SWEDEN 17
in Gothenburg with affiliates in more than 20 countries, making up a world-wide network of representatives, some of which also manufacture under license. The company and its affiliates have now completed over 500 installations at marinas since 1983. The company is familiar with
and has completed projects in climatic conditions ranging from North of the Arctic Circle to the Tropics. Its premier products are the full concrete floating pontoons in various sizes, which can be matched with different types of finger piers for many applications. In the vast majority of cases (over 90%), the pontoons are moored by chains and anchors, which are designed specifically for the site conditions. Its chain mooring systems are being successfully used in daily tidal ranges of 20 ft with higher annual levels and during storm conditions.
Both leisure harbours (top) and facilities for commercial vessels (above), such as the heavy duty concrete pontoons to accommodate Svitzer tug boats installed in Brofjorden, Sweden, can be supplied by SF Marina System. The quay is 46 metres long, 10 metres wide and has a freeboard of 1.5 metres. The dock can support trucks up to 26 tons and has integrated sewage tanks.
Another Swedish company
with an international reputation is Seaflex AB, which produces mooring systems for marinas and breakwaters. Like most inventions, the Seaflex mooring system came about by chance. In the 1960s, Bertil Brandt, a Swedish innovator active within the mining industry, invented a highly durable compound rubber. In 1968, Brandt visited a fishing harbour in Cannes where he witnessed
the chaos that occurred when fishing boats berthed. This inspired the idea for a simple and secure rubber mooring arrangement with specially manufactured rubber straps. Realising the potential of his
invention, Brandt continued to develop a secure anchoring system on his return to Sweden. Bertil´s son Lars, now continues the family business in Umeå as the President of Seaflex.
The first pontoon was moored
with Seaflex in 1975. Today, there are several thousand Seaflex systems in use around the world. Over an eight-year period, Seaflex increased its sales by an average of 30% per year and doubled its staff. In recent years, the traditional markets in Europe and the United States have been joined by new and expanding markets in the Middle East and Asia and 90% of all sales are exports.
JUNE 2016 • MARINA EURO-REPORT
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