As one of the most important freight transportation modes, maritime transport has been the backbone of international trade and global economy. From the cargo flow point of view, seaports and inland shipping link the individual countries and the global waterborne transportation networks. To analyze the current ship traffic and port performance or predict future scenarios, understanding ship behavior in ports and waterways is necessary. However, the depicted sailing environment is in the current studies far simpler than the real-life ports and waterways. To this end, we formulate the following research objective:
to gain empirical knowledge of ship behavior in real-life sailing environments and to empirically investigate the influencing mechanisms of intrinsic and external factors. ... Read more

The Port of Rotterdam (PoR), located in the Rhine-Meuse estuary, is subject to sedimentation. In order to keep the port accessible for vessels with high drafts, maintenance dredging works are done. The maintenance dredging over the port area is executed by two parties, PoR itself regarding the harbour basins and Rijkswaterstaat (RWS) regarding the river and waterways.

Since 2013 a substantial increase of the yearly total maintenance dredging volume of the area under control of PoR is observed. The problem of this research is the increase in maintenance dredging volume, from an average of 5.2 mln cubic meters a year (over 2005-2012) to an average of 8.9 mln cubic meters a year (over 2013-2016). By analysis of the administrated maintenance dredging volumes database of PoR it is concluded that the problem is concentrated at Maasvlakte I. Including the maintenance dredging volumes data of RWS results in the conclusion that over the entire port area no occurrence of an increase in maintenance dredging volume is observed. A decrease administrated by RWS at the same period of time is concentrated at the area in front of Maasvlakte I, the harbour basin responsible for the increase in maintenance dredging volume of PoR. These findings lead to the conclusion that not an increase of sedimentation over the port area is responsible for the research problem, but a redistribution of the sedimentation rates from the area in front of Maasvlakte I to Maasvlakte I is.

An analysis of the events that are potentially of influence on the research problem is performed. Based on the correlation of time and potential impact on the hydrodynamics of the water system, the event 'Construction of Maasvlakte II' is selected for an assessment. Two simulations with an extensive hydrodynamic flow model managed by PoR are run. One simulation includes the layout of the Maasvlakte before the construction of Maasvlakte II, the other includes the layout of the Maasvlakte as it is today. Both simulation use exactly the same initial and boundary conditions. With use of the simulations, the impact on the hydrodynamic conditions within the area of interest is assessed. The results show a significant increase of the tidal filling volume of the Maasvlakte harbour basins with a factor of 1.4. This increase is associated with in particular a significant increase of the horizontal flow velocities, and strengthened by a higher horizontal density gradient as a result of higher mixing rates of fresh and saline water at the Maasvlakte. The increase of the horizontal flow velocity is in particular measured in front of Maasvlakte I and in the connection to Maasvlakte I itself. Within the Maasvlakte harbour basin, the velocities are quickly dampened by the large width of the basin.

The results of the assessment correspond accurately with the results of the data analysis. At the area subject to an increase of the horizontal flow velocity, a decrease of the maintenance dredging volume is observed. At the area where an increase in maintenance dredging volume is observed, no to slight changes of the flow velocity are measured. This is explained as follows. The increase of the tidal filling volume by the construction of Maasvlakte II, results in an increase of the horizontal velocities over the entire area connecting the North Sea to the Maasvlakte. Sediments that were able to settle within that connection before are now kept in suspension and transport to the Maasvlakte. The sediments kept in suspension reach the harbour basins where the horizontal flow velocities are quickly dampened by the large width of the basin, enabling the sediments to settle.

It is concluded that the dominant mechanism leading to the increase in maintenance dredging volumes at the Port of Rotterdam is a change in local hydrodynamics by the construction of Maasvlakte II, resulting in a redistribution of the sedimentation rates within CaBe-system. A potential reduction measure in the form of a sediment trap is recommended to improve the current situation, but is unable to bring the hydrodynamics within system back to the situation as before the construction. The research problem is one of the consequences of the construction of Maasvlakte II, and hence partly have to accepted as well. A detailed study to the design of the problem specific sediment trap is required. Other studies that are recommended to improve the understanding of the actual problem regard the used dredging strategy, the exact pattern of sedimentation and the development of the composition of the bed material in the area the problem is concentrated. ... Read more

