Bollard Pull Calculations - An Introduction (Part I) - TheNavalArch

 U
Bollard Pull Calculations – an Introduction (Part I)

by Team TheNavalArch | Feb 4, 2017 | Marine Transportation, Towing | 15 comments
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
Ok
Bollard Pull Calculations for Towing Operations – an Introduction
Part I – Calculating the required Bollard Pull (BP)
(Click hereOkfor Part II)

SECTION A – INTRODUCTION
Bollard Pull calculation is one of the most frequent calculations performed in marine towing operations.
Towing operations involve the pulling of a vessel (it can be a barge, ship or an offshore structure) using
another vessel (usually a tug).
From a very basic point of view, we can draw the following conclusions regarding towing
A bigger vessel will require higher force for towing

The harsher the environment, the more will be the towing force required
The efficiency of the tug deployed for towing will also affect the towing operation
When selecting and deploying tugs for towing operations, we would like to know a few things before we
make a final decision:
How big a tug should I select for safely towing the vessel?
How much maximum speed will I be able to make with the tug(s) I selected?
Each of the above questions merits a detailed explanation, and we will cover each of them separately. In
this Article, we will cover the first question – how big a tug is required for safe towing of a vessel?
First, let’s clear some basic concepts. Please note that this article covers only the scenario of head sea
towing.
SECTION B – BASIC CONCEPTS

Concept – Bollard Pull of a Tug
BP Test
Source: weir-jones.com
Ok
The capacity of tugs is measured by their rated Bollard Pull. The Bollard Pull of a tug is the force it exerts
at zero forward speed, in calm water conditions, with the engine working at its full power (100% MCR).
Continuous Bollard Pull (CBP) is measured by a test as the average bollard pull measured at a length of
time (say 10 minutes), while Maximum Bollard Pull is the highest bollard pull measured during the test.
Concept – Towing Efficiency and available pulling force at zero speed
Source: pixabay
The tug has an efficiency of its own when towing the vessel in sea. It depends on the environment of the
tow, and on size of the vessel towed.
If the bollard pull of a tug is denoted by BP, and its towing efficiency is denoted by ƞ, then the total
available pulling force from the tug will be
Available pulling force of the tug = Bollard Pull of the tug x Towing efficiency
Available Pulling force of the tug = BP x ƞ
Ok
Concept – Required Towing Force
How do we relate the Bollard Pull of the tug to the vessel being towed?
Basically, the vessel being towed will experience environmental forces of wind, wave and current in the
sea. Together, these forces constitute the ‘Towing force’. Let’s denote it by FTOT
For the tug to be able to pull the vessel, the available pulling force of the Tug must be greater than the
total force on the vessel.
BP x ƞ > FTOT
BP > FTOT/ ƞ
Thus the Bollard Pull of the tug should be more than FTOT/ ƞ. This is called the Required Bollard Pull,
and this is what we seek to calculate. Next we will see how the towing force can be calculated.
Concept – Environmental forces

The required Towing force is defined as the force which is required to HOLD the vessel in sea under
certain environmental conditions of wind, wave and current.
Ok
Total Towing Force, FTOT = Wind Force + Wave force + Current force
Please note that the towing force is the required force for HOLDING the vessel (also called STALL
condition), and not for towing it.
Now, what are these environmental conditions and where do we get them from?
When towed in the sea, a vessel will experience forces of wind, wave and current. To HOLD the vessel in
the given environment, we need to overcome these forces.
Wind force acts on the part of the vessel above waterline and exposed to wind
Current force acts on the underwater portion of the vessel
Wave forces – the waves coming on to the vessel add to the resistance force on the vessel
Wind forces depend on the wind speed, current forces depend on the current speed and Wave forces
We use depend
cookies toon thethat
ensure (significant)
we give you height
the best of waves.on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
experience
Ok
Industry standards like DNVGL Guidelines for Marine Transportation (earlier ND-0030, now superseded
by DNVGL-ST-N001) prescribe the standard wind, wave and current parameters to be used for bollard
pull calculations, depending on condition under which the towing is being performed.
ND-0030 requires that the bollard pull of the tug should be sufficient to HOLD the towed vessel in the
environment stated below:
Standard Criteria – For Open Ocean tows, following environmental parameters are prescribed as per ND-
0030
Wind Speed – 20 m/s (roughly 40 knots)

