ADCP's Application to Ocean Current Measurement in Sihanoukville Port

1. Where is Sihanoukville Port?

Sihanoukville Port is located on the Gulf of Thailand, in southwestern Cambodia. It is the only deepwater port of Cambodia and has developed into an important maritime gateway of the country. The strategic position of this place gives it easy access to main shipping lanes in the Southeast Asian region and provides it with an important international trading hub. It serves as a vital port in the chain for the imports and exports of Cambodia, hence creating a balance between the country and its regional neighbours in Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia, and global markets within the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Port Size and Cargo Volume

The Sihanoukville Port is a medium-sized port with growth developments to build up its capacity. The port boasts having different berths that provide diversity for a wide range of vessel sizes. Some examples are container ships, bulk carriers, and Ro - Ro vessels. The annual throughputs of the port have developed steadily since sometime. It welcomes cargo of all types, and the port serves as an entrance or exit for goods such as rice, textiles, and building materials. More importantly, due to the increment of Cambodia's economy, a lot of consumer goods and manufactured products have passed through the port in recent years.

Routes and Business

The port has an ever-growing network of shipping routes. It has direct links with big ports in South East Asia such as Laem Chabang in Thailand and Cai Mep - Thi Vai in Vietnam. This allows for effective cargo movement in the region. There are also regular shipping lines to international ports, contributing to Cambodia's participation in global trade. On the commercial side, it operates in the lines of general cargo handling, container transshipment, and Ro-Ro operations. It is also a large facility for storage and distribution, wherein its warehousing facilities are being developed due to the rise in trade volumes.

Port Management and Operation

The port comes under the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port Authority, operating on the basic principles of safety, efficiency, and development. The management undertakes the responsibility of maintaining the port infrastructure involving berths, quays, and storage facilities. This covers international shipping regulations, standards in safety, and environmental protection. The authority of the port cooperates with shipping companies and freight forwarders among others to make the working in the port functional and competitive for more output. Furthermore, upgrading in facilities and services is highly demanded by the current need of the international trade expansion that is underway.

Port Facilities

Sihanoukville Port has facilities capable of handling various cargo and vessel types. There are container-handling cranes that can load and unload containers from ships, though there are ongoing plans to replace them with more modern and efficient ones. For Ro-Ro vessels, it has dedicated ramps and handling areas. In addition, facilities for storage exist, including warehouses for general cargo and open-yard storage for bulk commodities. Basic ship-repair and maintenance facilities exist and are being extended to better service the shipping industry.

Waterways and Direct Navigation

Sihanoukville Port appears to have good approaches and waterways that are safe for vessels. The port has a properly marked channel, and in aid of the approach, buoys and lighthouses have also been installed. It has direct access to the Gulf of Thailand, from where vessels can easily link up with the global shipping network.

2. Why is it important to measure ocean currents in Sihanoukville Port?

Navigation Safety

Another very important aspect of understanding ocean currents at Sihanoukville Port from the point of view of navigation safety is appropriate. Currents within the Gulf of Thailand are controlled by tidal effects, monsoonal winds, and circulation of water masses within the South China Sea. Most of these current effects will raise vessel movement considerably, especially while berthing or unberthing and navigating in channels of a port. It would provide valuable information to captains of ships upon making decisions for course correction which can save vessels from further collisions or even grounding.

Optimization of Port Operations

Ocean current data is among the most essential aspects that come into consideration while optimizing port operations. Where the vessels have to berth, their directions and strength of flow should be noted. A high-strength current would obviously render the berthing more cumbersome and time-consuming. In this context, proper current measurement will facilitate a plan on which times the vessel maneuvers could best take place, resource planning optimized, and hence general efficiency enhancement in the handling of cargoes. Currents affect not only vessels but also all other port-related craft, like tugboats and floating cranes. Knowledge of these and other factors enhances safety and efficiency.