After the big flood in 1953 the Grevelingendam and the Brouwersdam were built as a part of the ‘Deltawerken’. By constructing these dams the Grevelingen was separated from the North Sea, which created the largest salt water lake in Europe. Several decades later it was discovered that during hot summers the deeper areas of the lake were leaking oxygen. This leads to a massive mortality of the fauna and flora living in these depths. Since this area is spreading to the shallow areas it was decided by Rijkswaterstaat to bring back a reduced tide into the Grevelingen lake.
The idea is to bring this reduced tide back by constructing a sluice caisson or tidal power plant into the Brouwersdam. This tidal range was determined in a way that the fauna and flora on the islands could remain. Another problem that arises with this reduced tide is that it is unknown what the consequences are for the harbours around the Grevelingen lake and their structures. Brouwershaven specifically gets its income from the harbour and its tourism. This made the Gemeente Schouwen-Duiveland ask to investigate the consequences of a potential reduced tide in its harbour. This led to the following research question:’ Is there a necessity to adapt the harbour constructions in the harbour of Brouwershaven, or to secure them against the reduced tide in the Grevelingen lake?’.
This research was started by investigating the different boundary conditions such as:
• Wind 1,54 m/s Southwest
• Occurring water levels +0,7 m NAP and -0,5 m NAP
• Not exploded explosives Not taken into account
• Soil structure Exists mainly of clay and peat, with a thick sand layer at -16 m NAP
• Profile of the harbour bottom Design level of the harbour bottom at -2,75 m NAP
• Shipping Limiting factors: ship draught of 2 m and length of 14 m
• Flow rate through the guard lock In case of tidal power plant: 0,154 m/s In case of sluice caisson: 0,0719 m/s
The new part of the harbour was designed after the closure of the Grevelingen. This is why the option was to check the stability of the structure in this part of harbour. At the end of the calculation it turned out that there was no danger for the structures to become unstable by the reduced tide. However, there is a statistical probability that the scaffoldings as well as the quay wall will be flooded once in a hundred years. The bigger problem that was found was the accessibility of the harbour. The harbour is now only accessible for ships with a draught of 2 m at a water depth of 2,5 m. Which at a lower water level would cause problems to safely enter and manoeuvre in the harbour.
In the search for a solution a brainstorm session was held with the construction company ‘Aquavia’. With the help of a multi criteria analysis (MCA) it was found that the best solutions were:
• Construction a new harbour in front of the guard lock
• Creating a new function for the existing harbour and shifting the harbour function to a new location in front of the guard lock
• Demolition of the sills in the guard lock and dredging the harbour to a deeper level
In consultation with ‘Gemeente Schouwen-Duiveland’ it was decided to design the first and the last bullet in more detail.
The first variant that was dealt with was that of the demolition of the sills in the guard lock and the dredging of the harbour. The idea here was to lower the bottom of the harbour and the guard lock to at least a level of -2,75 m NAP, which produces a volume of 5143 m3¬ of material such as silt to be dredged away. Which includes the possibility of:
• Finding not exploded explosives
• The quay walls of the oldest part of the harbour becoming unstable.
Also the stability of the guard lock construction after removing the sills had to be checked. This unfortunately was not executed due to the lack of technical data and drawings of the reinforcement. Finally an estimation of 300.000 EUR was made to realise this variant.
The idea for the second variant is to leave the harbour behind the guard lock in the state it is currently in and to construct a new harbour in front of the guard lock. In this way smaller ships can still use the old harbour whereas the ships that cannot enter the harbour anymore can moor in the new harbour as well as even larger ships. In this new harbour then there would also be a place to moor the fishing boats as well as a river cruise ship. Because of strict time scheduling it was decided to only design one of the important structures of the harbour, namely the harbour mole. For this design there were 2 variants to take into account. In the first variant the total mole construction (breakwater + the pier) was made of wood, whereas in the second variant only part of the breakwater was made of wood. The pier, however, was made of concrete. Finally it was estimated that the construction of the new harbour would cost 7 million EUR. Which is a big difference compared to the price estimation of the demolition of the sills in the guard lock. Both variants have their pros and cons. By demolishing the sills and dredging the harbour to a lower level the problem of the harbour is resolved while a smaller/ more optimised version of the other variant could enable more future prospects to be worked out for the harbour by increasing the capacity and attracting new functions to the harbour. This could of course increase the harbour profits.
... Read more

