Bollard Pull calculation is one of the most frequent calculations performed in marine towing

operations. Towing operations involve the pulling of a vessel (it can be a barge, ship or an
offshore structure) using another vessel (usually a tug).
From a very basic point of view, we can draw the following conclusions regarding towing
 A bigger vessel will require higher force for towing.
 The harsher the environment, the more will be the towing force required
 The efficiency of the tug deployed for towing will also affect the towing operation

When selecting and deploying tugs for towing operations, we would like to know a few
things before we make a final decision:

 How big a tug should I select for safely towing the vessel?
 How much maximum speed will I be able to make with the tug(s) I selected?

Fig: Bollard Pull Of a Tug

The capacity of tugs is measured by their rated Bollard Pull. The Bollard Pull of a tug is the
force it exerts at zero forward speed, in calm water conditions, with the engine working at
its full power (100% MCR). Continuous Bollard Pull (CBP) is measured by a test as the
average bollard pull measured at a length of time (say 10 minutes), while Maximum Bollard
Pull is the highest bollard pull measured during the test.
The tug has an efficiency of its own when towing the vessel in sea. It depends on the
environment of the tow, and on size of the vessel towed. If the bollard pull of a tug is
denoted by BP, and its towing efficiency is denoted by ƞ, then the total available pulling
force from the tug will be,

Available pulling force of the tug = Bollard Pull of the tug x Towing efficiency
Available Pulling force of the tug = BP x ƞ
Required Towing Force
Basically, the vessel being towed will experience environmental forces of wind, wave and
current in the sea. Together, these forces constitute the ‘Towing force’. Let’s denote it
by FTOT

For the tug to be able to pull the vessel, the available pulling force of the Tug must be
greater than the total force on the vessel.
 BP x ƞ > FTOT
 BP > FTOT/ ƞ
Thus the Bollard Pull of the tug should be more than FTOT/ ƞ. This is called the Required
Bollard Pull, and this is what we seek to calculate. Next we will see how the towing force can
be calculated.

Environmental forces
The required Towing force is defined as the force which is required to HOLD the vessel in
sea under certain environmental conditions of wind, wave and current.

Fig: Component of Towing Force

Total Towing Force, FTOT = Wind Force + Wave force + Current force
Please note that the towing force is the required force for HOLDING the vessel (also called
STALL condition), and not for towing it.

When towed in the sea, a vessel will experience forces of wind, wave and current. To
HOLD the vessel in the given environment, we need to overcome these forces.
 Wind force acts on the part of the vessel above waterline and exposed to wind
 Current force acts on the underwater portion of the vessel
 Wave forces – the waves coming on to the vessel add to the resistance force on the
vessel.
Wind forces depend on the wind speed, current forces depend on the current speed and
Wave forces depend on the (significant) height of waves.
Industry standards like DNVGL Guidelines for Marine Transportation (earlier ND-0030, now
superseded by DNVGL-ST-N001) prescribe the standard wind, wave and current parameters
to be used for bollard pull calculations, depending on condition under which the towing is
being performed.