Floating Barriers
PSB 600 Port Security Barrier System
The PSB 600™ is the current standard anti-terrorist port security barrier system for commercial installation. It employs a continuous net capture system supported on a floating pontoon structure.
Full-scale testing by the US Navy found that this barrier system provides true physical protection against 98% of vessels classified by the US Coast Guard as small craft (65 ft/19.8 m).
The PSB 600 maritime security system is designed to stop:
- Fast Inshore Attack Crafts (FIAC)
- Boat-Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (BBIED)
- Multiple boat and swarm attacks
- Intruders at full power before, during, and after impact
- Slow speed, heavy tonnage vessels
- High speed, lower tonnage vessels
PSB 600 barrier system – Energy Absorption and Stopping Power
- Ultimate stopping energy 5.90M ft lbf/7.99 MJ
- Working stopping energy 2.49 ft lbf/3.37 MJ
Constructed System
- PSB 600 unit length is generally 50 ft (15.24 m), and 40 ft (12.2 m) is available.
- Pontoons are High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) that is corrosion free and resistant to UV exposure for 50+ years.
- Pontoons are usually 1.25 in (3.75 cm) thick and 30 in (76.2 cm) in diameter subject to conditions, customer requirements or other factors.
- Pontoons can be supplied in either parallel or perpendicular design.
- Netting is attached to a galvanized steel beam that runs from pontoon to pontoon.
- Netting is constructed of either nylon or metal mesh (steel or stainless steel) and generally rises 8 ft (2.44 m) above the water line.
- Anchors vary by type and size depending on engineering requirements.
- Shore terminations are designed and installed to resist loads induced by high current flow rates.
- Shore connections and subsurface anchors are designed to accommodate large fluctuations of water levels at dams and ocean tide cycles, high currents, and up to 30 ft (9.14 m) tidal ranges.
- Connection units and latches are of proprietary design by Harbor Offshore Barriers to handle continuous motion and heavy loads.
- Under an 85-knot wind and 4-knot current broadside conditions, the system can withstand 911.2 lbf (4,053.21 N).
- Total unit weight is 4,000 lbs (1.81 tons).
- Parts and connections are interchangeable.
- Gate systems built to client needs.
Performance
- Durability – HDPE pontoon’s thickness and diameter produce structural strength sufficient to withstand the weight of the heavy steel beam and netting so that the entire system can stop high-energy vessels.
- Low maintenance – using composite materials, a simple system structure, and as few parts as possible supports easy and low-cost inspection and maintenance.
- Low operational cost – making the system light and keeping the wind, current, and wave loading on the system as low as practical gives operators the ability to easily open/close gates.
Expertise and Service
- Expert installation – teams include divers and marine constructors with over 30 years experience working with each other.
- Anchor placement and mooring arrangements – placing anchors on the seabed requires skills that few teams can offer.
- Fosters local partnerships – local sub-contractors join the team when qualified, gaining work skills and technology training.
- Life-cycle value – team experts provide life-cycle cost estimates to be used in formulating investment and insurance calculations and in selecting the system that meets the customer’s needs.