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is a country in Southeast Asia with a population close to 60 million people, which suffers from underdeveloped infrastructure. With the change of government and restoration of democracy starting from 2011, policy reforms are anticipated leading to large-scale economic development and growth. This growth is expected to result in rapidly increasing trade volumes. Myanmar’s maritime infrastructure needs upgrades: existing ports are mainly up-river, have limited draught and need continuous dredging. Currently, six deep sea port projects are being planned, but it is not known whether these sites have been selected based on rational, commercial and technical considerations or on (geo)political interests from the past. If these sites have been selected based on outdated political considerations, rather than commercial, well-grounded and sustainable development, they may struggle to obtain finances and support. Especially in the past, port sites were often allocated based on (geo)political considerations. However, because site selection is critical to port development and the long-term success and growth of a port, research into optimum and sustainable site selection is of significant value. The research objective is development of a strategy for deep sea port site selection and port development in Myanmar, by developing, validating and applying a framework for sustainable site selection, integrating a stakeholder-inclusive approach and ecosystem services. This framework is developed based on literature and desk study, and a comprehensive case study conducted in Myanmar. The strategy elaborates upon the optimum site selection (process), conceptual lay-outs and biggest challenges. Following the developed two-step site selection process, a short list with the sites Pathein, Yangon, Mawlamyine and Dawei was obtained. By means of a Multi-Actor Multi-Criteria Analysis and a cluster-based ranking, Mawlamyine and Yangon ended first. Yangon seems like a logical choice for deep sea port development, as it is the economic center of the country with the best hinterland connectivity. Despite pressure from stakeholders, it is concluded that Yangon is not a suitable location for deep sea port development because of physical restraints. However, it is a crucial port and must be part of the strategy. Yangon and Thilawa port should maintain and strengthen their current activities, and this appears best in combination with a deep sea port near Kalegauk Island (near Mawlamyine), which is connected with a high-quality road connection to Thailand and the Greater Mekong Subregion. Besides, this site offers many opportunities with respect to Ecosystem Services, by using Ecosystem-Based design principles. This port will accommodate the large Post-Panamax vessels and Yangon and its hinterland will be connected to it by sea, road and rail. Yangon port functions as a feeder port or extended gateway in this combination. This combination of ports can for instance be found in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Besides the combination Kalegauk Island and Yangon, a combination of Pathein (Near Nga Yoke Kaung) and Yangon may be a possible port combination. However, this needs additional research. ... Read more

In the 25 years of existence, the offshore wind market has developed on many aspects. Among others, the dimension of the turbines increased by a factor 15 and the distance to shore increased by a factor of 50. The developments of the offshore wind farms increase the requirements for the installation vessels and as a consequence the present day rates can be up to $300.000. The global potential of the offshore wind market by the year 2030 is forecasted to be 60 GW for Europe and 22GW for the US Atlantic coast. The developments in the market, lead to demands during the construction of offshore wind turbines. The construction phase became more demanding over the years, while the logistical strategy of sailing back and forth to the offshore wind farm with a jack-up vessel, is similar as applied in 1991. The six demands can be fulfilled by performing four required activities at the offshore port. The potential of seven support structures that fulfil the boundary conditions for the offshore port are determined. Important boundary conditions are a maximum vertical load of 12.600 ton, suitability in a water depth range between 30 and 50 meter and a minimum surface area of 17.500 m2. Besides boundary conditions that have to be fulfilled, there are also maximum allowed conditions that determine the workability of a port concept. For a floating port concept the motion response is the leading workability condition. Based on the mobility, motion response and a cost indication, three port concepts are selected. These port concepts are a single barge, a single jack-up barge and a combination of a small jack-up barge and a single barge. The current logistical strategy for construction of an offshore wind farm is compared to various logistical concepts that include an offshore port. The logistical concept with a feeder vessel that sails from the onshore to the offshore port and an installation vessel that sails between the offshore port and the wind farm has the highest potential saving. Taking into account the assumptions made throughout this research, for each executed project by the offshore port the savings are expected to be €23.000.000. These savings consist of a sooner generation of energy and by savings on the construction of an offshore wind farm. The discounted cash flows for the three port concepts shows a potential for the offshore port concept. The net present value of the three offshore port concepts deviates between 52 and 216 million euro. The financial results are most sensitive to the ratio between wind farm capacity and the turbine capacity, also the market share that is interest in applying the offshore port and the day rate of the vessels. When the offshore wind market follows the tendency of developments of the last years, there is a market potential for an offshore port concept to reduce the construction costs. The main recommendations are to analyse the interest of potential port owners, perform a motion response into more detail and validate the financial assumptions.

