The modular system of element fenders was introduced at roughly the same time as the cone fender in the early 1980’s, and as with the cell and cone fenders, they are used together with a frontal panel or shield. Their narrow footprint makes them highly versatile, as they can be combined in unlimited combinations of length and direction. For more extreme applications, element fenders can be combined with a steel panel to cope with belting, bow flares, low hull pressures and high tides. They’re easy to install, low maintenance and applications include container terminals, tanker berths, Ro-Ro and cruise ships, dolphins and monopiles, bulk and cargo berths, fender walls and small craft berths.
Their limitations would be: That their size is generally restricted to 1600mm, which limits their application for the much larger vessels. They produce very high levels of shear whilst being compressed, and therefore the elements should be arranged in pairs in a “V” formation such that the shear forces counteract each other.
