operations can be determined using CFD and Dynamic Mooring Analysis (DMA). CFD calculates the hydrodynamic interaction forces on the ships and DMA is used to compute the response of the moored ship. Thus including hydrodynamic interaction in both manoeuvring simulations and DMA strategies for optimal use of the existing infrastructure could be developed.


The trend to increase the size of ships means that hydrodynamic interaction is relevant in more and more situations, but all the tools are available to include this aspect when designing infrastructure or developing operational procedures.


Johan Dekker | j.dekker@marin.nl Clear hydrodynamic interaction: a ship entering the lock in IJmuiden. Photo by Arjan van den Berg on Unsplash.


construction vessels are also interesting. The operational profile of these kinds of vessels is very different compared to other vessels which makes optimising the hydrodynamic design sometimes challenging.”


Ever-growing vessels One of the most important developments in the infrastructure market that MARIN helps its clients to address is the ever-growing size of vessels. “In container shipping especially, the size of the ships has increased considerably over the last decade. The ultra large container carriers are mainly used on the routes between East Asia and Europe, but the effect is that the slightly smaller vessels are transferred to other routes. This requires port infrastructure that is adequate to receive these larger vessels. Sometimes it is possible to receive the larger vessels within the existing infrastructure, but this may only be feasible in milder conditions.”


Though an official report is not yet available, it seems that the recent incident in the Suez Canal is an interesting example of this problem of increasing ship sizes, Johan says. “I understand it happened in strong winds and though the Canal has been widened several times, it may not be adequate for the largest vessels in all conditions anymore.”


Other interesting developments are autonomous ships and alternative fuels.


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The first is still in its early stages and it is unclear what impact this may have on port operations, but some tests have already been carried out involving controlling a tug from a desk in an office, he explains. The latter may require other bunkering infrastructure. “LNG is the forerunner in this respect: LNG bunkering vessels are being developed which require new berths for loading. There are inspiring examples of ships for wind- assisted propulsion, but when entering ports, such vessels may require more space because of the larger wind forces.”


Looking over the horizon When considering what the main challenges are for the infrastructure sector, Johan laughs, adding that one of the challenges is the horizon! “When you build new infrastructure, it will be there for decades. This means that it still needs to function properly 25 – 50 years after it has been built. Therefore in the design stage you sometimes need to look over the horizon and make an educated guess of what ships may be using the port or waterway for decades later on.”


For the design of the Maasvlakte 2 port extension project in Rotterdam, MARIN did the first simulations in 2000 with container vessels of 387x57 m, with the largest vessels at that time about 346x43 m. “However, when the first container terminals were opened, the largest vessels were already around 400x60 m. The difference is not that large, but if the increase in size continues in the next 30 years, new port basins may be required


“ In the design stage you sometimes need to look over the horizon and make an educated guess of what ships may be using the port or waterway for decades later on.”


unless these larger vessels are handled at fixed or floating infrastructure in the coastal area.”


Cooperation within the sector is also important for developing new technology, he says. In the Infrastructure market, examples include the ROPES and Windlass JIPs (www.marin.nl/jips). In the ROPES JIP, the forces and motions of moored ships were measured when ships were passing to improve and validate numerical tools that are used for the design of moorings. Windlass aims to better understand the 3D wind field in ports and waterways and to develop a practical tool to predict the wind loads on ships, taking into account the effects of buildings, cranes, container stacks and other obstacles. MARIN cooperates with port authorities, consulting engineers and other research institutes to improve the tools that are used in the design of port infrastructure in these JIPs.


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