Controlling the yawing of an Aframax tanker during a lightering manoeuvre

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Estuary traffic: an alternative hinterland connection for coastal ports

In 2007, the Belgian Federal Authorities issued a Royal Decree concerning "inland vessels that can also be utilised for non-international sea voyages", allowing inland vessels to operate in coastal areas between the Belgian coastal harbours and the Belgian inland waterway network via the Western Scheldt, provided that – among other requirements – a risk analysis demonstrates that the probability of adverse events such as bottom slamming, overtaking of water on deck and ingress of water in open cargo holds is limited to an acceptable level. Several tankers and container vessels are nowadays operating in significant wave heights up to 1.90 m. The present paper intends to provide background into the present regulations, to describe the methodology used for performing risk analyses, and give an overview of the present and future research at Flanders Hydraulics Research and Ghent University on estuary container vessels

Longitudinally directed bank effects

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Synergy between theory and practice for ultra large container ships

In 2003 an accessibility study based on real-time simulations for the S-class container ships of Maersk Sealand was performed at Flanders Hydraulics Research in cooperation with all involved parties (public and port authorities, pilots, tug and shipping company). The regulation for the upstream and downstream navigation on the Western Scheldt did not accept the arrival of a ship with length over all greater than 340 m. The paper describes two main research studies executed to fill in the gap of knowledge about the manoeuvring behaviour of container ships in shallow and confined water: the accessibility of Ultra Large Container Ships with a maximum capacity of 14,000 TEU to the Western Scheldt and the accessibility of the Berendrecht Lock and Delwaide Dock located on the right bank of the port of Antwerp. An integrated simulation platform with mathematical models describing hydrodynamic (manoeuvrability, ship-bank and ship-ship interaction) and external (wind, current, tug assistance) forces and coupled ship manoeuvring simulators helped in evaluating the possibilities and limitations of head-on encounters, lock and turning manoeuvres. The combination of research and training has finally led to the arrival of the MSC Beatrice in April 2009. After a validation period of more than half a year, characterised by a constant adaptation of negotiated restrictions, a new regulation for the upstream and downstream navigation is being prepared