Driving Fender Performance: A conversation with Scott Jago from STS Marine Solutions
Date: 10.09.25
Scott Jago, Technical Solutions Manager at STS Marine Solutions (STSMS)
Scott Jago has experienced the shipping world in full, starting his career at sea with BP Shipping in 1997 before moving ashore to play a pivotal role in ship-to-ship transfer solutions. Now Technical Solutions Manager at STS Marine Solutions (STSMS), Scott brings over two decades of marine engineering experience into shaping smarter, safer, and more efficient STS operations. In this conversation, he shares how STSMS leverages its 45+ years of expertise, the evolving partnership with Trelleborg, and where he sees the future of fender innovation heading.
1. Could you briefly describe your role and journey with STS Marine Solutions?
My current role at STS Marine Solutions is Technical Solutions Manager. My career has always been marine based, starting as an engineer cadet with BP Shipping in 1997. I spent the next 20 years at sea with BP Shipping, progressing through the engineering ranks before transitioning ashore in 2017.
Moving to TK Marine Solutions - later STS Marine Solutions - came at the perfect time. I started as Project Engineer in the LNG Ship-to-Ship division, involved in numerous STS projects, technical management of LNG equipment, and technical support for our O&M contract with Aqaba LNG Import Terminal in Jordan.
In 2020, Hilli Ventures purchased the company, renaming it STS Marine Solutions. My role evolved to Technical Solutions Manager with broader responsibilities covering both LNG and oil operations, overseeing technical management of our STS assets.
2. How has STS Marine Solutions' 45+ years of operational experience informed your recommendations regarding pneumatic fender selection, deployment, and maintenance?
Having conducted STS operations since the early 1980s, we’ve developed more than theoretical knowledge – we’ve built instinctive, evidence-based understanding of fender performance. Specs on paper are one thing, but what truly matters is how fenders behave in the field, over time, under pressure.
Material Longevity, for example, becomes obvious after seeing how different rubber compounds hold up to UV, ozone, and saltwater. We’ve learned to recognize signs of durability you can’t glean from datasheets such as resistance to cracking, hardening, or blistering – how resilient rubber feels and looks after years, not months.
Similarly, construction integrity shows itself through seam performance, valve reliability, and internal ply behaviour. We know which visual cues suggest potential failures and which design features reliably hold up across operating environments.
Long-term use also reveals wear patterns that guide selection based on hull types and operational intensity. You see where abrasion happens, where pinching occurs, and which designs manage stress better.
And in extreme conditions – sudden impact, prolonged compression, or high-energy berthing loads – some fenders maintain integrity and perform predictably, while others fail, tear, or exhibit instability. That level of insight only comes from repeated exposure across a variety of operational contexts.
Finally, we’ve learned which suppliers stand behind their products. Supplier reliability is about more than product – it’s about technical support, warranty responsiveness, reliable after-sales service, and honest engineering.
This accumulated insight has led us to consistently select Trelleborg as our trusted fender supplier.
3. What are the most challenging aspects of STS operations from your perspective?
With several hundred assets split across 24 bases worldwide, the logistics of maintaining and inspecting all equipment is a major challenge. Equipment must be in suitable condition for immediate deployment, requiring significant care and attention.
The more "maintenance-free" equipment becomes, the greater impact on overall workload. We continuously work on fine-tuning quality standards and maintenance procedures to maximize equipment lifespans between major interventions. Fender chain quality exemplifies this - poor quality chains stretch easily, wear quickly, and corrode sooner, leading to early maintenance requirements. Good quality chains, controlled through careful quality specifications including strength testing, material choice, and galvanization depth, last substantially longer and reduce technician workload while preventing unexpected revenue losses.
4. In your opinion, what critical requirements should fender manufacturers meet that are currently being overlooked?
A critical gap is in safety valve capacity requirements. While EN17357 requires safety valves on large pneumatic fenders, it doesn’t define capacity. As a result, we’ve seen some manufacturers install valves that are far too small to relieve pressure during heavy impact events.
In my mind, this is a substantial oversight, and the standard should be updated with the minimum safety valve capacity required for each fender size.
Fortunately, we have no such issue with Trelleborg fenders. The safety valve is suitably sized, where Trelleborg has calculated the valve's capacity against the rate of rising pressure of a fender under specified berthing energy loads.
5. How has the STS Marine Solutions-Trelleborg partnership evolved over the years?
Our partnership has grown through excellent communication. Trelleborg listens, and that makes all the difference.
