Trelleborg Marine & Infrastructure Review: Quiet hardware that protects ships and berths
January 15, 2026
Trelleborg Marine & Infrastructure sits at the “hardware that quietly keeps ports running” layer of shipping. From its Dubai headquarters, it designs and supplies fenders, docking and mooring systems, navigation aids, buoyancy and sealing solutions that decide whether a berth operates smoothly, assets stay protected, and turnaround times don’t get wrecked by damaged structures or poorly controlled approaches.
Trelleborg Marine & Infrastructure • Headquarters
Trelleborg Marine & Infrastructure
JAFZA One, Tower A, Office 1620
PO Box 261758, Jebel Ali, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
JAFZA One, Tower A, Office 1620
PO Box 261758, Jebel Ali, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Shipowners and terminals benefit by:
- Protecting vessels and quays with engineered fenders: Trelleborg designs and supplies fixed, floating and special fender systems to PIANC guidelines, aiming to keep berthing forces within safe limits and reduce hull and structure damage over the full life of a terminal. That’s direct protection for both the asset and the P&L when something goes wrong at the berth.
- Shortening learning curves on new terminals: A “whole system” fender and berthing approach means bollards, panels, chains and fenders are sized and tuned to work together, cutting down on trial-and-error adjustments after a new quay or jetty opens and helping keep early incident rates lower.
- Using docking and mooring tech to control approach risk: Docking aid systems (laser / GPS), quick release hooks, load monitoring and centralised controls give pilots and operators clearer data on approach speed, angle and mooring loads, reducing the likelihood of hard contacts, parted lines and unscheduled jetty checks.
- Reducing lifetime cost of marine infrastructure: Higher-spec elastomers, abrasion-resistant surfaces and structured maintenance programmes are pitched to extend fender and buoy life, lowering the frequency of major replacements and the downtime that comes with them.
- Connecting “dumb” hardware into smarter-port thinking: Trelleborg’s SmartPort concepts link fenders, docking aids and monitoring systems into data platforms so terminal operators can track berthing events, understand patterns and feed real numbers into capacity and maintenance planning.
- Covering multiple environments with one vendor: Because the same group supplies into oil & gas transfer, ports, offshore and broader infrastructure, owners and developers can standardise on a smaller set of designs and support relationships rather than juggling entirely different suppliers in each niche.
Notes: This is a planning view based on Trelleborg Marine & Infrastructure’s public materials.
Exact product configurations, testing regimes and lifecycle costs should be confirmed against your
specific terminal design, class / regulatory context and project budget.
Notable mentions and external coverage
A few places where Trelleborg’s marine fenders, docking and mooring tech, and SmartPort tools show up in wider port and LNG commentary.
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SmartDAS launch for data-led berthing Port Technology • 2025Port Technology International covered Trelleborg’s Smart Docking Aid System (SmartDAS) as an advanced berthing tool that uses laser sensors and AIS to capture distance, speed and angle, giving ports data-led visibility on every approach. View the Port Technology article .
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Smart, data-driven berthing technology Container News • 2025Container News framed SmartDAS as a way to move berthing from “subjective” to data-driven, highlighting the system’s role in safety, infrastructure optimisation and environmental performance at container terminals. Read the Container News coverage .
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Smart berthing system focus Port Strategy • 2025Port Strategy included Trelleborg in its digitalisation coverage with a focus on smart berthing systems, positioning SmartDAS as part of a wider trend toward sensor-backed docking and automated data capture at ports. See the Port Strategy note .
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PESO certification for LNG mooring systems LNG Industry • 2021LNG Industry reported that Trelleborg’s Quick Release Hook mooring systems received PESO certification for hazardous LNG facilities in India, underlining the compliance and safety angle for terminals in that market. Read the LNG Industry article .
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Ports deploying digitalisation for safer berthing Riviera Maritime MediaA Riviera round-up on safer ship berthing highlighted Trelleborg’s SmartDAS as part of a wider move toward continuous monitoring, better situational awareness and reduced berthing incidents in ports adopting digital tools. See the Riviera feature .
This is a sample of external coverage, not an exhaustive list. For project work, combine this with Trelleborg’s own case studies and whitepapers.
Berth impact and downtime sketch
Roughly compare annual contact / damage risk and downtime cost before and after a fender and smart-berthing upgrade.
Your current berth situation (before upgrade)
Number of vessel calls per year across the berth or terminal you are evaluating.
Incidents that cause checks, minor structural repair or hull marks, including “near miss” events that trigger inspections.
Add small repairs, surveys, overtime and local disruption, not just obvious damage.
Time the berth is unavailable or constrained while teams inspect or repair.
Your own view of day value based on throughput, freight, bunkers or other revenue contribution.
With upgraded fenders / SmartDAS-style berthing support
Use your own expectation from case studies or supplier estimates. This is a planning assumption, not a promise.
Combined cost of fenders, hooks, SmartDAS or other smart-berthing elements in the scope of this sketch.
Estimated incidents avoided per year
0
Direct damage cost avoided / year
$0
Downtime value protected / year
$0
Simple payback (years)
—
| Category | Calculated value (per year) |
|---|---|
| Incidents before upgrade | 0 |
| Incidents after upgrade | 0 |
| Incidents avoided | 0 |
| Direct damage cost before | $0 |
| Direct damage cost after | $0 |
| Direct damage cost avoided | $0 |
| Berth downtime (hours) avoided | 0 h |
| Value of downtime avoided | $0 |
| Total indicative benefit (damage + downtime) | $0 |
Trelleborg Marine & Infrastructure ultimately sits in the background of most voyage decisions, but front and centre for ports that are serious about berthing risk, downtime and long-term asset care. If you are weighing an upgrade to fenders, hooks or smart berthing systems, the sketch above is one way to translate case-study language into your own numbers: what does a “typical” contact actually cost you in repairs and lost berth time, and how many of those events do you realistically think you can avoid? From there, the question becomes less about product names and more about whether a structured upgrade programme can buy down enough risk and disruption, at your specific berths, to justify a capital line on the next budget cycle.
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