In mid-2021, transport and logistics provider, SeaRoad, will be the first to put the next generation Cavotec vacuum mooring technology, MoorMaster NxG, into commercial operation. The new NxG units will be integrated with SeaRoad’s original MoorMaster systems installed in 2003.

The two MoorMaster® fast, rope-free mooring systems will enable SeaRoad to introduce a new, larger Ro/Ro vessel to meet increased demand. The systems will allow the new vessel to overhang the existing quays without costly and time-consuming extensions to the berth. A solution only made possible by MoorMaster’s enhanced vacuum design. The vessel will operate on SeaRoad’s daily cargo service between Melbourne in Australia and Devonport in Tasmania.

“Over the last 17 years, our MoorMaster systems have been extremely consistent, and Cavotec’s support exemplary. We’re extremely excited to be the first company to install the next generation of MoorMaster as we introduce larger tonnage to meet our customers’ demands,” says Stuart Michael, General Manager Marine, SeaRoad.

This is the second order for Cavotec’s next generation vacuum mooring technology, MoorMaster NxG, which was launched on 27 October 2020. The new generation of MoorMaster incorporates learnings from two decades of providing fast, hands-free mooring systems. It features a radically slimmer footprint – a 40 per cent reduction on previous designs, so it can be integrated in terminals with limited space between the edge of the quay and obstructions such as cranes. Installation time has also been reduced by 50 per cent – and in some cases by as much as 90 per cent.

“The continued operation of SeaRoad’s MoorMaster systems highlights the durability of the MoorMaster technology. Every day, some 100 MoorMaster systems across the globe will complete around 1,000 moorings, and we’re incredibly proud that those moorings still include SeaRoad’s systems in Melbourne and Devonport,” says Patrick Mares, President Cavotec Ports and Maritime.