... Read more

This report contains the conceptual lay-out for two possible expansions of the port of Bahía Blanca. To determine the best conceptual lay-outs, emphasis is drawn to understand the physical system to determine the effect of the expansion of the port on the natural system. The port of Bahía Blanca is situated at the end of a ria, or tidal basin. For the designs, different conceptual lay-outs are developed and simulated in a hydrodynamic model called MOHID. This is a 2D depth-averaged model (2DH), which uses a rough bathymetry grid of the ria to determine the effect of the port development. There are three mutations of the different port expansions on the environment, which are investigated using the MOHID-model: (1) the East expansion, containing reclamation of tidal flats and closure of a side channel; (2) the South expansion, containing a widening and elongation of the channel and reclamation of tidal flats; and (3) the deepening of the entire navigation channel to various minimum depths. From the results of the MOHID-model on the East expansion conclusions on the mutations of the different port expansions are drawn. For the East expansion, only small changes are predicted; only local erosion in the navigation channel near the expansion may occur. For the South expansion, the flow velocities reduce in the entire stretch and there seems to be sedimentation at the eastern part of the expansion.
As a conclusion the best and most feasible designs are chosen. The best design is the lay-out that obtained the highest score in the MultiCriteria- Analysis (MCA). The most feasible design is the design having the highest cost/benefit ratio determined by a Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA). The east bank is located close to the current port, Ingeniero White, on tidal flats which are inundated at high-water and dry at low-water. For the East expansion, different port lay-outs are developed mainly differing in amount of reclaimed land, length of viaducts and the presence of a mooring basin. The best design on the east is characterised as being very compact and having small viaducts between the dry bulk and agribulk terminals and jetties. The main advantage of this design is the small expected increase of siltation, good safety and sufficient future expansion possibilities. The most feasible design, however, is characterised by long viaducts reducing the costs of the design. The other appointed location for the port expansion is the south bank, opposite of the current port development. This location, however, is characterised by one main disadvantage; It is far from any form of connection with the hinterland. Nevertheless, in 2013, the port authority (CGPBB) initiated the start of small reclamation works. The best and most feasible design fully utilises this reclaimed portion of land. Moreover, the best design has a small expected increase of siltation in the port area. For a final designs, all previous designs are combined to create a design in which all the advantages of each of the designs are fully incorporated. Therefore, this design has little reclamation as well as viaducts with only intermediate lengths. ... Read more

To continue the success of the Port of Rotterdam (PoR) in the future, a transition to a sustainable industry is essential. Though this is easier said than done. The energy transition involves a variety of initiatives which are at the same time highly dependent on each other. Whilst the increasing scarcity of available area and resources result into the situation that a decision will have to be made. As long as this decision is not made, it leads to high uncertainty on which activities are going to take place in the PoR and at which point in time they are expected.

To support the decision making on which activities to should focus on, there is an urgent need for a decision tool at the PoR authority.

The main conclusion, however, is that it is impossible to develop a decision tool which is able to make a choice among different activities. This decision is impossible because every activity has its own demands and requirements and differs in the contribution it has to the strategic goals. Besides this, the set requirements cannot be expressed in a single unit, leading to the situation that a comparison cannot be judged.

Following from the above, it is being discouraged to develop a decision tool. The allocation process and the involved requirements are too versatile to be simplified in a single tool. If such a simplification is made, this will result in missing essential opportunities and potential bottlenecks in the sequential project phases.

Based on the above conclusions, it is investigated whether it is possible to provide the PoR authority with guidelines that support the comparison of different activities. To do so, the involved requirements in the allocation process are substantiated. These requirements are evaluated from three different points of view: demand side (client), resources side (Port of Rotterdam authority) and their priority in the decision making. By means of the evaluation, the aspects have been identified that must be implemented into the guidelines.

In addition to the requirements, it is important for the PoR authority to incorporate its communicated strategy into the daily activities. To do so, the commercial strategy has been developed. At first sight, the integration of the commercial strategy is not acknowledged to be a requirement in the allocation process. Though, as the research proceeded, it turned out that the commercial strategy has a more important role in the decision making than anticipated. Resulting in the situation that if the PoR authority is really looking to fulfil its climate targets, the commercial strategy should function as a self-contained requirement in the allocation process.

From the conclusions, the recommendation for the PoR authority is to develop a central team that involves the experts of the relevant requirements to judge the potential activities. This team will have the primary task to evaluate and judge the potential activities prior to entering the project phases. The judgement of the potential activities will be founded on four main themes for evaluation: demand, supply, priority and contribution to the commercial strategy.

