MSC Cruises has become the first cruise shipowner to introduce Haskoning’s Smart Mooring software platform across its full global fleet of 23 vessels.
The system has been implemented as a Navigation Bridge decision-support application intended to improve safety, accuracy, and operational efficiency during port calls.
The Smart Mooring platform combines dynamic mooring analysis with localised weather forecasting to generate predictive assessments of mooring loads and vessel motions. By modelling the interaction between environmental conditions and mooring arrangements, the software provides advanced guidance to bridge teams during berthing and while alongside. This allows crews to monitor and manage line tensions in real time and to respond proactively to changing weather conditions, thereby reducing the likelihood of line failures, bollard overloads, and associated damage to shipboard or shore-based infrastructure.
MSC indicated that the system has been adapted in collaboration with Haskoning to suit the operational characteristics of the company’s 8 different cruise ship classes. The tailored approach is intended to provide bridge teams with practical, actionable information and to lessen dependence on static calculations or shore-based mooring assessments, supporting a more responsive and safety-focused approach to port operations.
The software continuously evaluates mooring line/rope forces by integrating forecast weather data, local port conditions, and environmental inputs. These elements are processed through predictive risk models designed to identify potential failure scenarios before critical limits are reached.
Haskoning noted that the platform has been developed specifically for active use on board cruise vessels, with an emphasis on supporting navigational and operational decision-making through scientifically based analysis. Safety and efficiency at each port call were identified as the primary objectives of the collaboration.
The Smart Mooring system is presented to crews through bridge-based dashboards and alert functions, allowing critical information to be accessed quickly and incorporated into routine port call management.