Design methods for marine structures have evolved into load and resistance factor design, however existing partial safety factors related to berthing velocity and loads have not been verified and validated by measurement campaigns. In this study, field observations of modern seagoing vessels berthing in Bremerhaven, Rotterdam and Wilhelmshaven were used to evaluate partial safety factors for berthing energy and berthing impact loads. Various types of vessels and navigation conditions were statistically examined. The results show that characteristic values of berthing velocity with a return period of 50 years are in line with design recommendations in literature. Design values of berthing velocity are sensitive to the number of berthing operations during the lifetime of a marine structure. Typical partial safety factors for sheltered and exposed navigation conditions were derived by extrapolating distribution fits and applying extreme value theory. Differences in structural response due to soil stiffness and the type of berthing system installed influence partial safety factors for berthing impact loads. The probability of an uncontrolled berthing event was higher for exposed navigation conditions (strong tidal currents). In these circumstances, higher partial safety factors for berthing velocity should be considered in the design of marine structures. When berthing aid systems are used, the probability of extreme berthing velocities is lower, resulting in lower partial safety factors. The key findings of this study could be beneficial for the structural design of new and lifetime extension of existing marine structures. The results from this paper are included in the international draft directive“Berthing velocities and fender design” van PIANC WG145

Full probabilistic assessment of the structural reliability of reinforced concrete structures holds the key to proper calibration of the existing safety formats. The scope of the present work is to compare different level II reliability methods that take into account variability and perform accurately in the left side tail of the probability density function of the resistance, in the framework of nonlinear finite element analysis. Alongside, the effectiveness and accuracy of these probabilistic methods are investigated and, through a comparative study, the most reliable method is determined. As a numerical example, structural reliability of a reinforced concrete beam is assessed through Probabilistic Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis (PNLFEA). The methods investigated in the paper are: Directional Adaptive Response Surface, Directional Simulation, Response Surface combined with Crude Monte Carlo Simulation and First Order Reliability Method. The software facilitated for the implementation of the aforementioned methods is the probabilistic module of DIANA finite element software and Matlab.