Though, this recommendation is not aimed at making the decision itself. The main focus is to supply the evaluations on the potential activities to the decision makers. The decision itself will be based on the supplied evaluations through which a decision can be made on which activities should be allocated in the PoR.
... Read more

Due to the environmental awareness of the last decades, the concept of Green Port is introduced and used regularly. Nevertheless, an agreed-upon definition does not exist, leading to the rise of questions about what they are and how to develop them. For that reason, the aim of this research is to analyze and define what a Green Port is and to compare it with a traditional port, in order to develop a clearly-defined, specific complete and timeless methodology to facilitate port planners to get to a sustainable solution. The purpose is that the proposed methodology covers all phases of development, from planning to operation, not only to minimize but to avoid impacts and to maximize benefits. A case study is used to refine it, with the objective of making it applicable to other port projects around the world.
By analyzing the existing varied definitions for Green Ports and the current sustainable practices in ports around the world, a definition of a Green Port is proposed, through which a comparison between these ports and traditional ports can be made, optimized with the personal reflection after the elaboration of the proposed methodology. This methodology for developing a greenfield Green Port, covering the stages of planning, design, construction and operation (and management) is based on several top green philosophies in which all criteria that contribute to any green goal are based on. These criteria can be evaluated by means of a proposed evaluation framework, giving a final score to get an insight on how green the port is, which is tested and refined with a case study for the planning phase.
As a conclusion of the case study application, several implementation issues of Green Ports have been identified and some possible solutions for the success of the sustainable option are proposed, for which a general shift in mentality is required.
... Read more

Vessel traffic in ports is a key issue due to the high increase in vessel flows that lead to busier waterways. This dissertation presents novel methodologies to assess vessel traffic in ports based on capacity and risk independently and jointly. These methodologies have been applied to case studies using simulation models and AIS data. They provide a framework to support decision makers when assessing new infrastructure designs, expansions or changes in the vessel traffic management
strategies. ... Read more

The initial masterplan of New Priok Development in Indonesia was developed in 2012 and is being updated to cater to new throughput demands. The masterplan of Phase I will be done as planned in which CT 1 was already operated since 2016 and CT 2 and CT 3 are in the final phase of land reclamation. In the new masterplan (2017), Phase II of the development will start in 2030 – onwards, depending on future conditions. However, whether the development of Phase II (continuation of Phase I) will be needed is still a question for the Port Authority. Hence, this study is about creating robust terminal masterplan of Phase II (2030 – onwards) which will remain functional under future uncertainties. The methodology/framework being discussed is Adaptive Port Planning (APP) which is considering flexibility design of port masterplan. Flexibility is very relevant for projects with high investment and surrounded by future uncertainties. In this study, considering the long-term project characteristics, the framework of Adaptive Port Planning (APP) Scenario-Based planning is developed. As a definition, the scenario-based approach helps to open up the perspective of the future condition of the port as a horizon of possibility and it gives chance to anticipate the vulnerabilities. Developing the scenarios are based on defined critical uncertainties using a 2x2 matrix approach. The economy (related to cargo performance) and environment are defined to be the axes of the matrix. The outcome is four plausible scenarios: Green Growth, Business As Usual, Moderate Expansion, and No Expansion. The next steps are examining these scenarios through some analysis to look at the characteristics and the promising industries in each scenario. In order to get the terminal needs in each scenario, traffic analysis in Port of Tanjung Priok is required; identifying the key influential cargos and commodities. There will also be a projection of containers based on defined scenarios. Producing the robust masterplan will lead us to a monitoring system and contingency planning for some highly relevant signposts. These signposts are the relevant future uncertainties which are not covered yet in the defined alternative layouts. Each of the signposts has to be analysed to prepare the contingency plans, mostly for IPC and some others for related stakeholders. In conclusion, this study proposes the adaptive framework of planning the terminal design for Phase II of New Priok, namely Adaptive Port Planning (APP) Scenario-Based Planning. It gives sequential work flow on designing future masterplan of the port, especially for the case of Phase II of New Priok. The alternative layouts and adaptive actions for IPC are some important outcomes of the framework. The port has to realize that uncertainties persevere and are very likely to influence the decision making for future layouts. Instead of ignoring uncertainties, the port needs to make contingency planning to deal with them. Hopefully, this study has benefits to make a robust terminal masterplan for Phase II of New Priok Development. ... Read more

