Abstract: A mooring system for receiving and exercising at least partial control over the approach of a vessel approaching a mooring facility. An array of mooring robots are mounted to the mooring facility. Each robot has at least one vessel contact member supported by a moving mechanism in a manner to thereby be (i) movable relative to the mooring facility and (ii) presentable to engage the side of said vessel. A sensor can sense the position of the vessel relative the mooring facility. A processor can calculate movement instructions based on information received by the processor to calculate instructions for the movement of the contact member during the receipt of the vessel by the mooring system. A controller can preposition the contact member and then control the condition of each mooring robot such as to reduce the approach speed of the vessel at least in a direction towards the mooring facility.

Abstract: A vessel mooring system which includes at least two mooring robots that can be secured to a terminal and/or a vessel, each robot includes an attractive force attachment element and a base structure. The attachment element can be engaged with a vertically extending side surface and to exert an attractive force normal to the surface. Each robot can measure the attractive force between the attachment element and the surface to provide an “attractive force capacity reading”. The force between the attachment element and the fixed structure of the mooring robot can be measured to provide a “normal force reading”. From monitoring of the relationship between the attractive force capacity reading and the normal force a control of the mooring robot can be provided such that if there is a tending to separate the attachment elements from said vessel the attractive force may be increased and/or alarm is sounded.