Mineral Resources’ (MinRes) Onslow Iron operation has taken a bold step in port safety and efficiency, deploying the Southern Hemisphere’s first automatic mooring system at the Port of Ashburton.
The system is designed for the operation’s shallow-draft transhippers, which carry 20,000 tonnes of iron ore per trip to ocean going vessels 40km offshore. Once alongside, ore is unloaded at rates of up to 6000 tonnes per hour before vessels return to reload.
MinRes Peak transhipper master Sam Felstead said the greenfield nature of the Port and transhippers meant fabrication tolerances could be built into the design.
“The automoor system allows us to pull up alongside the terminal within a matter of minutes, but the most important part is that it keeps our crew hands off from what is traditionally one of the most dangerous operations in mooring a ship,” he said.
Two berthing dolphins (isolated, man-made marine structures) at the port are fitted with twin automoor units developed by MacGregor. After a positioning dolphin guides a transhipper into place, the hooks connect to purpose-built bollards, removing the need for traditional rope mooring.
Each hook has a 60-tonne operating capacity and cuts tie-up and let-go times by around 25 minutes, freeing the berth for an extra two hours of loading each day.
“While automoor technology is new to Australia, it has been used in European ferry terminals where quick turnaround times are required for many years,” MinRes executive general manager marine Jeff Weber said.
“We’ve seen significant efficiencies using this system, but the most important benefit has been removing our crews from a traditionally high-risk aspect of the mooring process.”
Snapback incidents from mooring lines are a leading cause of serious injury and fatalities in ports. By removing ropes 95 per cent of the time, automoor dramatically reduces exposure to this hazard according to the company.
The technology forms part of MinRes’ integrated pit-to-ship operation at Onslow Iron, which hit its 35 million tonnes per annum nameplate capacity in August 2025, showing how innovation can boost both safety and productivity.
Subscribe to Australian Mining and receive the latest news on product announcements, industry developments, commodities and more.