This study treats the calculation of longitudinal forces on a ship in a lock chamber due to the levelling procedure. The focus will be on the force resulting from the filling jet through the levelling door in the lock, with the main point of interest being the interaction between the ship and the flow resulting from the jet. To understand more about this interaction the following methods are used: the one-dimensional software model Lockfill, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and scale model tests. The study was initiated in the context of improving the accuracy and applicability of the software Lockfill. Lockfill is based on the conservation laws of mass and momentum, while schematising the flow using a two-dimensional parameterization of the filling jet. A two dimensional situation was created for the scale model, neglecting variations over the width. The scaled situation was tested using a CFD model to prepare for the scale model measurements. This preparation revealed that the jet attaches to the bottom for the chosen geometry. The flow measurements consist of multiple point measurements and particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements just downstream of the gate. The longitudinal forces on the ship were measured for variations in: keel clearance, downstream position of the ship with respect to the gate and water level difference over the gate. The presence of the ship reduces the deflection of the jet towards the bottom. The reason for the reduced deflection is the interference of the ship’s bow with the upper eddy limiting the fluid motion, resulting in a reduction of pressure and therefore a deflection of the jet in the upward direction. This means that the momentum flux in the jet for the situation without ship decreases faster because it attaches to the bottom closer to the gate. The measured forces were compared to the forces Lockfill would predict for the same situation. Both CFD and PIV predict the forces with a small relative error. Lockfill determines the force on the ship accurately as long as the momentum flux can be determined successfully. Determining the momentum flux comes down to a correct schematisation of the filling jet. Variations in keel clearance and discharge are covered quite well by Lockfill. However an increase in distance from the gate reveals big differences compared to the measurements. This is caused by an overestimation of momentum flux dissipation in the Lockfill jet schematisation. The reason for this is that in reality the jet stays more attached to the bottom, therefore maintaining a higher momentum flux. Taking into account the results from this study, the improvement of Lockfill should start with the schematisation of the filling jet. A start can be made by implementing the tendency of the jet to attach to a boundary. ... Read more

Ports worldwide are confronted with a changing environment in terms of global economy and a rising awareness of the necessity of balancing economic, social and environmental interests. Therefore, in recent years, a lot of research has been directed towards studying sustainable port development. However, the focus has been on greenfield ports, while little has been said about ports in transition. This paper presents a framework for sustainable development of ports in transition and applies it to the re-development of bay of Havana in Cuba. ... Read more

This research is about the effects by climate change on the inland shipping sector of low discharges in the River Waal. Two different situations are investigated, one without any measure and one with canalization of the river. These two situations are compared with a zero variant where no navigation restrictions occur and therefore a so- called reference situation is also investigated. The focus is on the direct costs for the inland shipping sector due to navigation restrictions caused by insufficient water depth and canalization. Besides, the more integral picture is taken into account by the total costs due to canalization, which consist of the shipping costs due to canalization and the weir- and lock complex costs. For studying the effects of the different developments on the inland shipping sector an effect model is developed, validated and used.
The consequences in case of several scenarios for this canalization option are investigated to get insight in the range of possible outcomes. The scenario analysis shows that the shipping costs for all scenario combinations are lower in case of canalization than in case without any measure. Looking to the more integral picture, the total costs due to canalization are only in case of the most extreme climate scenario lower than the shipping costs in case without any measure. For all other scenarios, the total costs due to canalization are much higher. During the sensitivity analysis, the total costs due to canalization for various weir- and lock complex costs are investigated. The result is shown in the figure alongside to here. For total weir- and lock complex costs below 400 million Euro the feasibility of Waal canalization is quite high, which means that for many scenario combinations the costs due to canalization are lower than the costs in case without measure. However, for WLC costs between 400 million Euro and 900 million Euro the feasibility decreases to 20%. It is expected that 1000 million Euro is quite large for one complex and therefore it is assumed that a feasibility of at least 20% is reached. ... Read more

Zutphen is a city in the Netherlands, located along the IJssel River and the nautical access of the Twentekanaal. Despite its beneficial location, Zutphen barely uses the inland waterways for freight transport. This lead to the objective of this thesis: To provide insight how a viable inland waterway terminal be realized in Zutphen’s business park De Mars to improve its freight connection.
After analysing the regional and local infrastructure and transport flows, it was found that the best opportunities arise for the development of an intermodal inland waterway transport (IWT) connection, including an inland container terminal in Zutphen. A reliable intermodal transport service can only be realized if the terminal operator has access to a sufficient and constant flow of cargo volumes to be transported. Cargo can only be attracted if shippers are willing to make a modal change.

A framework consisting of several analyses was presented to assess the feasibility of an inland container terminal in Zutphen. Based on input from these analyses, three technical designs of proposed terminal solutions were worked out. A terminal solution is considered to be feasible if a business can be found for a private investor. For each of these alternatives, a financial assessment was worked out to determine whether a business case can be found. Based on the results of the financial assessment, a recommendation is given to the municipality. ... Read more

When sea-going or inland vessels berth along a mooring location they use their bow thruster to manoeuvre. When the induced propeller jet is directed towards a slope it might affect the stability of the slope material and this can lead to damage when the loads are too large.

