International Journal

on Marine Navigation

and Safety of Sea Transportation

Volume 2

Number 1

March 2008

The Environmental Effects of Projected

Container Terminal to the Safely Manoeuvring

C. Yurtoren, O. Duru & T. Satir

Istanbul Technical University, Maritime Faculty, Istanbul, Turkey

ABSTRACT: This paper investigates vessel traffic risks that are exposed by a new port installation. A vessel

traffic risk analysis was performed by the Ship Handling Simulator team for container terminal installation in

Izmit Bay. The main purpose is to evaluate whether the container terminal project shall affect the proper

operation of nearside Oil Refinery Terminal. Construction and revision of shore structures may form

significant threats for masters in ports and narrow waterways. The Ship handling simulator of ITUMF

presents the environmental objects’ effects, vessel traffic and weather conditions. Furthermore, the

Environmental Stress Model of Inoue (2000) may give an opportunity to analyse vessel traffic risks

quantitatively by SHS.

1 INTRODUCTION

Merchant vessels reach to projected container

terminal in Izmit Bay by a narrow strait (see Figure

1). Izmit Bay has over a hundred ports and terminals

inside with an intensive maritime traffic. Many

commercial vessels that berthing and unberthing

expose a restricted and congested vessel traffic flow.

The projected container terminal shall be located

18.8 miles after the Izmit Bay entrance.

Petrochemical and oil refinery complex is also

located 140 metres nearside the planned container

terminal. A buoy mooring combination is used to

handle vessel queue of oil refinery. In this respect, a

conflict between the cross vessel traffic of two port

establishment should be analysed quantitatively and

take balance of judgement of terminals into serious

consideration.

Three dimensional (3D) model of this geographic

area is created by geographic position, oceanogra-

phical, meteorological and topographical structure,

vessel traffic data of Petrochemical and oil refinery

complex and planned container terminal. Vessel

traffic and maneouvering stresses that caused by

ports and effect safely maneouvering, are investi-

gated by Environmental Stress Model (ES) due to

simulation applications. Environmental Stress model

is widely used tool to evaluate maneouvering results

with a quantitatively way by an ability to determine

indexes in order to standard limit conditions of ship

handling operation. ES model was developed at

“Inoue Laboratory” of Kobe University, Japan in

1995 and is revised continuously.

Current study of petrochemical and oil refinery

terminal intensified to quantitative analysis of safely

maneouvering restrictions by planned container

terminal in this local area that limited by refinery

establishment, due to investment projects of

petrochemical and oil refinery terminal to supply

national demand.

Fig. 1. Objective area of projected container terminal

The study is completed by the stages of:

I. Data introduction of environmental conditions

that included by the terminal area to the

simulation system interface.

II. Design of simulation scenarios due to port

vessel traffic data.

III. Application of scenarios in different variable

conditions of weather, sea, length of vessel etc

by experienced pilots of Izmit Bay in Full

Mission Bridge Simulators as a Real Time

Simulation process.

IV. Output analysis on ES model that obtained from

applications.

V. Risk evaluation of ES model results.

2 METHOD

2.1 Simulation Process

Istanbul Technical University Maritime Faculty

Japan Marine Science (JMS) Bridge Simulators have

an ability to construct required geographic terrain by

a single operator and simulate all geographic effects.

Introduction of environmental data like depth, bank

effect and berth equipments, meteorological and

oceanographical effects are performed by an operator

too. (see Table.1) For this purposes, interface

software of JMS and 3D design software of

Multigen Paradigm, Creator v2.0 are used for data

entrance and 3D object rendering.

Table 1. Sea and weather condition at applications

__________________________________________________

Application No Weather Current Wave

__________________________________________________

#1 SSW 2-3m/s SW 0.2kt SW 1m

#2 SSW 3.0m/s SW 0.2kt SW 1.4m

#3 SW 2.5m/s SW 0.2kt SW 1m

#4 SSW 2.5m/s SW 0.2kt SW 1m

#5 WSW 3m/s SW 0.4kt SW 1.4m

#6 SW 2-4m/s SW 0.4kt SW 1.4m

#7 SSW 2.5m/s SW 0.2kt SW 1m

__________________________________________________

Probable vessel traffic shall be generated on the

simulation system that provides to analyse safely

manoeuvering risks in a realistic environment.

Operated vessels are 100.000 DWT Aframax

Tanker, 37.000 DWT Handymax Bulker and 10.000

DWT Handysize Tanker. 5.000 GRT coaster is used

inside the port. 4.000 TEU Panamax container ship

is also berthed to the container terminal and mooring

arrangement tests are performed to determine

maximum handling weather conditions. Tug boats

are taken into assistance due to scenario that have

a variety of characteristics; 30 tons of bollard-pull

and horse power in the range of 2500-4000.

2.2 ITUMF Full Mission Bridge Simulator System

(FMBS)

ITUMF full mission bridge simulator has the latest

generation equipments that can be found on a

newbuild commercial vessel. FMBS provides the

manoeuvering in a restricted narrow waters and

operation of bridge consoles by actual equipment

instruction with a real psychological circumstances.