We’ve had many conversations where a passing comment led to genuine innovation. Based on our experience, we suggest many possibilities of reducing fender maintenance. Not long after, Trelleborg
responds with the solution. It's this kind of responsiveness from a manufacturer that gives us a great deal of confidence in Trelleborg’s products and people.
The relationship is built on open communication and a shared commitment to quality. When we raise concerns, ideas, or technical suggestions, Trelleborg takes them seriously and always responds in a positive way. That partnership mindset enhances our ability to serve customers more effectively.
We are looking forward to innovative solutions Trelleborg is set to offer in the upcoming years.
6. What distinguishes Trelleborg fenders in STS operations? How do you compare their durability versus market alternatives?
Trelleborg fenders' durability is among the best we've found, making them our chosen pneumatic fender provider.
We operate 15-year-old fenders across all environment ranges, and with proper maintenance and storage, we experience no durability issues. Few market fenders offer this durability, which we attribute to rubber quality and manufacturing techniques.
Staff visits to the Qingdao manufacturing facility impressed us with the carefully controlled manufacturing process.
7. What makes the STS-Trelleborg combination particularly valuable for customers?
Together, we offer unmatched service combining Trelleborg's highest quality fender supply with STS's ongoing aftersales maintenance support. Partnering with Trelleborg, a global marine fender manufacturing leader, enables us to deliver unparalleled inspection and maintenance programs maximizing fender performance, longevity, and cost-efficiency.
Trelleborg's expertise in fender design, material science, and OEM specifications provides our technicians with precise technical data, wear thresholds, and failure modes unique to each model. This collaboration enables tailored inspections meeting Trelleborg's exacting standards using diagnostic tools and certified parts. Real-time access to engineering insights allows accurate maintenance prediction, factory-approved defect solutions, and optimized scheduling aligned with fender lifecycles.
This synergy enhances operational safety, ensures warranty compliance, minimizes downtime through faster targeted repairs, and creates sustainable, data-driven asset management reducing long-term costs and environmental impact.
8. How are STS Marine Solutions and Trelleborg collaborating on future innovations?
Interesting times lie ahead. We hope to establish more centralized European fender stock improving lead times and availability, with dedicated service departments for local client support. Together, we're working on emerging markets and targeted marketing campaigns bringing our services to industry forefront. We hope STS can introduce innovative full-fender lifecycle services where clients can enlist cradle-to-grave services considering environmental impact more closely, ensuring companies' environmental KPIs aren't impacted by landfill disposal of end-of-life fenders and components.
1. Could you briefly describe your role and journey with STS Marine Solutions?
My current role at STS Marine Solutions is Technical Solutions Manager. My career has always been marine based, starting as an engineer cadet with BP Shipping in 1997. I spent the next 20 years at sea with BP Shipping, progressing through the engineering ranks before transitioning ashore in 2017.
Moving to TK Marine Solutions - later STS Marine Solutions - came at the perfect time. I started as Project Engineer in the LNG Ship-to-Ship division, involved in numerous STS projects, technical management of LNG equipment, and technical support for our O&M contract with Aqaba LNG Import Terminal in Jordan.
In 2020, Hilli Ventures purchased the company, renaming it STS Marine Solutions. My role evolved to Technical Solutions Manager with broader responsibilities covering both LNG and oil operations, overseeing technical management of our STS assets.
2. How has STS Marine Solutions' 45+ years of operational experience informed your recommendations regarding pneumatic fender selection, deployment, and maintenance?
Having conducted STS operations since the early 1980s, we’ve developed more than theoretical knowledge – we’ve built instinctive, evidence-based understanding of fender performance. Specs on paper are one thing, but what truly matters is how fenders behave in the field, over time, under pressure.
Material Longevity, for example, becomes obvious after seeing how different rubber compounds hold up to UV, ozone, and saltwater. We’ve learned to recognize signs of durability you can’t glean from datasheets such as resistance to cracking, hardening, or blistering – how resilient rubber feels and looks after years, not months.
Similarly, construction integrity shows itself through seam performance, valve reliability, and internal ply behaviour. We know which visual cues suggest potential failures and which design features reliably hold up across operating environments.
Long-term use also reveals wear patterns that guide selection based on hull types and operational intensity. You see where abrasion happens, where pinching occurs, and which designs manage stress better.
