTIMOOR accounts for the slight changes in line angles as the vessel moves off the pier.

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A-(3)

A-3.3 Asymmetrical Four-Line Case with Transverse Force

Figure A-5 shows the Mooring Screen with the positions of the aft breast lines shifted 10
m toward the stern. The force is applied perpendicular to the vessel at midship, as in the
first example. The aft breast line is loaded to 571.4 tonne and the forward breast line is
loaded to 428.6 tonne.

A-(4)

A-3.4 Six-Line Case with Transverse Force

Figure A-6 shows the Mooring Screen with four symmetrical breast lines deployed. The
breast line loads are all 250 tonne.

A-(5)

The program converged to a balance of forces in this statically indeterminent problem.

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A-3.5 Six-Line Case with Angled Fore and Aft Lines and Transverse Force
Figure A-7 shows the Mooring Screen with two breast lines running perpendicular from
the vessel and with fore and aft lines running at 45 from the vessel. The breast line loads
are 369 tonne and the fore and aft line loads are 184.8 tonne.

A-(6)

A-3 Verification with OCIMF Example Case

A-3.1 The OCIMF Mooring Analysis Case Files
The OCIMF publication Guidelines and Recommendations for the Safe Mooring of Large
Ships at Piers and Sea Islands gives several examples of mooring analyses conducted by a
computer program.1 The general mooring arrangements used in those analyses are shown in
Figure 5 (pg. 13) of that report.
The OPTIMOOR distribution disk contains files corresponding to the OCIMF examples:
OCIMF-W.VSL
OCIMF-M.VSL

250,000 dwt tanker with wire mooring lines

250,000 dwt tanker with mixed wire and polypropylene lines

OCIMF-1.BTH
OCIMF-2.BTH

"Ideal" berth arrangement

"Non-Ideal" berth arrangement

OCF1W-90.OPT
OCF1W-45.OPT
OCF1W-00.OPT
OCF1M-90.OPT
OCF2W-90.OPT

OCIMF-W at OCIMF-1 in 60 kt wind at 90/

OCIMF-W at OCIMF-1 in 60 kt wind at 45/
OCIMF-W at OCIMF-1 in 60 kt wind at 0/
OCIMF-M at OCIMF-1 in 60 kt wind at 90/
OCIMF-W at OCIMF-2 in 60 kt wind at 90/

The mooring arrangements as printed by OPTIMOOR and their OCIMF equivalents are
shown here in Figure A-8. Note that the numbering of lines in the OPTIMOOR analysis is
different from that of the OCIMF analysis.
Figure A-9 shows the Vessel Screen for the all-wire vessel, OCIMF-W.VSL. Figure A10 shows the Berth Screen for the Ideal berth, OCIMF-1.BTH.
In this OCIMF example, the bow breast lines are assigned numbers 1 through 5, the stern
breast lines are assigned numbers 6 through 10, and the spring lines are assigned numbers 14
through 17. Thus all the breast lines are in the upper line-load window and all the spring
lines are in the lower line-load window. Also, the lines (as well as the fenders) are
symmetric about and have generally the proper relationship to the vertical center of the
screen and table. This line numbering convention differs from that used in the OCIMF
report.

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The fender positions and compliances used in this example are arbitrary, as these are not
reported in the OCIMF document.
A-3.2 All-Wire Ideal Case, Broadside Wind, File OCF1W-90
Figure A-11 shows the Mooring Screen for this OCIMF example case. The wind speed is
60 knots at 90/ from north. The vessel bow points north, so there is no discrepancy between
vessel and berth coordinate systems. There is no current or tide.
In setting up this example the lines were set with zero pull-in at the designated draft and
trim without wind. Wind was then applied, and the lines were pulled in by trial and error to
achieve approximately the same line tensions as given in the OCIMF report. To increase
precision, pull-in was entered from the keyboard to two decimal places, instead of using the
Ctrl+ feature. Although the OPTIMOOR Mooring Screen only displays a pull-in to one
decimal place, calculations are performed to two decimal places, and the output is rounded
off.
The entered values of pull-ins are given on an overlay to the screen display. The breast
line tensions range from 0.06 ms to 0.81 ms to achieve the desired tensions. The breast
line tensions range from 39.5 to 57.1 tonnes.
The overlays show the computer calculated loads for this case as reported in the OCIMF
document. The comparisons with the loads calculated by OPTIMOOR are very good. Closer
agreement could have been achieved by further trials.
Similar agreements between the OCIMF documented results and the Optimoor results can
be demonstrated for the all-wire vessel, Ideal berth with wind at 45/ and with wind from
the bow. Reasonable agreement can be obtained for the mixed-mooring line vessel analyses
given in the OCIMF document, but the force-deflection characteristics of the synthetic lines
used in that OCIMF case are not known, which effects the accuracy. The positions of some
of the bollards at the OCIMF Non-Ideal berth are not known. Thus only fair agreement
could be obtained with that case.
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DISTINCTIONS FROM OTHER CALCULATION METHODS

