ADCP's Application to Ocean Current Measurement in Matnog Port

1. Where is Matnog Port

Matnog Port is located in the municipality of Matnog in the province of Sorsogon, Philippines. It is one strategic port serving as one of the country's major gateways for inter-island travel and trade, particularly linkages between the island of Luzon and the Visayas and Mindanao regions.

Scale of Port and Throughput

Given its significance in the transport among regions, the scale is substantial for the port. These cargo ports have great variety: agricultural products, various building materials, and consumer goods, just to name a few. The annual throughput increases due to economic activities taken into account by surrounding areas or greater or lesser trade in specific regions. The current facility has continued to adapt to the latest features necessary for greater vessel capacity, coupled with increased volumes.

Routes and Business

Matnog Port is connected with most domestic ports around the Philippines. It plays an important part of the domestic shipping network in making it possible for the movement from island to island for both man and cargo. Major businesses involve: ferry service for island-to-island passenger and shipment services in cargo. It offers loading and unloading facilities for vessels from small ferries to medium-sized cargo ships. Besides that, it also offers storage facilities for goods in transit and liaises with the relevant authorities for the proper documentation and customs clearances.

Port Management and Operation

The port is managed under the local port authorities that see to it that the port functions well. They are responsible for vessel scheduling, maintenance of the safety and order in the port area, and housekeeping of the port facilities. Standard routine maintenance is performed to the berths, terminals, and other facilities to remain in excellent working condition. They also work with maritime agencies for safety and other related regulatory bodies in the execution of their duties on ensuring safety and control of any eventualities.

Port Facilities

The port has several berths for ships of varying sizes, a waiting area for passengers, a warehouse for cargo, and loading and unloading machinery like cranes and forklifts to transfer the goods. It also offers other ancillary facilities that can provide basic services to the vessels: fueling stations, freshwater supply, waste disposal facilities, and the like. In addition, it has ferry terminals with corresponding passenger boarding and disembarkation facilities.

Channel and Direct Shipping

The port has a well-maintained channel that allows ships to enter and leave the facility safely. The channel's depth and width are monitored and, when necessary, adjusted to ensure that different kinds of vessels pass through without incident. While its main concentration is domestic shipping, it has direct links to major ports in various parts of the country, thus ensuring fast travel and exchange of goods between islands.

2. Why do we need to measure the ocean currents in the Matnog Port?

Ensuring Navigation Safety

It is important to measure the currents of the ocean in Matnog Port to ensure safe navigation of ships. Accurate knowledge of the direction and speed of the currents is very helpful for ship captains and pilots in making proper decisions during their entry or exit from the port at the time of berthing and departure. This decreases the risk of collision with port structures or other vessels, a very important factor since the volume of traffic in and out of the port is very high, both cargo ships and passenger ferries.

Optimizing Port Operations

Current ocean currents will play a significant role in the optimization of port operations, as this would impact things such as scheduling the times of cargo loading and unloading. With different current conditions, the positioning of vessels might have to be readjusted or additional mooring equipment would be used to maintain stability and efficiency of such operations. With the current measurements provided accurately, the flow of goods and vessels in and out can be properly planned and managed by the port operators to minimize delays and maximize productivity.

Knowledge of the nature of ocean currents is important for the long-term development and expansion of ports. Currents can exert strong hydrodynamic forces on structures that may be in a port such as berths and piers. With knowledge of the characteristics of ocean currents, engineers have been able to design better and more efficient port infrastructure resistant to such forces. This will also serve to identify suitable areas for future expansion and improvement that would keep the functionality and sustainability of the port functional in the long term.

Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) is more advanced and convenient in the measurement of ocean currents compared to the conventional methods. It can quickly and precisely give detailed current information at different depths, which are real-time data necessary for the effective operation and growth of Matnog Port.

3. How do ADCPs based on the Doppler principle work?

ADCPs are based on the principle of the Doppler effect. They send out acoustic signals into the water. These acoustic waves interact with the suspended particles or other scattering objects in the water, which are moving along with the ocean current. When these waves are reflected back to the ADCP meter, the frequency of the reflected waves changes because of the Doppler effect.

