Mooring and unmooring of vessels

The service that gives the company its name

Amarradores del Puerto y Ría de Ferrol was founded in 1994 to provide the mooring and unmooring service in the Port of Ferrol. Since then our crews have received and dispatched merchant, naval, passenger and service vessels at the inner berths and at the outer port of Caneliñas, coordinating every manoeuvre with the pilot, the tugs and the terminal.

Mooring is a safety operation: a badly handled line or a poorly coordinated manoeuvre puts the vessel, the berth and people at risk. That is why we work with regular crews who know every berth, its bollards and the wind and current conditions of the ría.

What is included

• Mooring on arrival: receiving the lines from the vessel, placing them on bollards according to the mooring plan and communicating with the bridge and the pilot throughout the manoeuvre.
• Unmooring on departure: letting go in the order requested by the master, with control of the breast lines and springs until the vessel is clear.
• Shifting along the berth or between berths.
• Boat support: our launches run lines to buoys and dolphins, assist with mooring to pontoons and cover points that cannot be reached from the quay.
• Large and special vessels: gas carriers, bulk carriers, naval vessels, platforms and offshore wind units.

Where we operate

• Inner Port of Ferrol: commercial berths, Curuxeiras, Fernández Ladreda and the shipyard area.
• Outer Port of Ferrol (Caneliñas).
• Ría of Ferrol: shipyards in Fene and Ferrol, industrial terminals and anchorages.
• Other Galician ports on request.

How to book

The mooring service is usually requested through the ship’s agent, with the notice required by the Port Authority. We also take direct requests from shipowners, shipyards and terminals for one-off operations or seasonal contracts. For each manoeuvre we need: vessel name, length and draught, planned berth, ETA or ETD and any special condition (dangerous cargo, tug assistance, buoy mooring).

Resources and crews

• Mooring crews trained in port safety and line handling.
• Support boats from our own fleet, such as the launches Amarradores Diez, Once and Noventa.
• Vehicles to move the crew between berths and ports.
• Radio contact with the pilot, the tugs and the terminal.

FAQ

Do you work at night and at weekends? Yes. The mooring service is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

Can you moor to buoys or dolphins? Yes. We have boats to run lines to mooring buoys and to structures without access from the shore.

Do you work in other ports? Our base is the Port of Ferrol, but we send crews to other Galician ports for specific operations. Ask us.