Shore-Side Mooring Equipment
Mooring Bollards for Ports, Quays and Jetties
Shore-side cast steel and ductile iron mooring bollards, engineered to your berth loads and delivered with the project documentation your terminal and design team need — designed to BS 6349 and PIANC mooring practice.
A mooring bollard is a fixed cast-metal fitting bolted to a quay, jetty or berth that holds a ship's mooring lines against wind, current and tidal loads. Shore-side bollards are dimensioned by working load and berth geometry under BS 6349 and PIANC — a different product family from shipboard deck fittings.
Definition
What Is a Mooring Bollard?
A mooring bollard is a short, heavy post fixed to the edge of a quay, jetty, wharf or dolphin. Its job is to receive the eyes of a ship's mooring lines and transfer the resulting mooring loads into the berth structure and its foundation. Because those loads act through the line at varying vertical and horizontal angles, a bollard is designed for loading from a range of directions, and it is anchored so the load transfers into the concrete or steel below it without loosening over time.
Shore-side mooring bollards belong to the maritime works / berth mooring system, and are covered by port and harbour engineering codes — principally BS 6349-4:2026 (design of fendering and mooring systems) and PIANC guidance on mooring at quay walls. This product category is distinct from a ship's own deck fittings. Fittings welded to a vessel's deck — welded steel bollards, bitts, chocks and fairleads — are governed by ISO, IMO and classification-society rules for shipboard equipment. The word "marine bollard" is used in the market for both sides, so this page is specifically about shore-side bollards for fixed marine structures.
See our full mooring and towing product range for related berth hardware.
Product Types
Mooring Bollard Types
The right form depends on the mooring pattern, the line angles at the berth, and how many lines a single fitting has to hold.
T-Head (Tee) Bollard
A T- or mushroom-shaped head on a single column. The overhanging head keeps the line from riding up and off. A general-purpose, high-capacity form widely used on quays and jetties.
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Single-Bitt Bollard
One vertical barrel on a base plate; a compact, economical fitting commonly used on lighter berths and canal or inland applications.
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Double-Bitt Bollard
Two barrels on a common base, allowing a line to be turned in a figure-eight. Typically specified for larger vessels and higher mooring loads.
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Pillar Bollard
A tall vertical pillar form, typically selected for higher line lead angles and larger tidal ranges, subject to the berth's mooring analysis.
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Staghorn Bollard
Twin horns projecting from a base, allowing lines to be figured-off. Often used where fast making and casting-off is a priority.
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Mooring Cleat
A horn-type fitting for making off lines on lighter berths, pontoons and small-craft quays where a full bollard is not required.
View product →Kidney Bollard
A kidney/oval-section head that seats multiple lines; the rounded profile is intended to reduce chafe on the rope. Often chosen where several lines share one fitting.
The suitable form and rating for any berth should be confirmed by the mooring analysis and load case, not by profile alone.
Applications
Ports, Quays, Jetties, Berths, Dolphins and Terminals
The same bollard family is specified across most fixed marine structures. Selection is driven by the vessels called, the berth layout and the governing mooring analysis rather than by the structure's name alone.
Commercial ports and container quays
Continuous quay walls with regularly spaced bollards sized to the largest design vessel.
Jetties and piled berths
Bollards mounted on capping beams or dedicated blocks, where line angles and uplift need careful anchoring.
Mooring dolphins
Isolated structures where a single high-capacity bollard (often double-bitt) takes concentrated mooring-line loads. Berthing/breasting reactions are carried by the fenders on breasting dolphins, not by the bollard — the bollard handles the mooring lines.
LNG, oil and bulk terminals
Berths where mooring layout, quick-release hooks and bollards are engineered together to the terminal's mooring analysis.
Canals, locks and inland waterways
Lighter single-bitt bollards spaced along renovated banks and lock walls.
Each application changes the load case, the line angles and the foundation interface — which is why the specification stage matters more than picking a size off a chart.