Thus, precisely observing the frequency shift, this technique can determine the variously stratified velocities of a certain part of an ocean current within the measurement area with greater depths.

ADCP for Port Ocean Currents

Shipborne ADCP

In the case of ships functioning at and around Matnog Port, shipborne ADCPs are installed within those. These emit acoustic signals in multi-directions in a continuous manner on behalf of the running of that ship. It can collect current data at many points along the path the ship travels, thus giving a detailed picture of the distribution of ocean currents over different areas of the port. This gives an immediate overview of the current conditions in a relatively large area where the ship has traveled.

Fixed ADCP

Fixed ADCPs are typically positioned in the seabed at locations that may be considered important within the port, such as berths or critical points in the waterway. They remain fixed in place and continuously measure ocean current conditions at the very point where they are set over relatively long periods. This thus gives consistent and long-term data, which is important in understanding the regular patterns of the currents and their impact on port facilities and operations at those fixed positions.

4. What's needed for high-quality measurement of Matnog port currents?

Material Reliability

For the measurement of ocean currents in Matnog Port, good quality would be enhanced if the equipment used has reliable materials. Considering the harsh marine conditions in which the device would operate, such as saltwater corrosion, different water pressures at different depths, and continuous wave action, the materials used must be able to withstand them all without compromising the performance of the measuring device. For ADCP flow meter casings, a very good material would be the titanium alloy. It provides high strength, which resists the mechanical forces in the marine environment, and excellent corrosion resistance for long life in seawater.

Size, Weight, and Power Consumption

The equipment should also be of small size, lightweight, and low power consumption. A smaller size allows for easier installation in various areas of the port, whether on ships or at fixed locations. Light weight facilitates handling and deployment, while low power consumption makes sure that the equipment can be working continuously without frequent battery replacements or excessive power supply requirement. This is particularly important at a port for long-term or continuous monitoring operations.

Economical

It has to be cost-effective enough to be able to measure on a large scale across the port. Inexpensive enough that several units of it can be deployed in order to gain comprehensive current data from many locations within the port area. This will provide better and more accurate minute details of the general pattern of ocean currents around the vicinity of the Matnog Port.

5. How to Choose the right equipment for current measurement?

Based on the Purpose of the Use

Shipborne ADCP: In case the purpose is to make mobile measurements while the ship is cruising around Matnog Port to acquire a general view of the current situation in various parts of the port as soon as possible, then the shipborne ADCP is the most appropriate device. It will be able to cover larger areas with just the normal operation of the ship itself.

Bottom-mounted ADCP: It is relevant when there is a need for continuous and long-term monitoring of the ocean current at a particular fixed place in the port, for example, near some crucial facility or places where the impacts of currents on structures must be closely monitored. It yields stable and consistent data regarding that particular position over quite an extended period.

Buoy-mounted ADCP: When fixed equipment installation on the seabed or any other structure is not appropriate, buoy-mounted ADCP can be deployed. The buoy-mounted ADCP can measure ocean currents in the upper layers of the water body and wirelessly transmit the data as part of flexible data collection.

Based on Different Frequencies

600 kHz ADCP would generally be quite all right for water depths within 70 meters at the Matnog Port. This can give quite accurate measurement in the ocean current characteristics within this relatively shallow depth range.

When the water depth is about 110 m, 300 kHz ADCP is more suitable for capturing details of the current at this particular depth.

Selection of frequency-75 kHz ADCP: This one is more appropriate for deeper water areas where the water has a depth up to 1000 meters because it goes farther into the water and can reliably give accurate current information.

There exist some very famous brands for ADCPs in the market, such as Teledyne RDI, Nortek, and Sontek. However, one ADCP made from China is recommendable: China Sonar PandaADCP, which produces all titanium alloy material. The cost-performance ratio of this product is amazing. You may learn more about it from its official website: https://china-sonar.com.

Here is a table with some well known ADCP instrument brands and models.