Dock Fender and Bollard Repair

The challenge

A jetty takes berthing loads on its fenders every time a vessel comes alongside, and the salt water works on everything around them. The rubber fender faces had torn and chunked where ships had ground against them, so the fenders no longer cushioned the load they were there to take. Behind the rubber, the mounting steel had corroded and lost section, and the concrete around the bollard pockets had spalled where the anchor steel was rusting and breaking the surface away. Left alone, the fenders would keep tearing, the mounting steel would keep wasting, and the bollard pockets could lose their hold on the loads they have to anchor.

The Belzona approach

The three problems are worked as one job rather than tearing out the whole fender line. A cold-applied elastomer repair rebuilds the torn and chunked fender faces so the rubber cushions the berthing loads again. The corroded mounting steel is cleaned back to a sound surface, the lost metal is rebuilt, and the exposed steel is coated against the salt water so it stops wasting. Then the spalled concrete around the bollard pockets is broken out, the anchor steel cleaned, and the pockets patched back with a marine-grade repair mortar so they hold. The point is to put the fenders, the steel, and the concrete back to work without the cost and downtime of replacing the line.

1. Assess the dock faceThe fenders, mounting steel, and bollard pockets are inspected to map the torn rubber, the corroded steel, and the spalled concrete before any work starts.
2. Surface preparationThe torn rubber faces, the corroded mounting steel, and the spalled concrete are cleaned back to a sound, prepared surface so each repair bonds.
3. Rebuild fenders and steelA cold-applied elastomer rebuilds the torn fender faces and a composite rebuilds the lost mounting steel, worked cold throughout.
4. Patch concrete and coat steelA marine-grade repair mortar patches the spalled bollard-pocket concrete, and the exposed steel is coated against the salt water.
5. Return to berthing serviceThe repairs are confirmed sound and the dock face handed back so the fenders take the berthing loads and the bollard pockets hold.