Australian boat builder tests HDPE bumpers

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA — An Australian boat builder is trialing an innovative design for pilot boats by replacing traditional rubber fenders with more durable high density polyethylene bumpers. 

Ben Switzer, factory manager for Melbourne-based Hart Marine Pty. Ltd., told Plastics News the fenders on the 25-ton, 60-foot pilot boats, which regularly dock against much larger vessels and port infrastructure, take a beating as they rub against barnacles and rust.

They need to be wide and safe for pilots to transfer to and from the smaller boats onto large ships to guide them safely into and out of harbors.

“The buffer has an extremely hard life under constant pressure and severe conditions and is an integral part of the boarding system for pilots to the ships,” Switzer said.

He said Hart, a specialist pilot boat manufacturer, is the first Australian company to follow a European trend towards HDPE bumpers and is still trialing them on Kestrel, a pilot boat built for the Port Kembla Ports Corp., near Wollongong.

Hart commissioned Seaford, Australia-based Fusion Hire & Sales Pty. Ltd. (FHS) to fabricate the bumpers.

FHS said in a statement the trial HDPE bumper is added to the molded rubber polyurethane fender system Hart normally uses on its pilot boats.

Switzer said the HDPE bumper fits into a sleeve so it can be rotated to spread the wear points that result from impact on wharfs and ships. It is designed so entire sections can be replaced when worn or damaged.

He hopes the new design will extend the average 10-year life span of pilot boats' buffers.

“Time will tell, but we see it will have the capability to slide over the ship's topside, resulting in less damage,” Switzer said.

Switzer admits HDPE bumpers cost more, but he hopes their longevity will mean long-term gains for port authorities that choose them for their custom-made Hart boats.

He says trials have found the HDPE can slide against ships' hulls in rough seas, whereas rubber fenders tend to “stick to the ship.”

But Hart is working on design modifications that may overcome that issue and Switzer says the boat driver's competency is another factor.

FHS national sales manager David Clarke said the project is a new one for FHS, not having used PE piping for such a purpose before.

“Due to its strength, durability and ease to work with, people are always finding new and interesting ways of using PE pipe other than for its intended purpose,” he said.

Hart has been building boats for 30 years, moving more into commercial boats in the last decade after manufacturing ocean-going yachts. It builds about four pilot boats a year.