Current speed – 0.5 m/s (roughly 1 knot)
Significant Wave Height – 5 meters
For benign weather areas, the following criteria are prescribed as per ND0030
Wind Speed – 15 m/s (roughly 30 knots)

Current speed – 0.5 m/s (roughly 1 knot)
Significant Wave Height – 2 meters
A question naturally arises – how do we know if the tow is an open ocean tow or a benign tow? For this
we need to study the environment of the route of the tow, and get the historical environment data of the
route. We can get it from environment data provider like Metocean. In some cases, data from Nautical
charts is also acceptable (depends on the discretion of Marine Warranty Surveyor). The wind speed, wave
height and current speed should be obtained for the specific time of the year when the tow is expected
to take place. For example, if the towing operation is expected in May +/- 2 months, then the
environment data from March till July should be referenced. The most extreme values for the period
should be utilized.
From the environment data, we can decide whether it is an open ocean tow or a benign tow. Basically, if
anywhere along the route a wave of (significant) height more than 2 meters is expected, then the Open
Ocean criteria is to be used. If everywhere along theOk route, waves of significant wave height less than 2
meters are expected, then the environment data must be submitted to the Warranty Surveyor and
exemption obtained for using the ‘benign’ sea state case before proceeding with Bollard Pull calculations.
SECTION C – CALCULATION STEPS
Now we can delineate the steps for performing Required Bollard Pull calculations for towing a vessel as
follows:
Step 1 – Determine the environmental parameters (Open Ocean or Benign)

Step 2 – Calculate the Wind, Wave and Current forces on the vessel
Step 3 – Add up the wind, wave and current forces to find the total force on the vessel, FTOT
Step 4 – Get the towing efficiency of the tug, ƞ
Step 5 – Calculate the minimum required Bollard Pull (BP) using the formula
Minimum Required BP > FTOT/ ƞ
Ok
Now we will discuss the calculation methods in detail.
SECTION D – CALCULATION METHODS IN DETAIL
Wind forces
Wind forces are the forces on the part of the vessel above the waterline which is exposed to winds.
For calculating wind force, besides the wind speed and air density, we need the Transverse wind-exposed
sectional area of the vessel (also called windage area)
Calculating the transverse windage area

When the vessel is being towed forward, then the transverse section of the vessel faces the winds head
on.
Some points to keep in mind when calculating this transverse windage area are:
Ok
There are two parts of the windage area – the area contributed by the part of the vessel’s hull above
water, and the area contributed by items on the deck, i.e., Cargo, Deck structures and Accommodation
The area contributed by the hull can be obtained from the midship section dimensions/drawing
The area contributed by above-deck items can be calculated as the area of the silhouette of the above
deck items.
Cargo height coefficient – The speed of wind varies with the height above the water surface. For zones
of the cargo which are higher, a cargo height coefficient needs to be additionally applied to take into
account the higher wind speeds experienced by higher zones of the cargo. Cargo height coefficients are
provided in ABS MODU Rules (see below)
Ok
Cargo shape coefficient – The wind force experienced by the cargo also depends on the shape of the
cargo. For example, a box shaped cargo will experience higher forces than cargo which is cylindrical in
shape (with the cylindrical face exposed to wind). To take into account the effect of cargo shape on
wind force, a cargo shape coefficient needs to be incorporated in the windage area calculations. Cargo
shape coefficients for typical cargo shapes are provided in ABS MODU Rules (see below)
The final windage area should incorporate the height and shape coefficients
Ok
Sketch showing the Transverse Windage Area and Transverse Underwater Areas of a simple Barge
The wind force is calculated from the air density, wind speed and the transverse windage area using
standard formula
2
Force = ½ x air density x (wind speed) x Transverse Windage Area
Current forces
The current forces are basically, the forces experienced by the underwater part of the hull.
The underwater part of the hull experiences what is called as ‘calm water resistance’. This is the
resistance the ship experiences when it is moving in water without waves.
In the STALL scenario when the tow is not moving, the vessel is actually static, but the current moving
against the vessel creates the same effect as the vessel moving with the speed of the current in calm
water. Thus, the resistance experienced by the vessel because of current is equivalent to the resistance
which the vessel will experience in calm water when moving at the speed of the current.
Ok
The Calm Water Resistance has many components, and is a complicated calculation. Calm water
resistance of a ship can be calculated using
Empirical methods like Holtrop-Mennen method, Taylor’s method etc. Each method is applicable to
certain ship types
Direct Model Tests
Computer simulation
Barges
For barges, some studies have been done to develop empirical methods of calculating resistance. Some
of them are
Bureau Veritas – Towage at Sea of Vessels or Floating Units

Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) Paper 3320 – Resistance of Offshore Barges and Required
Horsepower
If the vessel is a barge, sometimes a simplification is adopted, subject to acceptance by MWS. Similar to
the calculation of transverse wind force, the current force can also be calculated from the transverse
underwater area.
Calculation of transverse underwater hull area is pretty simple in case of barges, which generally have a
rectangular section shape. If the width of the Barge is B, and its draft is T, then the underwater
transverse section area is simply B x T. If there are cuts around the bilge of the barge, these can be
deducted from the area. The current force is finally calculated using the standard formula
2
Current force = ½ x water density x (current speed) x underwater transverse section area
Ships
For ships, an elaborate method (e.g., Holtrop-Mennen method) to calculate calm water resistance is
usually recommended to get more accurate current force.
Ok
Wave forces
The current force calculated above is actually the force which the vessel will experience in calm water.
However, the sea is a dynamic environment because of waves which the vessel encounters. These waves
add to the forces on the vessel and are these forces are called as ‘Added Wave Resistance’ or the ‘wave
drift force’.
Wave drift force depends on the dimensions of the vessel, and its shape. The method for calculation of
added wave resistance is provided in DNV-RP-H103 Modelling and Analysis of Marine Operations Sec
7.2.6 (see below extract).
Source: DNV-RP-H103 Modelling and Analysis of Marine Operations
Towing Efficiency
How do we get towing efficiency? Ok
The tug’s efficiency is affected by many factors, like, size of tug, the harshness of environment, and the
towing speed. ND-0030 provides a table to calculate the towing efficiency of the Tug. If the tug’s
Continuous Bollard Pull is BP, then the table provides following values for the Towing efficiency
Source: ND-0030 Guidelines for Marine Transportations
Calculation of Required Bollard Pull

Now that we have the wind, wave and current forces, we can calculate the total resistance force on the
vessel as
FTOT = FWIND + FWAVE + FCURRENT

Then the required Bollard Pull can be calculated as
Required BP = FTOT/ƞ
The continuous bollard pull of tug must be higher than the Required BP for the tug to be suitable for
towing.
SECTION E – The role of Marine Warranty Surveyor (MWS)

The Marine Warranty Surveyor has a very critical role in towing operations. His role includes, but is not
limited to
Survey of vessel and tug for towing equipment and general condition
Ok
Approval and acceptance of environmental conditions/weather data
Review of the bollard pull calculations
Witness and review of Bollard Pull tests, if required to be performed
Review and approval of the towing plan
The towing operator has to work closely with the MWS by providing all documents and calculations on
time and getting MWS approvals prior to the operation. The potential areas of contention with the MWS
might be the following, and the towing operator should carefully prepare the supporting documents to
get MWS approval in time
Disagreement over environmental criteria adopted

Non-willingness of MWS to grant benign weather criteria
Disagreement over the method adopted for Bollard Pull calculation
Disagreement over the condition of the tug
Insistence to carry out a Bollard Pull test to confirm the rating of the tug
While the above are not regular occurrences, it is advisable for the towing operator to be proactive in
treading these issues to avoid delays and surprises during the operation.
That leads to the conclusion of this Part – I. In Part – II we will discuss the method of calculating the
maximum feasible towing speed for a given environment.
(Click here for Part II)

References
1. DNV RP-H103 Modelling and Analysis of Marine Operations

2. ABS, 2016, Rules for Building and Classing Mobile Offshore Drilling Units, Part 3 Chapter 1,Section 3,
‘Environmental Loadings’, p.11.
We use 3. An Approximate
cookies Power
to ensure that we Prediction
give you Method,
the best experience on J.Holtrop
our website.and
If youG.G.J.Mennen, 1982
continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
4. BV – Towage at Sea of Vessels or Floating Units Ok