Specifications
Specifications & Load Ratings (SWL / WLL / MBL)
JettyGuard supplies shore-side mooring bollards across a broad capacity range, engineered to each project's mooring loads rather than to a fixed catalogue. Bollards are specified to the berth's mooring analysis and confirmed against the governing code.
| Parameter | Scope |
|---|---|
| Capacity range | Approximately 1 T to 300 T working load, engineered per project |
| Bollard forms | T-head, kidney, staghorn, pillar, single-bitt, double-bitt |
| Materials | Cast steel (ZG230-450) or ductile iron (QT450-10) — selected per load case and project spec |
| Surface preparation | Abrasive blast to Sa 2½ before coating |
| Coating | High-durability C5-M to ISO 12944; marine-grade multi-coat system, total DFT > 320 µm (system per material) |
| Foundation interface | Cast-in anchor assemblies or anchor bolts into new or existing concrete, per drawing |
| Documentation | Mill certificate, coating DFT records, project-level TPI witness (per contract) |
SWL (Safe Working Load)
The rated load a mooring bollard is designed and supplied to. JettyGuard rates its bollards by SWL, applying a design factor of safety (FOS) of 1.5 against the yield strength of the casting (and 3.0 against tensile strength). This is the primary figure your mooring analysis works to.
WLL (Working Load Limit)
Used interchangeably with SWL in mooring practice for the rated working load. BS 6349-4:2026 expresses the requirement in terms of WLL, stating the bollard's rating should be equal to or greater than the loads calculated from the berth's mooring analysis.
MBL (Minimum Breaking Load)
The load at which failure is expected, defined separately from the working rating. Verification of the working rating is done by load testing to a multiple of the declared rating — a test load, not a higher "safe" rating.
Mooring Loads & Line Angles
Rated to the berth, not to a chart
Bollard capacity must be checked against the actual horizontal and vertical line angles at the berth, including tidal range and the number of lines led to each fitting. We work from your mooring layout, or help develop it, to confirm the form and rating.
Send Your Berth Data
Get the right bollard form and rating for your berth
Share your vessels, mooring loads and berth type — we'll confirm the form, material and SWL.
Materials & Coating
Materials, Coating & Corrosion Protection
Two material routes cover most shore-side bollard requirements, and they are genuinely different — the choice affects mechanical behaviour and the coating system, so we specify them per project rather than treating "cast bollard" as one material.
ZG230-450 (GB)
A cast carbon steel with yield strength ≥ 230 MPa, tensile strength ≥ 450 MPa and elongation ≥ 22%. A robust, ductile choice for general port and jetty bollards. Bollards are rated by SWL with a design factor of safety of 1.5 against yield strength and 3.0 against tensile strength, per the project drawing.
QT450-10 (GB)
A spheroidal-graphite cast iron with yield strength ≥ 310 MPa, tensile strength 450 MPa and elongation ≥ 10%. Selected where its properties and casting characteristics suit the load case and geometry.
Coating and corrosion protection
Bollards are protected for the marine environment to a high-durability C5-M corrosivity category in accordance with ISO 12944. All bollards are abrasive-blasted to Sa 2½ before coating and finished with a marine-grade multi-coat system to a total dry film thickness greater than 320 µm. The coating build is matched to the material: cast steel bollards use a multi-coat marine paint system (default top-coat black), while the ductile iron route uses a zinc-rich epoxy primer, epoxy intermediate coats and a polyurethane top coat. Mounting hardware for cast-in anchor assemblies is supplied hot-dip galvanised. Top-coat colour can be specified to project requirements.
Design Context
BS 6349 & PIANC
Shore-side mooring bollards are engineered within the port and harbour design framework, not shipboard equipment rules.
Maritime works — mooring systems
A British Standard code of practice, widely referenced internationally, covering berth mooring equipment including bollards, quick-release hooks and capstans, and how their working loads and verification loads are defined.
Mooring of large ships at quay walls
PIANC guidance on quay-wall mooring, bollard safe working loads and mooring layout for large vessels.
Bollards & hooks: selection & testing
A PIANC working group addressing bollard selection and testing. It remains an ongoing working group, so we treat it as context rather than a published code, and design to currently published standards.
OCIMF MEG4 is referenced for mooring operations and layout on tanker/gas terminals, but it addresses mooring arrangements and vessel equipment — it does not replace the shore-side product design code or serve as a product certification.
For complete berth hardware, see our foam-filled fenders and pneumatic fenders, mooring lines, quick-release hooks and bollard accessories.
Testing & Certification
Pull Test, MBL/WLL Verification
There are two different things people mean by "bollard pull," and confusing them leads to the wrong specification.
Tug bollard pull is the continuous static towing force a tug can develop, measured in a tug bollard pull test. It is a measure of vessel capability and is not what a shore-side mooring bollard is specified against. It is outside the scope of this product page.