And in extreme conditions – sudden impact, prolonged compression, or high-energy berthing loads – some fenders maintain integrity and perform predictably, while others fail, tear, or exhibit instability. That level of insight only comes from repeated exposure across a variety of operational contexts.
Finally, we’ve learned which suppliers stand behind their products. Supplier reliability is about more than product – it’s about technical support, warranty responsiveness, reliable after-sales service, and honest engineering.
This accumulated insight has led us to consistently select Trelleborg as our trusted fender supplier.
3. What are the most challenging aspects of STS operations from your perspective?
With several hundred assets split across 24 bases worldwide, the logistics of maintaining and inspecting all equipment is a major challenge. Equipment must be in suitable condition for immediate deployment, requiring significant care and attention.
The more "maintenance-free" equipment becomes, the greater impact on overall workload. We continuously work on fine-tuning quality standards and maintenance procedures to maximize equipment lifespans between major interventions. Fender chain quality exemplifies this - poor quality chains stretch easily, wear quickly, and corrode sooner, leading to early maintenance requirements. Good quality chains, controlled through careful quality specifications including strength testing, material choice, and galvanization depth, last substantially longer and reduce technician workload while preventing unexpected revenue losses.
4. In your opinion, what critical requirements should fender manufacturers meet that are currently being overlooked?
A critical gap is in safety valve capacity requirements. While EN17357 requires safety valves on large pneumatic fenders, it doesn’t define capacity. As a result, we’ve seen some manufacturers install valves that are far too small to relieve pressure during heavy impact events.
In my mind, this is a substantial oversight, and the standard should be updated with the minimum safety valve capacity required for each fender size.
Fortunately, we have no such issue with Trelleborg fenders. The safety valve is suitably sized, where Trelleborg has calculated the valve's capacity against the rate of rising pressure of a fender under specified berthing energy loads.
5. How has the STS Marine Solutions-Trelleborg partnership evolved over the years?
Our partnership has grown through excellent communication. Trelleborg listens, and that makes all the difference.
We’ve had many conversations where a passing comment led to genuine innovation. Based on our experience, we suggest many possibilities of reducing fender maintenance. Not long after, Trelleborg
responds with the solution. It's this kind of responsiveness from a manufacturer that gives us a great deal of confidence in Trelleborg’s products and people.
The relationship is built on open communication and a shared commitment to quality. When we raise concerns, ideas, or technical suggestions, Trelleborg takes them seriously and always responds in a positive way. That partnership mindset enhances our ability to serve customers more effectively.
We are looking forward to innovative solutions Trelleborg is set to offer in the upcoming years.
6. What distinguishes Trelleborg fenders in STS operations? How do you compare their durability versus market alternatives?
Trelleborg fenders' durability is among the best we've found, making them our chosen pneumatic fender provider.
We operate 15-year-old fenders across all environment ranges, and with proper maintenance and storage, we experience no durability issues. Few market fenders offer this durability, which we attribute to rubber quality and manufacturing techniques.
Staff visits to the Qingdao manufacturing facility impressed us with the carefully controlled manufacturing process.
7. What makes the STS-Trelleborg combination particularly valuable for customers?
Together, we offer unmatched service combining Trelleborg's highest quality fender supply with STS's ongoing aftersales maintenance support. Partnering with Trelleborg, a global marine fender manufacturing leader, enables us to deliver unparalleled inspection and maintenance programs maximizing fender performance, longevity, and cost-efficiency.
Trelleborg's expertise in fender design, material science, and OEM specifications provides our technicians with precise technical data, wear thresholds, and failure modes unique to each model. This collaboration enables tailored inspections meeting Trelleborg's exacting standards using diagnostic tools and certified parts. Real-time access to engineering insights allows accurate maintenance prediction, factory-approved defect solutions, and optimized scheduling aligned with fender lifecycles.
This synergy enhances operational safety, ensures warranty compliance, minimizes downtime through faster targeted repairs, and creates sustainable, data-driven asset management reducing long-term costs and environmental impact.
8. How are STS Marine Solutions and Trelleborg collaborating on future innovations?
Interesting times lie ahead. We hope to establish more centralized European fender stock improving lead times and availability, with dedicated service departments for local client support. Together, we're working on emerging markets and targeted marketing campaigns bringing our services to industry forefront. We hope STS can introduce innovative full-fender lifecycle services where clients can enlist cradle-to-grave services considering environmental impact more closely, ensuring companies' environmental KPIs aren't impacted by landfill disposal of end-of-life fenders and components.