Abstract
Recently, several problems have occurred in the space, infra-structure, and facility of the contiguity of existing harbors due to the trend of enlarged container vessels. In this regard, the Mobile Harbor has been proposed conceptually in this study as an effective solution for these problems. The concept is that of a transfer loader that transfers containers from a large container ship to the harbor on land, and is a catamaran type floating barge. The catamaran-type vessel is well known for its advantage in maneuverability, resistance, and effectiveness for working on board. For the safe and effective operation of the two floating bodies (a container ship and the mobile harbor in the near sea detached from the quay), robot arms, novel crane systems, and pneumatic fenders are specially devised with an additional mooring facility or DP (dynamic positioning) system. In this study, this concept is to be verified through comparison and simulation studies under various environmental conditions. It is shown that the proposed concept is in general feasible but there are several areas for further investigation and improvement.