| Summary: | The Port of Leixões (Portugal) has one berth for oil tankers that is somewhat exposed to rough environmental conditions and has some operational problems. In order to improve operational and security conditions at that berth, several studies have been carried out along the years. Problems are now less frequent than in the past; however there is still room for further improvement of the present conditions. The paper focuses in a physical model study that included the construction of two models: the first one corresponding to a simplified reproduction of the berth and its surroundings and the second one to a more detailed representation of the prototype's characteristics. Based on the results obtained, it was concluded that the friction forces developed at the interface between the ship and the fenders play an important role in the moored ship behaviour, especially in the surge direction. In addition, the response of the oil tanker in rolling was significantly influenced by the characteristics of its mooring system, particularly in the vicinity of the roll natural period of oscillation.
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