The objective of this research was to extend and validate a method to determine hydraulic bed loads on slopes induced by bow thrusters and a method to determine the stability of slope material. In order to answer this objective scale model tests are conducted at the test facilities of Deltares. Velocity and stability measurements are performed during multiple test scenarios that contain variations in slope angle, axial distance and pile configuration. From the obtained data of the velocity measurements the time-averaged velocities and the turbulence intensities are determined. For example, the time-averaged slope velocities measured in the scale model that consists of an 1 : 3 slope with an open quay pile configuration and a rough bed (test scenario T10 in the research) are shown in Figure 1. These values are compared to the values according to the Dutch guidelines and a correction factor for the underestimation of the hydraulic bed load on a slope is defined for each test scenario. After that the consequences for a design of a slope protection are evaluated. Furthermore, for the stability tests it is determined what the critical slope velocity is. This is done for multiple criteria of initiation of motion. With these critical slope velocities a stability parameter for the stability relations can be determined that is applicable at situations similar to the scenario tested. These determined stability parameters are compared to the recommended stability parameters and the differences are evaluated. Finally recommendations are formulated for correction factors for the slope velocities induced by bow thrusters and recommendations are formulated for a proposed stability formula by an earlier research. ... Read more

In the Netherlands a large variety exists in the used widths of inland port entrances. In addition, multiple entrance layouts are applied. Currently, guidelines are missing for the design of inland port entrances along flowing waters with flow velocities larger than 0.5 m/s. A more generic insight into the minimum required nautical safe entrance width and most efficient entrance layout can reduce the design costs and time. The objective of this research was to find the minimum required nautical safe entrance width for generic situations for inland ports along flowing waters in non-tidal areas. To find this minimum safe entrance width, the most efficient entrance layout was determined. The influence of different design parameters was studied to provide the most efficient situation. Moreover, an insight into the influence of these parameters was needed to determine the effect on the most efficient situation when changing these parameters. A fast-time simulation study was chosen to analyse the influence of different design parameters on the entrance width. A rectangular entrance layout and a mathematical ship model comparable with a loaded CEMT class Va ship were used. Flow velocities between 1.0 and 2.5 m/s were taken into account. Moreover, the influence of the waterway width, entrance width, length and angle were analysed with the simulation study. The fast-time simulation program SHIPMA was used to perform the simulation study. As a result of the simulation study, it was found that the most efficient entrance angle is 120 degrees. Note that this is an entrance orientation in downstream direction. Also from a viewpoint of minimising siltation, this angle is more favourable than an angle of 90 degrees or smaller. The required entrance widths for arrivals sailing upstream and manoeuvring forward into the port are circa 55 and 80 meters, for flow velocities of respectively 1.0 and 2.5 m/s. For the determined most efficient layout, the forward manoeuvres into the port when sailing downstream were replaced by backward manoeuvres. For these backward manoeuvres the required entrance widths are circa 70 and 90 meters, for flow velocities of respectively 1.0 and 2.0 m/s. A linear relation was observed between the flow velocity and the required entrance width. For the most efficient entrance layout, it was found that the sensitivity of the entrance length, width and angle was small. These results are only valid for an available waterway width larger than 90 meters. For smaller waterway widths additional research is required. Furthermore, it should be mentioned that the limitations of the SHIPMA model also apply for the acquired research results. The most important limitation is that human interference was not included in this research. Besides, only a limited amount of design parameters was included in the simulation study. Additional research is required to study the influence of other design parameters on the required entrance width. ... Read more

Bahía Blanca in Buenos Aires province is located 600 kilometres south of Buenos Aires city. The port complex of Bahía Blanca has the second largest throughput in Argentina considering tons, mainly attributed to the agro – and petrochemical industry. The port handles containers as well, however with an average of 30 thousand TEU/year this throughput is rather small. The authority of the Port of Bahía Blanca sees opportunities to increase container throughput in the port due to recent developments in the region. The container throughput is estimated for 2040, considering the petrochemical cluster and fruits. Four different trends show a container throughput of respectively 30, 155, 250 and 360 thousand TEU/year. The capacity of the container terminal is estimated at 50 thousand TEU/year, based on the equipment, the dwell time and the terminal area. The terminal should improve when throughput will increase. To start, number of calls and call size are assumed based on future throughput, decreasing the average dwell time for export containers. Additionally, a larger quantity and more advanced equipment is required to handle the increase in throughput. Lastly, the terminal area itself can be increased significantly from 8ha to 22ha in its maximum configuration. The increase in storage area allows the capacity to grow from 50 thousand TEU/year to 215 thousand TEU/year. It is important to realize that further expansion of the terminal is not possible and a new location has to be considered. A multi criteria analysis in combination with a financial analysis on the possible location showed that two out of four possible new locations are suitable for the development of a new container terminal. The new container terminal should have the capacity to handle the expected container throughput generated locally. The possibility to attract additional cargo to the port was researched as well, since the Port of Bahía Blanca has an advantageous depth compared to the Port of Buenos Aires. However, on the short term it is not expected that Bahía Blanca can profit from the draught limitations in Buenos Aires since port calling cost are almost the same, Buenos Aires is located conveniently and not operating at capacity and current shipping routes are not expected to change their routes majorly. ... Read more

