ADCP's Application to Ocean Current Measurement in Tangier - Med Port

1. Where is Tangier - Med Port?

Tangier - Med Port is located along the northern coastline of Morocco and near the Strait of Gibraltar. It is a strategic port serving as one of the most vital entrance gates between Europe and Africa.

Port Scale and Throughput

Tangier - Med Port is among the largest in Africa. It consists of an extended structure with a total of several berths. It is a high-capacity port with the ability to handle a large volume of containers, bulk cargo, and liquid bulk. During these years, its annual throughput has increased step by step. Thus, it plays a very important role in Morocco's economy and even in regional trade. The container throughput it handles has positioned it among the leading in the African continent and ensured the easy movement of goods between the African interior and the international markets.

Routes and Business

The port has a great network of shipping routes. It's a key stop for vessels moving between Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. It offers services to several cargo groups, which include general cargo, automobiles, and energy-related products. Several large shipping lines operate regular services at the port of Tangier-Med. It has direct links with main European ports like Rotterdam, Antwerp, and Hamburg, thus offering smooth trade. It is also increasingly playing an important role in the automotive sector, with car manufacturers using it as a place of distribution for their products to African and European markets.

Management and Operations of the Port

The management of the port is professionally handled through a team that ensures operations are very efficient. It has modern terminal management systems which take care of vessel traffic, handling cargo, and storing it in facilities. The port authority is concerned with safety, security, and environmental protection. It follows international standards in port operations, such as the ISPS Code, to protect ships and cargo against any threats. The existing port facilities are regularly maintained and refurbished to keep them in an exemplary state.

Port Facilities

Tangier-Med Port boasts state-of-the-art facilities. Large container terminals have been developed with high-capacity cranes in order to handle the largest container ships; modern bulk cargo terminals boast modern loading and unloading equipment, which includes conveyor belts and grab cranes. There also exist liquid bulk terminals with storage tanks and pipelines for handling petroleum products and chemicals. There are enormous warehousing facilities for various types of cargo at the port, which range from short-term to long-term storage. In addition to storage, the port provides repair and maintenance facilities, including dry docks and workshops, for ships.

Channels and Direct Navigation

The port has well-maintained channels. The main shipping channel is deep enough to handle vessels of large draft. There are regular dredging operations to maintain the depth of the channel suitable for the increasing size of ships. In terms of direct voyages, as said before, it has direct connections with major European and Middle Eastern ports. These direct routes cut down on the transit times and costs for shippers, making Tangier - Med Port a popular choice for international trade.

2. Why do we need to measure the ocean currents in Tangier - Med Port?

It will be very important for different kinds of reasons, the measurement of ocean current at Tangier-Med-Port.

Safety of Vessel Operations

Accurate knowledge of ocean currents helps in ensuring the safety of ships entering and leaving the port. Currents can affect a ship's speed, direction, and maneuverability. For example, strong cross - currents can push a ship off - course during berthing or unberthing operations. By measuring the currents, pilots can better predict the forces acting on the ship and make more informed decisions, reducing the risk of collisions with other vessels, port structures, or shorelines.

Efficiency in cargo handling: Currents can affect cargo stability while loading and unloading. Sometimes, when a current is not correctly allowed for, it may interfere with the proper alignment of the cargo handling equipment and the ship's hold. In effect, this results in delays to cargo operations. The measurement of currents enables port operators to plan cargo handling activities at the best available times when the currents are more favorable, hence increasing efficiency.

Environmental Protection Understanding the ocean currents helps in making good predictions of the spread of pollutants in case of an accidental spill. Tangier - Med Port handles a variety of cargo, including chemicals and petroleum products. Knowledge of the current patterns in case of a spill will contribute to rapid responses in deploying contingency plans, like containment booms, so as to minimize environmental damage.

These have become considerably more efficient with the advent of ADCP to measure such ocean currents. Real time, high-resolution data will greatly enhance this area of work to attain more appropriate, timely decisions about the operations in that port.

