Hiratsuka, Japan—The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., announces the addition of two products to its lineup of solid fenders for installation at harbor mooring facilities. The new additions are cell-type and cone-type solid fenders that the company introduces to the market this April. These new high-performance solid fenders supplement Yokohama Rubber’s basic model V-type fender, which was launched in July 2023, giving the company a solid fender lineup that meets the diverse needs of a wide-variety of users. Together with its current top-end ABF-P pneumatic fenders, the new additions complement the existing product lineup of giving Yokohama Rubber a more comprehensive fender product portfolio that will enable the company to expand its share of the overall onshore fender market.

Fenders are cushioning materials used to protect a vessel’s hull from impact with the quay during harbor moorings and during ship-to-ship operations at sea. Pneumatic fenders use the elasticity of encapsulated air to absorb shock, whereas solid fenders use rubber’s elasticity to absorb shock. Yokohama Rubber’s new mid-market cell-type fender has a cylindrical shape that makes the fender highly durable, while the new high-end cone-type fender’s truncated conical shape achieves a higher level of energy absorption upon impact. Both of the new solid fenders are equipped with a buffer plate that absorbs the impact from the vessel’s hull and can be used on quays accepting a wide range of vessels, from small ships to large passenger ships, cargo ships, and tankers. Both new solid fenders have been certified by the Specialists Center of Port and Airport Engineering (SCOPE).

Since its development in 1958 of the world’s first pneumatic fenders for use in the offshore berthing of two vessels, Yokohama Rubber has focused on pneumatic fenders used in harsh offshore environments that demand the highest specifications and performance. In 2023, Yokohama Rubber leveraged its brand strength and technologies accumulated from its experience with pneumatic fenders to enter the solid fender market, the core fender market. The introduction of two new solid fenders makes Yokohama Rubber a comprehensive maker of fenders and further strengthens the company’s revenue base.

Yokohama Rubber is currently implementing its Yokohama Transformation 2026 (YX2026), the new medium-term management plan for fiscal years 2024–2026. The plan includes a strategy for MB Segment growth driven by concentrating the segment’s resources in its two strongest business domains—hose & couplings and industrial products. As part of this plan, Yokohama Rubber aims to achieve steady growth in profits from industrial products by further strengthening the product lineup and maintaining high market shares for fenders and other marine products.