With the development of the inland waterway transport, ship locks become more and more important as infrastructure in waterway network. Currently, there are a lot of studies about the capacity of locks, but the impact of the chamber’s horizontal dimension on the passing time and the costs-benefits should be studied more. In order to study the method of selecting optimum scenarios of enlarging locks, Eefde lock is taken as a case. The thesis is aimed to determine the optimum enlargement scenario for the Eefde lock. Furthermore, the relationship between the horizontal dimension of chambers and costs-benefits is also found and suggestions are given to other locks with insufficient capacity. In the thesis, different scenarios are made at first, and then SIVAK (Simulation model for Waterways and Infrastructure) is used for simulations. The study finds that the enlargement of width is more effective to reduce waiting time than the enlargement of the chamber’s length. After the study of the Eefde lock, approach to the optimum enlargement scenarios is generalized for other locks. ... Read more

As an Indonesian national strategic project, the Port of Kuala Tanjung draws significant attention at national and international level. Considering the semi-greenfield nature of the port, the diverse set of stakeholders, and the prevailing disruptive trends in the world port business enabled mainly by digitalization and energy transition, a robust 1st phase port layout is required to kick-start the project and guarantee the overall sustainability of the port development. This thesis is conducted on the Port of Rotterdam Authority (PoRA) which is a part of the Joint Venture company that is responsible in developing the Port of Kuala Tanjung. The author would like to clearly state that while this study is conducted during the author's internship at Port of Rotterdam, the views expressed in this paper are those of the author alone and not the Port of Rotterdam Authority..

The objective of this research is to develop an adaptive port masterplan along with its robust 1st phase layout which is self-sustainable and provide catalyzing effect for the next stage of development. A modified Adaptive Port Planning (APP) framework will be used as the main methodology in this research. In addition, the United Nation Sustainable Goals is being used as a guiding principle in planning the port. A combination of a literature review and interviews with experts are used to both identify the sources of the uncertain and disruptive trends mentioned above and also to propose adaptation strategies.

As a conclusion, an adaptive port masterplan has been developed. A circular economic concept combined with industrial port complex model has been applied to the port to incorporate self-sustainability and catalyzing effect element into the port. To validate the research products, series of interviews and FGD has been conducted with Port of Rotterdam Authority experts. ... Read more

Port planning is a complex multidisciplinary subject. To fulfill its functions, it is essential that the different elements of a port work together. The full potential of a terminal can only be reached when the wet infrastructure of a port (access channel, inner basins, turning circles) can keep up with the traffic load. From the literature study, it has become apparent that simulation tools have become increasingly popular for assessing the capacity of ports and waterways. However, the application has often been aimed at a specific case study and the existing models are not easily reusable for new applications. In this master thesis project, the assessment through a generic simulation tool of the effective capacity of the wet infrastructure of a port is investigated. The model considers the processes taking place from the point a vessel arrives at the entrance of the access channel until the start of the (un)loading procedures and the departure of the port until exiting the access channel. The analysis capabilities of the model are demonstrated by studying the Port of Hazira. The main processes of the model relate to vessels obtaining authorisation to sail towards a destination. To receive this authorisation, the vessels must find a moment when the correct weather conditions occur, the tidal elevation is adequate, the waterways are available and sufficient quay length is available. The authorisation is given in a dynamic way, depending on the dimensions of the vessels, waterways and quays. Based on their origin and destination, vessels can determine their route based on the shortest path available and waterways available depending on their vessel type. Once this is done, a vessel will construct a sailing plan by finding a suitable timeslot to through each section of the port. When doing so, a vessel takes into account the sailing plans of other vessels and the sailing rules that apply for each section. As a result, a vessel can construct a suitable sailing plan based on an origin and destination which can be applied to any port layout. During this study, it has become apparent that many processes should be included to properly determine the capacity of port. Simulation software offers the possibility of including all these processes and observe their interactions in order to locate bottlenecks more efficiently. Simio has proven to be able to incorporate all the required process to properly model the wet infrastructure of a port. However, it does not offer a user-friendly interface to handle different scenarios and facilitate the handling of both the input and output of the model. To this easier, an interface has been created with Scenario Navigator. This interface enable the storing and comparing of input parameters and results of different scenarios. ... Read more