Floating Barriers

For security purposes……... apart from being a physical obstruction to vessel entry the barrier provides a demarcation line, which indicates that a vessel has intruded if it is present within the cordoned off area. Any vessel inside the barrier has forced the barrier and clearly not ‘just drifted over a marked float line or through a line of ‘No Boating’ buoys!’ The barrier not only prevents vessels from getting into the wrong zone… it most definitely indicates when a vessel is in a place it should not be.

The vessel ‘Beats Workin’ flipped and landed upside down hooked by the bow & windscreen on a steel post sticking out of the dam wall. A police spokesperson said there was evidence that the men had realised where they were just before hitting the wall and swerved. The survivor landed in the lake whilst the other two men fell about 20m into the water on the downstream side of the weir. Jan 2006 Gayndah, QLD.

Signs can be incorporated into the barrier or buoys may be anchored separately to inform and warn vessel operators.

Barriers are supplied with reflectors on the tube section and buoys can be fitted with flashing lights.

Design of the barrier will be guided by

• Common size of vessel using waterway
• Speed of vessels - houseboat / waterskiing
• Visible demarcation line or physical barrier
• The need for service vessel entry
• Permanent or temporary use and storage
• Position of barrier with regard to safety margins
• Keeping control of barrier in flood situations
• Litigation risk
• Flow rate/Turbulence