3. How do Doppler principle employing ADCPs work?

ADCP Measurement Principle

The operating principle for the ADCP can be done through what is commonly called the Doppler principle. A reflected acoustic wave from the ADCP transducer against moving water particles is a function of change in frequency. The reflected wave shows a frequency higher than that emitted when the water particles are moving towards the transducer; it is termed as blue - shift, whereas the frequency of the reflected wave will be lower, known as red - shift, when it moves away from the transducer. It is this frequency shift that the ADCP measures to calculate the velocity of the water particles.

Ship - borne ADCP

A ship - borne ADCP is installed on a vessel. While the ship is in motion through the water, the ADCP can measure the currents at different depths. The ship's motion needs to be compensated for to measure the water currents accurately. This is usually accomplished by utilizing additional sensors on the vessel, such as a gyrocompass to measure the heading of the vessel and a motion sensor to measure its pitch and roll. The ship-borne ADCP is able to cover a large area of the port, providing a comprehensive view of the current patterns.

Fixed ADCP

An ADCP fixed can be installed on the seabed, on a pier in water at a selected site in a port area where the currents measured will be permanently. Fixed ADCP are useful when studying long-time characteristics in general for real-time monitoring of currents around key points like along-structure berths, major shipping lanes within a terminal, or anchoring areas.

4. What is needed for good quality measurement of the currents of Tangier - Med Port?

Reliability of Equipment

The ADCP equipment shall be highly reliable for the measurement of current with high quality in Tangier - Med Port. The marine environment has a lot of interference factors: saltwater corrosion, high and powerful waves, temperature fluctuations, and so on that may damage this equipment. For this reason, the materials of the ADCP should be resistant to the above conditions.

Small Size, Light Weight, and Low Power Consumption

The ADCP will be compact, with a small size and lightweight. This will make installation quite easy whether ship-borne or fixed-type ADCPs are considered. A small size reduces the impact of the equipment on the flow of water around it, hence minimizing measurement errors. Low power consumption is essential, particularly for fixed -type ADCPs that might have to operate over long periods with only battery power or restricted power supply from shore-based sources.

Low Cost

The ADCP is to be low cost to enable extensive measurement in the port, allowing several units to be deployed to cover different areas of the port for a broader understanding of the current pattern.

Titanium Alloy Casing

Therefore, the ADCP casing is preferable in titanium alloy. Advantages of the choice of this very material include, firstly, extremely high corrosion resistance in conditions of prolonged work in the saltwater media. At the same time, in comparison with the rest of non-corrosion materials like stainless steel, it is moderately light and corresponding to the demand on lightweight equipment. At the same time, having good corrosion resistance, this alloy possesses an exceptionally high level of strength required by ADCP in a number of impacts due to sea condition changes.

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

Based on Usage

Ship - borne ADCP

As said already, if the objective is to map the current patterns over a large area of the port during a short period, then a ship - borne ADCP shall serve the purpose. It can be deployed quickly on any vessel and moved around the port to collect data.

Bottom - mounted (Sit - on - the - bottom) ADCP

A bottom - mounted ADCP is suitable for long - term monitoring at a particular location. If for example continuous monitoring of the currents near a particular berth or in a section of the shipping channel is required, a bottom - mounted ADCP can be installed on the seabed.

Buoy - type ADCP

Buoy - type ADCP is good for the measurement of currents in areas where fixed installation is not possible, or if the data is to be obtained at the water surface. It can be deployed in open areas of the port or in areas where strong current flow could render the installation of a bottom - mounted ADCP difficult.

Based on Frequency

The choice of frequency also depends on the water depth. Where the water depths are less than 70m, an ADCP of 600kHz is ideal. It will provide high-resolution data in shallow waters. Where the water depths go up to 110m, a 300kHz ADCP is a better option. For a water depth of about 1000m, a 75kHz ADCP is recommended.

There are several known ADCP brands in the market, like Teledyne RDI, Nortek, and Sontek. However, for people seeking cost-effectiveness with good quality, China Sonar PandaADCP will be a good alternative brand. It comes with all-titanium alloy material, which will provide good resistance to corrosion and wear. With its incredible cost - performance ratio, it is an ideal option for ocean current measurement in Tangier - Med Port. 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.