Mooring analysis of offshore aquaculture marine technology system for ocean farming

Abstract

The expansion of near-shore aquaculture is becoming more difficult because of multi-use issues and environmental impact concerns, the feasibility of moving aquaculture into the open ocean is being studied. However, natural disasters such as hurricanes and storms can cause severe damage to the integrity of structural floating system. To avoid mooring system failure, selecting an appropriate breaking strength for mooring lines is becoming an important issue in marine aquaculture industry. The study evaluates the secure of a mooring system based on environmental loadings. To enable the optimum design and performance a mooring system in the energetic open ocean, numerical modeling techniques and model testing are being utilized. The numerical model employs the analysis approach in which wave and current loadings on anchor, buoy and lines elements that drive the system dynamics. The validity of numerical evaluation was then compared with model experiments carried out in the Towing Tank at Marine Technology Laboratory, UTM. Understanding these differences will help to establish appropriate safety factors when designing large marine offshore farms using the model.