Appendix C of the OCIMF Guidelines and Recommendations for the Safe Mooring of Large
Ships at Piers and Sea Islands presents an example of a hand calculation method for mooring
analysis. That publication also gives a comparison of the hand calculation method results
with the results of a computer analysis.
Except in the simplest cases, hand calculations only give approximate answers. The
effects of several or many mooring lines must usually be combined, because it is not
practical to solve the many simultaneous equations needed to represent all lines using hand
calculations.
Hand calculations and some mooring line analyses programs assume linear forcedeflection characteristics for the mooring lines. This may be adequate for mooring systems
comprised only of wires, which generally are linear. But this linear assumption can result in
significant errors for mooring systems with synthetic fiber ropes, either as independent
mooring lines or as tails on wire lines. OPTIMOOR uses typical force-deflection
characteristics for the selected synthetic fiber rope. These nonlinear rope characteristics are
discussed in Appendix E.

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Most other calculation methods ignore the change in mooring line angle which can occur
as a vessel moves relative to the pier. This effect is negligible for long lines but can be
significant for relatively short mooring lines. For example a 1 m shift of the vessel along the
pier changes the angle of a 20 m long perpendicular breast line by 3/ and can result in a 5%
change in the longitudinal force exerted by that line. OPTIMOOR recalculates the horizontal
angle of mooring lines after each vessel movement.
The inboard (on-deck) length of each mooring line must be considered when determining
its force-extension characteristic. Designate the outboard length of the mooring line
(between the fairlead and bollard) as Lo, and the inboard length (between the fairlead and
winch or bitts) as Li, Then the total mooring line length is Lo + Li. For example, let the
inboard length be half as great as the outboard length. Then the inboard line constitutes onethird of the total mooring line length, and a line force calculation will be 33% in error
(assuming a linear force-deflection characteristic).
OPTIMOOR calculates the overall mooring line force-extension characteristic using both
the inboard and outboard portions of the line, but OPTIMOOR calculates the horizontal angle
of that line (see above) using only the outboard portion of that line. It is very difficult or
impossible to account for these separate effects with other calculation methods.
Some simplified calculation methods, for example those performed by hand or on a
spread sheet ignore the effect of the vertical angle of mooring lines. This effect can be
particularly important in short breast and spring lines on vessels with high freeboard. If the
vertical angle of the line is 45/, then the force in the line is actually 44% greater than its
horizontal component.
Changes in vessel freeboard affect not only wind-induced mooring loads but also the
vertical mooring line angles. OPTIMOOR recalculates the vertical angles of mooring lines
after each change in vessel draft and trim and also after each change in tide elevation.
OPTIMOOR also calculates changes in both the vertical angles and horizontal angles of
mooring lines after each change in vessel position relative to the pier.
Some calculation methods set up a matrix of all the applicable equations, such as those
given in (1) above, and then perform a matrix inversion techniques to solve these equations.
This can be an efficient method if the force-deflection characteristics are linear. But this can
be troublesome if the force-deflection characteristics are nonlinear or if the line angles
change. The ?work-arounds which are sometimes used to simulate nonlinear
characteristics in such programs can cause the programs to fail to converge to an answer or
to converge to an incorrect answer.
OPTIMOOR uses an interactive step process, described above, to solve for the balance of
forces. This method accounts for nonlinear mooring line characteristics as well as the above
mentioned changes in mooring line angles.

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References :
1.

Oil Companies International Marine Forum, Guidelines and Recommendations for the Safe Mooring of
Large Ships at Piers and Sea Islands, Witherby & Co. Ltd., London, 1978.

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Figure A-1 Free Body Diagram of Moored Vessel

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Figure A-2 Vessel and Berth Used In Verification Analyses

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Figure A-3 Verification Analysis, Four-Line Case with Transverse Force

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Figure A-4 Verification Analysis, Four-Line Case with Force at 60

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Figure A-5 Verification Analysis, Four-Line Case With

Asymmetric Breast Lines

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Figure A-6 Verification Analysis, Six-Line Case With Four breast Lines

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Figure A-7 Verification Analysis, Six-Line Case With Breast Lines and Angled
Fore and Aft Lines

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Figure A-8 OCIMF Example Mooring Line Arrangements

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Figure A-9 Vessel Screen for OCIMF All-Wire Vessel Example

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Berth Screen for OCIMF Ideal Berth Example

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Figure A-11 Mooring Screen for OCIMF All-Wire Vessel, Ideal Berth with 90
Wind