Bollard pull

Bollard pull is a conventional measure of the pulling (or towing) power of a watercraft. It is defined as the force (in tons or kiloNewtons (kN)) exerted by a vessel under full power, on a shore-mounted bollard through a tow-line, commonly measured in a practical test (but sometimes simulated) under test conditions that include calm water, no tide, level trim, and sufficient depth and side clearance for a free propeller stream. Like the horsepower or mileage rating of a car, it is a convenient but idealized number that must be adjusted for operating conditions that differ from the test. The bollard pull of a vessel may be reported as two numbers, the static or maximum bollard pull - the highest force measured - and the steady or continuous bollard pull, the average of measurements over an interval of, for example, 10 minutes. An equivalent measurement on land is known as drawbar pull, or tractive force, which is used to measure the total horizontal force generated by a locomotive, a piece of heavy machinery such as a tractor, or a truck, (specifically a ballast tractor), which is utilized to move a load.

Bollard pull is primarily (but not only) used for measuring the strength of tugboats, with the largest commercial harbour tugboats in the 2000-2010s having around 60-65 tons of bollard pull, which is described as 15 tons above "normal" tugboats.

Unlike in ground vehicles, the statement of installed horsepower is not sufficient to understand how strong a tug is - this is because other factors, like transmission losses, propulsion type, and propulsion system efficiency have an influence as well.

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