Port Case Studies

Southampton Capital Dredge Environmental Statement

ABPmer has almost 60 years port related research and consultancy experience and appreciate that the successful design and operation of ports, harbours and marinas is dependent on understanding both the marine environment and operational requirements.  In 2008, ABPmer completed the Environmental Statements that support two separate Associated British Ports’ (ABP) applications to the Marine and Fisheries Agency (MFA).  The Southampton Approach Channel Dredge seeks to widen and deepen the navigation channel at various locations within Southampton Water thus improving access for vessels entering and leaving the Port of Southampton.   ABP also propose to deepen Berths 201 and 202 within Southampton’s container terminal, which will require the reconstruction of the quay walls to both berths.

The Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) were undertaken with wide ranging consultations with stakeholders and interested parties, including Natural England, the Environment Agency, Cefas, MFA, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, and local authorities.  Such discussions have helped to identify the scope of potential impacts and define appropriate impact reduction measures. 

Port Risk Management System 

Through a European 6th Framework research project - MARNIS - ABPmer developed an integrated system for managing port risk that was subsequently customised and rolled out across all 21 UK Associated British Ports (ABP).  

Our in-house experts in database programming adapted the proto-type to allow multiple Port locations access to common data tables and we customised the accident/incident reporting module to meet the requirements of the UK reporting standard specified by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) with additional functionality to geo-reference incidents for later analysis.  Such adaptations have enabled an improved system of assessment, control and incident recording.

This system has provided ABP with a fully auditable, Port Marine Safety Code compliant marine safety system.  See www.abpmer.net/MarNIS

Port Surveys

Associated Petroleum Terminals (APT) intends to accept deeper draughted vessels along side its terminal on the Humber, there was therefore a requirement to examine the effects of tidal currents on the deeper vessels when secured to a jetty.

ABPmer’s experienced survey team, specialists in hydrographic measurements and field investigations, was commissioned to obtain field data to validate the ship-simulator model.  

As the terminal is operational 24 hours a day Acoustic Current Profilers (ACP) could not be placed on the sea bed close to the terminal, so the use of a vessel mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) was proposed.  The ADCP collected data whilst traversing the site allowing vessels to continue utilising the jetties.  A circuit of the jetty was followed continuously covering the front and back of the jetty for a 13 hour tidal cycle enabling one circuit to be completed every half hour . The data collected was analysed and supplied for 52 points at various water levels through the water column to enable a grid to be formed around the simulator model. 

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