Mooring bollard pull test / bollard pull certificate is the procurement-side verification of a shore-side bollard: confirming that the supplied bollard and its anchoring meet the declared WLL for the berth. BS 6349-4:2026 sets this out explicitly — the WLL of new mooring equipment is verified by load testing to a minimum of 130% of its declared WLL, and verification of the MBL is by pull testing to a minimum of 240% of the declared WLL (or 80% of yield, whichever is higher). The standard calls for the manufacturer to provide an inspection and test plan (ITP) and a bollard pull certificate. This is what a terminal or contractor means when they request a "pull test" or "pull certificate."
For each project JettyGuard can provide:
- Mill certificates for the casting material.
- Coating inspection and DFT records.
- Project-level third-party inspection (TPI) witness coordination for dimensional, load or coating verification, per contract.
These are project-level documents tied to a specific supply, not a generic type approval. We confirm the exact test and documentation scope against your specification before production.
Installation & Delivery
Installation, Inspection & Project Delivery
Installation and foundation interface
Shore-side bollards are anchored into new or existing concrete using cast-in anchor assemblies or anchor bolts, sized so the mooring load transfers into the structure without loosening. Our drawings define the bolt pattern, anchor length and grout/pocket details for the chosen bollard and load case, including designs configured for installation into existing concrete.
Inspection and maintenance
Bollards should be inspected for coating breakdown, corrosion at the base and anchor, and any deformation or movement. Periodic re-coating over the marine paint system and re-torquing of exposed anchor hardware may help preserve serviceability over the design life. Inspection intervals, re-coating and anchor torque requirements should be set by the berth's maintenance manual, the anchor supplier's requirements and engineering assessment.
Project delivery
We supply across the full 1–300 T range in cast steel and ductile iron, with the mill certificates, coating records and TPI coordination a project requires. We manage export logistics, including DDP delivery — sea freight, insurance, port charges and customs clearance — to inland project sites where the client cannot manage import independently.
Representative supply (anonymised): 110 units of 30 T single-bitt cast steel bollards for a European (Greece) canal rehabilitation project, delivered DDP including customs clearance to the inland project site.
Certification note. JettyGuard's manufacturing facility is certified to ISO 9001:2015 (quality management system). Material mill certificates, coating records and third-party inspection reports are issued at project level for the specific supply.
Disambiguation
Shore-Side vs Shipboard Bollards
The term "marine bollard" is used for fittings on both the shore and the ship, so it helps to be precise about which product you need.
Shore-side mooring bollards (this page)
Cast fittings bolted to a quay, jetty, berth or dolphin. They are part of the fixed marine structure and are designed under BS 6349 / PIANC port and harbour practice.
Shipboard bollards
Welded steel fittings on a vessel's own deck, designed and certified under shipboard-equipment standards — for example ISO 13795 for welded steel bollards for sea-going vessels — together with IMO guidance and classification-society requirements. A different product family, with different materials, structural support and certification.
So "marine bollard" is not automatically a shore-side term, and it is not automatically a shipboard term — it depends on where the fitting is installed. This page covers the shore-side product. JettyGuard supplies shore-side bollards; if you are sourcing deck fittings for a vessel, see our marine bollards — that is a separate specification.
Related Products
Other marine equipment for ports and terminals
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a mooring bollard and where is it used?
What is the difference between a single-bitt and a double-bitt bollard?
What material are cast mooring bollards made from?
What is the difference between SWL, WLL and MBL for a mooring bollard?
What is a mooring bollard pull test and pull certificate?
Is a "marine bollard" the same as a shipboard bollard?
What standards apply to shore-side mooring bollards?
Request a Quote
Specify your mooring bollards with an engineered supplier
Send us your berth type, design vessels and mooring loads, and we'll confirm the bollard form, material, working load and documentation for your project — with a quotation and, where needed, DDP delivery.
What to include in your enquiry
Berth type (quay / jetty / dolphin / lock), design vessels and mooring loads, line angles and tidal range, number of lines per bollard, preferred material, anchoring condition, and any class or TPI requirement.
Tell us about your project and we'll respond with the recommended bollard specification and a quotation.
Mooring Bollards
Get a spec and quote for your berth
Send your vessels, loads and berth type — we confirm form, material and SWL.
Request a Quote