5. OTC 3220, Vol 4, Resistance of Offshore Barges and Required Tug Horsepower
Disclaimer: This post is not meant to be an authoritative writing on the topic presented. thenavalarch bears no
responsibility for the accuracy of this article, or for any incidents/losses arising due to the use of the
information in this article in any operation. It is recommended to seek professional advice before executing any
activity which draws on information mentioned in this post. All the figures, drawings and pictures are property
of thenavalarch except where indicated, and may not be copied or distributed without permission.
PS: TheNavalArch has its own products for calculating Bollard Pull required for Barges and Ships. Check
them out below.
[/cmsms_text][cmsms_text animation_delay=”0″]
Ok
Related
Bollard Pull Calculations - an Why the bollard pull calculation Selecting the right gear for towing
Introduction (Part II) method for a barge won’t work for a operations – Part 1
ship
February 18, 2017 November 5, 2019
In "Marine Transportation" May 20, 2019 In "Marine Transportation"
In "Marine Transportation"
Ok
15 Comments
Subash on December 15, 2018 at 3:18 pm
It’s a useful explanation for non-naval people.Am working in offshore rig;i had doubts about BP of
AHTV.Now fully understood.Thanks.
Reply
Team TheNavalArch on December 15, 2018 at 7:13 pm

Hi Subash
Happy to know it helped you. Hope to serve you with better articles in future.
Prem Shankar
Reply
Steve on April 5, 2020 at 4:58 pm

Greetings,
Kindly provide in direct towing calculation against tug and tanker ship escorting assisting
operations for berth / unberth single buoy mooring loading terminal.
Best regards,
Steve
Reply
Ok
joe cain on May 5, 2020 at 3:14 pm
Thank You
This is helpful. We’re a charity that is involved in relief. We’re considering a 350 HP tug for handling
FlexiFloats.
I just started reading your information. I hope there is a section on Kort nozzels.
Reply
Team TheNavalArch on May 5, 2020 at 4:31 pm

Hi Joe
Happy to know this. Should you need any engineering help with any of your projects, you’re
welcome to get in touch info@thenavalarch.com. Thanks again, and please do keep visiting.
Reply
KENNETH BROWN on May 13, 2020 at 6:36 pm

Just wanted to know what the calculation was for Bollard pull to Horsepower and vice versa.
Reply
Team TheNavalArch on May 14, 2020 at 8:40 am

Hi Kenneth
Thanks for your query. A thumb-rule is one ton pull per 100 horsepower for a conventional
We use cookies to ensure that wepropeller, orbest
give you the 1.2 experience
to 1.5 tonsonpull
ourper 100 horsepower
website. If you continuefor
to a propeller
use fitted
this site we will with a nozzle
assume that you are happy with it.

http://www.imcbrokers.com/blog/overview/detail/bollard-pull
Ok
Reply
Gelu Diaconu on July 8, 2020 at 10:11 pm

I’m interested of a bollard pull calculation for a tugboat, based on shape of the vessel, main
engines capacity and type of proppellers. There is a chance to help me with it?
Reply
Team TheNavalArch on July 11, 2020 at 12:20 pm

Hi Gelu
Thanks for your query. We have dropped you an email. Will follow up from there.
Reply
erik on August 29, 2020 at 9:40 am

Could you possibly assit me with a rule of thumb for a push aspect.
Reply
Team TheNavalArch on August 30, 2020 at 4:10 pm

Hi Erik
Thanks for your query. The same principles will apply, whether it is a pull or a push – calculate
Ok
the forces and get the required bollard pull = Force/efficiency. Rules of thumb are not
recommended for a reliable result. Hope this helps!
Reply
Nnamdi Nzute on November 9, 2020 at 9:11 pm

Hello,
We operate in a largely unregulated and non-standard market and most of the tug boats are locally
made. I have a situation where we requested a 1500HP boat as a lead tug to tow a swamp barge and we
ended up losing the barge to water current as the boats could not hold against the current. The barge
sustained considerable damage as a result of collision with the river bank.
Presently, we don’t have a setup to test these tugs for the real bollard pull figures. I have watched a few
bollard test videos on utube and wondering if it is something we can set up to qualify boats whenever we
require their services.
Reply
Team TheNavalArch on December 20, 2020 at 8:57 am

