WINDLASS JIP – analysing the impact of wind in the port environment


In the port environment wind is variable in space and time, whereas engineering methods often rely on uniform wind and standard spectrum to describe the speed variation in time. The Wind Loads and Securing Ships (WINDLASS) Joint Industry Project captures the full picture and provides an operations support tool.


H


igh windage ships navigating in confined waters and moored at terminals are challenged by strong


winds. Recent incidents with container vessels and cruise ships in ports, illustrate the growing challenges for such high windage vessels to manoeuvre and moor safely in strong winds. The size of these vessels has increased dramatically over the last decade whereas the waterways, locks and docks remain the same. With a height of more than 50 m such vessels experience wind speeds at higher altitudes in the boundary layer. Buildings, container stacks and other vessels add to the complex 3D character of the wind in ports. Ship operators and pilots often only have the general weather forecast but are lacking local and precise data.


Henk van den Boom, h.v.d.boom@marin.nl


18 report


At the same time, in engineering studies and for manoeuvring simulator training


often a constant wind direction and speed is used in the horizontal plane with a simple wind speed profile in the vertical direction. In dynamic mooring analysis an arbitrary, simplified wind spectrum is selected to describe the time variation of the wind speed.


Measurement campaign in major ports The WINDLASS JIP aims to understand and predict wind loads on high windage vessels in the port environment. An extensive measurement campaign is being conducted at eight locations in major ports such as Rotterdam, Hamburg and Antwerp. The measurements include 3D wind over a large area (up to 6 km) and are performed by deploying a Lidar wind scanner (see page 10). The vessel’s track and drift angle during manoeuvring and the motions while berthed are recorded by stereo cameras, as well as by Lidar systems.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28