Simulating moored and passing ship interaction for harbour and navigation channel design

Disturbance of moored ships by passing vessels can be a significant problem, particularly in confined waterways and at berths sensitive to movement, such as container berths and those handling inflammable liquids. This paper reviews the physical processes involved in generating the motion, and mathematical modelling methods used in its simulation. The application of those computational models in a study of ship-generated disturbance at a container berth is then described. The results of the study were circulated amongst the marine pilots at the port which provided them with information on safe passing ship speeds for particular separation distances from moored vessels. This has reduced the number of incidents of passing ship induced problems, and as a consequence has improved cargo handling efficiency at the port.