Hi Nnamdi
Thanks for the query, and apologies for the delay in response.
The most certain method to establish a tug’s pulling power is a bollard pull test. While our
calculator can help you in knowing how much bollard pull will be required to tug a particular
vessel, it won’t help you establish the pulling power of a tug. Especially for older tugs, it is
strongly recommended to conduct a test to establish their real BP compared to what’s on paper.
Hope that helps. Let us know if you have more questions. You can also email us at
info@thenavalarch.com
Ok Reply
Edub on February 2, 2022 at 5:54 am
Aren’t wind speeds given at 10m reference heights? So, technically you should be able to use a lower
wind speed at cargo heights below 10m. amirite?
Reply
ISMAIL on February 2, 2022 at 7:37 pm

WHAT WILL BE TH BOLLAR PULL FOR A TANKER HAS FOLL SPECIFICATION
-Loa 349
-l.p.b 331
-breadth moulded 52
-depth moulded 25.5
-max dwt 253,450 mt
-max draft 20.-12
-min draft 10 m
-crude oil storage capacity min: 238,480 cu
-crude oil storage capacity:1,588,411 bbls
-max receiving rate:23,848 cu
-max export rate:10,000 cu
Reply
Ok

We are a leading services platform for high-quality online content for the Marine & Offshore industries.
Related Links
About Us
Contact Us
Engineering Services
Learning Solutions
Blog
Get In Touch
 Call
(61) 432 185 746
 Email
info@thenavalarch.com
Ok
© 2016-2022 TheNavalArch Pte Ltd
Ok

Bollard Pull Calculations - An Introduction (Part I) - TheNavalArch

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Bollard Pull Calculations - An Introduction (Part I) - TheNavalArch

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

 U

Bollard Pull Calculations – an Introduction (Part I)

(Click hereOkfor Part II)

A bigger vessel will require higher force for towing

SECTION B – BASIC CONCEPTS

Concept – Towing Efficiency and available pulling force at zero speed

Concept – Environmental forces

Wind Speed – 20 m/s (roughly 40 knots)

Wind Speed – 15 m/s (roughly 30 knots)

SECTION C – CALCULATION STEPS

Step 1 – Determine the environmental parameters (Open Ocean or Benign)

SECTION D – CALCULATION METHODS IN DETAIL

Calculating the transverse windage area

Bureau Veritas – Towage at Sea of Vessels or Floating Units

Source: DNV-RP-H103 Modelling and Analysis of Marine Operations

Source: ND-0030 Guidelines for Marine Transportations

Calculation of Required Bollard Pull

FTOT = FWIND + FWAVE + FCURRENT

SECTION E – The role of Marine Warranty Surveyor (MWS)

Disagreement over environmental criteria adopted

(Click here for Part II)

1. DNV RP-H103 Modelling and Analysis of Marine Operations

4. BV – Towage at Sea of Vessels or Floating Units Ok

Team TheNavalArch on December 15, 2018 at 7:13 pm

Steve on April 5, 2020 at 4:58 pm

Team TheNavalArch on May 5, 2020 at 4:31 pm

KENNETH BROWN on May 13, 2020 at 6:36 pm

Team TheNavalArch on May 14, 2020 at 8:40 am

assume that you are happy with it.

Gelu Diaconu on July 8, 2020 at 10:11 pm

Team TheNavalArch on July 11, 2020 at 12:20 pm

erik on August 29, 2020 at 9:40 am

Team TheNavalArch on August 30, 2020 at 4:10 pm

Nnamdi Nzute on November 9, 2020 at 9:11 pm

Team TheNavalArch on December 20, 2020 at 8:57 am

ISMAIL on February 2, 2022 at 7:37 pm

-depth moulded 25.5

-max dwt 253,450 mt

-max draft 20.-12

-crude oil storage capacity min: 238,480 cu

-crude oil storage capacity:1,588,411 bbls

-max receiving rate:23,848 cu

-max export rate:10,000 cu

You might also like