The Famous PEKING, a New Flagship Museum Vessel in Hamburg, Protected By Shibatafenderteam Donut Fenders
The PEKING, a four-masted sailing barque named after the capital of China, was constructed in Hamburg more than a century ago and used as a museum vessel in Manhattan, New York for the past decades. Then, the vessel was brought back from New York to its homeport Hamburg, where it was restored to its original 1927 condition. The Peking’s home will be the new German Port Museum, currently being built in the port of Hamburg.
Our team at SFT’s German office, worked closely with the contractor Aug. Prien to deliver a customized solution to safely accommodate the PEKING: 2 Donut Fenders measuring 3,500mm in diameter x 5,500mm lengths with a mooring crown, to which the PEKING will be permanently and tide-independently moored.
With tidal ranges of around 4m on average, Donut Fenders in combination with a mooring crown were the best solution for permanent mooring of this historic landmark. The fenders float with the tide and rotate around the pile, protecting the vessel at its permanent berth, even in cases of high wind loads. In addition, the fenders foam core and polyurethan-skin keeps the vessel hull protected and free of marks.
The engineering and the manufacturing of the product was a challenge as the final design had to match the desired fender draft in combination with the required overall height of the Donut Fenders and the mooring crown. To provide sufficient freeboard, the draft had to be exactly engineered. An excellent cooperation between the SFT engineers and the production team at our manufacturing facility in Germany, allowed us to deliver this customized solution and establish another example of the SFT holistic approach that considers all aspects: the project conditions, the fender components and the manufacturing process.
As a German company based in Hamburg, we are particularly proud of this project and thank Aug. Prien and the final client – Stiftung Historische Museen Hamburg – for their trust, and invite all Hamburg citizens and tourists to come and see this floating jewel.