The system includes two independent cubicles; main

bridge and secondary bridge that can be operated as

dependent in a same scenario or independent in

different scenarios.

Main bridge represents the core module of

system. It has a 240 degrees view that is generated

by 7 CRT projectors (wing to wing) and 360 degrees

view can be provided by view point move as well.

Bridge equipments that interconnected with

computer based system include:

− Navigation console that formed by engine

telegraph, bow & stern thrusters, water jet

propeller, doppler log, steering gear, alarm panel,

main engine alarm panel, emergency stops,

internal communication, VHF phone, air horn and

multi function monitor.

− Display panel that formed by engine revolution,

speed gauge, rudder gauge, rate of turn gauge,

wind speed & course monitor and ship’s clock.

− Steering console.

− Gyro repeater.

− Magnetic compass.

− Radar

ARPA.

− Electronic Chart(ECDIS).

− Multi Function Monitor(GPS, Echosounder,

Doppler Log).

2.3 Application of environmental stress model

Maritime traffic simulation is a real time simulation

that includes actions for collision avoidance with

human factor in this study. Applying the

environmental stress model to this simulation

results, real environmental stress value (ES value)

can be obtained. The concept of the real

environmental stress value is introduced to show the

real ship-handling difficulties imposed potentially on

mariners of a ship manoeuvring at the port.

ES values are obtained by calculating the stress

value, assuming that own ship navigations at a speed

along a route depend on the mariner behaviour with

making all collision avoidance actions against

encountering ships. This is intended to avoid

concealing information on stress levels that each

encounter would naturally impose on the mariner by

taking collision avoidance actions against other

ships. The extent of such unacceptable real

environmental stress value is considered to indicate

the necessity for collision avoidance manoeuvres.

In the model, a situation giving the same SJ

value, regardless of direction, was taken as the

standard situation. The relationship between each

stress ranking and the acceptable level was found

through the ship-handling simulator experiments.

The ES model, therefore, allows us to judge how

great the stress value will be when it is no longer

acceptable and to point out the disadvantages of the

topographical and traffic situation in a waterway.

The ES values over 750 are “unacceptable”. (see

Table 2.)

Table 2. Stress Ranking and Acceptance Criteria

The results of a 7-times (approx. 9 hours totally)

real time simulation were analysed. The level of

stress imposed was assessed for the ship during

manoeuvre at the objective area for assessment.

3 APPLICATION AND RESULTS

3.1 Vessel Manoeuvering Simulator Applications

Totally of seven real-time simulations have been

performed. The scenarios consisted tankers and bulk

carriers of 10,000, 37,000 and 100,000 DWT under

various weather conditions with port and starboard

side docking scenarios. The findings and comments

of the pilots performing these simulations are given

below.

Application #1: It consists of a starboard side

docking tanker of 10,000 DWT under calm weather

conditions. A “slapping” effect has been performed

using the rudder and the engine to speed-up turning

and good performance has been achieved. 2 tugs of

3,000 HP each have been used. The manoeuvering

radius has been reduced due to the planned container

terminal with the expected consequence of increased

manoeuvering time. Except this negative result of

increased manoeuvering time, the operation was

completed successfully with minimum risk (see

Figure 2).

250

500

750

1000

0 249 499 749 999 1249 1496 1746 1996 2245

Time (sec)

ES Value

Fig. 2. ES value graphic for Application #1

Application #2: This consists of a starboard side

docking tanker of 10,000 DWT under calm weather

conditions. It has been observed that starboard side

landing takes more time and effort than a port side

landing. The operation took more time and required

more attention due to a distance of only 300 meters

between the port landfill and the ship’s bow. The

tugs have been used more to reduce the parallel

vessel movement than to adjust the heading of the

vessel (see Figure 3).

250

500

750

1000

1 251 501 751 1001 1251 1501 1751 2001 2251 2501 2751 3001

Time (sec)

ES Value

Fig. 3. ES value graphic for Application #2

Application #3: This consists of a port side

docking tanker of 10,000 DWT under calm weather

conditions. To better simulate the common real life

conditions, an anchored LPG tanker has been placed

at the east side of the manoeuvering zone.

Manoeuvering has been performed mostly with the

help of the pushing tugs. A fast forward motion

towards the projected pier and the anchored LPG

tanker has been avoided, causing an increased but

acceptable manoeuvering time (see Figure 4).

250

500

750

1000

1 251 501 751 1001 1251 1501 1751 2001

Time (sec)

ES Value

Fig. 4. ES value graphic for Application #3

Application #4: This consists of a port side

docking tanker of 37,000 DWT under calm weather

conditions. The obvious effect was getting too close

to the ships docked alongside the planned pier on the

landfill, increasing the manoeuvering risks. Non

acceptable risky vessel speeds have been carefully

avoided during manoeuvering. Manoeuvering area

gets highly reduced under port side landing

conditions because of the projected terminal (see

Figure 5).