Environmental Protection

Measuring currents is of very great importance in the interest of environmental protection in the port area. Currents play a very important role in the dispersal of pollutants. In case of an oil spill or discharge of other hazardous substances, the current patterns allow predictions on the spread of the contaminants. This allows environmental managers to take appropriate precautions and cleaning-up actions in time, saving the sensitive marine ecosystem of the Gulf of Thailand and the coastal areas around.

Regarding this, Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) is an effective and reliable tool in measuring Sihanoukville Port for its ocean currents accurately down to a high level of precision in real time.

3. How do Doppler Principle-based ADCPs work?

Measurement Principle

The ADCPs make use of the principle of the Doppler effect. When an ADCP current meter sends an acoustic signal through the water column, the sound waves of that signal run into suspended particles in the water-sediment or small organisms, for example. As those particles are moved by the water current, the frequency of the reflected sound waves returning to the ADCP is different than the frequency of the originally transmitted sound. The ADCP measures the change in frequency, a phenomenon called the Doppler shift. Applying the Doppler equation, the instrument can determine the velocity of the water current at different depths within the water column.

Specific Methods in Port Current Measurement

• Ship-borne ADCP: A ship-borne ADCP is mounted on a moving vessel. As the ship travels through the water in Sihanoukville Port, the ADCP current profiler can measure the current velocity at multiple depths along the ship's track. This method is useful for obtaining a broad - scale view of the current conditions in the port, which is helpful for large - scale navigation planning.
• Fixed ADCP: The fixed ADCPs are fixed in certain locations in the port at either the seabed or on fixed structures above water, like pier or buoy installations. Such an ADCP can continuously monitor the current conditions at some point over a long period of time and thus supplies valuable data on the long-term trends and local variations of the currents.

4. What's needed for high-quality measurement of Sihanoukville Port currents?

Equipment Reliability

A major factor for a good quality of current measurement at the waters of Sihanoukville Port is reliability. The high salinity, along with the tropic weather of the Gulf of Thailand, demands that the ADCP flow meter be put up with very strenuous conditions without breaking down now and then. This will definitely give them the reliability they need to consistently provide data to be analyzed for subsequent decision-making.

Size, Weight, and Power Consumption

The ADCP must be compact in size and lightweight. This is easy to install, particularly where space is very limited, as may be experienced with small vessels locally or even within confined port structures. The other important aspect is low power consumption, enabling it to operate for a long period, especially fixed-installation ADCPs, which may rely on battery-powered or solar-powered systems.

Cost-effectiveness

Cost: The ADCP meter must be affordable to facilitate large-scale measurement within the port area. An affordable ADCP will enable one to deploy more units if it is necessary and obtain comprehensive data on currents throughout the port from different parts of the port.

Material Selection

The casing of the ADCP profiler shall be fabricated from a material that is preferably of titanium alloy. This has good resistance to corrosion and should enable it for long-term usage inside the marine environment of the Gulf of Thailand. In addition, it should also be robust enough and of lighter weight so that both strength and installation may easily be accommodated.

5. How to Choose the Right Equipment for Current Measurement?

Based on Usage

• Ship-borne ADCP: Most suited for extensive surveys of the port area. If a ship is to rapidly investigate the current conditions over considerable areas, it must be equipped with a ship-borne ADCP.
• Sit-on-bottom ADCP: This type is ready for long-term measurements at fixed positions in the port area, for example, near the entrance or close to berths.
• Buoy-mounted ADCP: Especially useful for shallow water data but also in an area where the fixed-bottom mount is not workable.

Based on Frequency

• From 70 m water depth or less, frequency of 600kHz
• For water around 110 meters, a good choice is using an ADCP with 300kHz.
• For deeper than that, take a 75kHz ADCP.

Among popular ADCPs that flood the markets today are brands of Teledyne RDI, Nortek, and Sontek. For more of a cheaper quality but very well quality counterpart from China is an excellent one for consideration. A highly suggested all-titanium alloy type brand is that which China's PandaADCP boasts. Made wholly of a metal alloy titanium variety, its expected performance on waters is fantastic at a tremendous price-performance ratio. You can visit their website at https://china-sonar.com/ for more information.

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