The calculation method of PIANC standards for vessel effective impact energy is described in detail and compared with the Chinese standard.The comparison results reveal that PIANC is a higher standard comparing with the Chinese for effective impact energy calculation,which considers influential factors including the softness factor,berth cushion factor,eccentric coefficients,as well as the added mass factor.Compared with Chinese standards,the key difference depends on the added mass coefficient Cm.The ratio of results based on the two methods is close to Cm.Meanwhile,PIANC requires that the abnormal berthing condition shall be considered and its impact factor is 1.1 to 2.0.In addition,there are some differences between PIANC recommended values for berthing velocity and that of Chinese standards.