250

500

750

1000

0 249 499 749 999 1249 1499 1749 1999 2249 2499

Time (sec)

ES Value

Fig. 5. ES value graphic for Application #4

Application #5: This consists of a port side

docking bulk carrier of 100,000 DWT under calm

weather conditions. The possible maximum landing

speed has been used as a function of the container

terminal location. The vessel’s aft was observed to

come too close to the ships docked alongside the

terminal and the minimum docking time was

observed to be 30 minutes (see Figure 6).

250

500

750

1000

0 249 499 749 999 1249 1499 1749

Time (sec)

ES Value

Fig. 6. ES value graphic for Application #5

Application #6: This consists of a starboard side

docking tanker of 100,000 DWT under calm weather

conditions. 3 tugs have been used. Docking time

was observed to be 55 minutes and this should be

considered as the longest estimated docking time

in all simulations. The vessel speed has been greatly

reduced during docking to decrease risks (see

Figure 7).

250

500

750

1000

0 248 498 748 998 1248 1498 1742 1978 2228 2478 2728

Time (sec)

ES Value

Fig. 7. ES Value graphic for Application #6

Application #7: This consists of a starboard side

docking bulk carrier of 100,000 DWT under windy

weather conditions. The turning radius was large and

combined with the wind effects; this caused the

vessel to drift on top of the pipeline marker buoys.

This scenario clearly showed that at the presence of

the wind and an anchored ship, starboard side

docking is a high-risk operation (see Figure 8).

250

500

750

1000

0 249 499 749 999 1249 1499 1749 1999 2249 2499 2749

Time (sec)

ES Value

Fig. 8. ES Value graphic for Application #7

3.2 Investigation of Simulator Application. Results

3.2.1 Risk Analysis in order to Manoeuvering

Diffuculties

1 Projected container terminal restricts the

manoeuvering area of tankers that berthing and

unberthing to refinery piers and also other

assistance like tugs.

2 Manoeuvering duration is determined maximum

55 minutes and minimum 30 minutes by

simulation experiences.

3 In terms of diffuculty and manoeuvering duration,

starboard berthing is found less feasible than port

berthing.

4 Applications were carried out with taking care of

ship speed that expected not to excess higher risk.

The case formed to keep risks at minimum.

5 In port berthing, nearmiss risks are found to be

existed by the vessels that berthed on east piers of

container terminal. Therefore, manoeuverings are

advised to be carried out in a special care on

higher beaford forces.

6 Mooring safety of a full loaded 4000 TEU

container vessel is tested on 5 m/sec. south and

northeast winds. In order to mooring tests,

container vessel remains on safe berth at south

winds, but she loses position and takes free

movement at northeast winds. The vessel cuts

the bow line at 77 minutes after the beginning

of scenario and takes a dangerous case for any

vessels nearside region that containing refinery

terminal installations. However, if necessary

measures are taken into pilotage and mooring

policy, that minimizes remaining risks (see

Table 3.)

Table 3. Drifting records of container vessel on berth

3.2.2 Risk Analysis for Manoeuvers in Harbour

Risk analysis is carried out by introduction of

quantitative results of simulations to ES model.

The model results give some forecoming evaluations

about risks that refinery installations are effected

by projected container terminal manoeuvers.

Environmental stresses that exposed by vessel traffic

and risk measures are investigated below.

1 As pointed out on Figure 9, ES values are

determined as 82% negligible, 17,4% marginal

and 0.6% critical levels.

2 In spite of 82% negligible risk level, 17,4%

marginal risk that means a dangerous situation

may be occurred in any time, observed due to

restrictions of maneouvering area. A good manner

and experienced assistance should be provided for

mentioned refinery terminal by masters and

marine pilots. Otherwise, marginal levels can

reach to unpreventable realizations.

Critic

0.6%

Marginal

17.4%

Negligible

82.0%

Fig. 9. Risk Distribution of ES Model

3 0.6% critical levels must be reduced in any case

for safety of navigation and berthing. 0.6% ratio

of critical levels may not be accepted as

preventable and it is seriously taken into project

plan to remove.

4 CONCLUSION

A container terminal installation on a shore structure

brings some additional risks in this port region.

Quantitative analysis of the risks that caused by the

maritime traffic is a considerable tool to measure

safety and determine safety policy of the local area.

Furthermore, separation of negligible or critical risks

is a useful and vital opportunity for masters and

pilots. Research exposed that concerned refinery

terminal manoeuvers reached to 0.6% critical ratio.

Critical ratio introduces risks that must be reduced

mostly and it may cause an accident. 0.6% critical

ratio is lower as an ordinary level that may be

observed in any berth-pier combinations. Absence of

catastrophic ratio indicates that there is no need to

revise project.

Quantitative analysis of maritime traffic risks is

an important part of emergency case plans in a

waterway region. It is expected to apply for the all

ports of Turkiye as well.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The authors would like to thank to Prof Kinzo Inoue

for constructive comments and assistance about ES

Model experiments.

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the Viewpoint of Ship-handling Difficulties, Proceeding of

International Harbour Congress, pp. 203- -214,

September.

Yurtören C & Deniz C. 2006. Research on Effects of Port

Installations to the Vessel Traffic, Shores and Sea Regions

of Turkiye VI. National Congress, pp. 699-709, November.

Inoue K., et al. 1998. Modeling of Mariners' Perception of

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