When calculating berthing energy of vessels, there is a factor called “eccentricity factor” which accounts for different berthing energy when the vessel contact the fender system at different locations of the vessel.
For instance, for mid-point berthing the eccentricity factor is unity which means there is no loss of berthing energy. For third-point berthing and quarter-point berthing, the eccentricity factor is 0.7 and 0.5 respectively. In fact, engineers always attempt to reduce the amount of berthing energy to be absorbed by fender system and pier structures. As such, it is recommended for vessels to contact fender system at its bow or stern because the reaction force would produce a rotational moment to the vessel which dissipates part of vessel’s energy.
This question is taken from book named – A Self Learning Manual – Mastering Different Fields of Civil Engineering Works (VC-Q-A-Method) by Vincent T. H. CHU.
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