ADCP's Application to Ocean Current Measurement in the Port of Ashdod

Explore Ashdod Port's location, importance of current measurement, and how ADCP functions and is selected. Learn about using ADCP for accurate ocean current measurement in the port.

1. Where is the Port of Ashdod?

The Port of Ashdod is in the city of Ashdod, Israel, facing the Mediterranean Sea, and it is a key facility in the maritime field.

Port Scale and Throughput

The port is of considerable scale, with heavy infrastructure for handling high-volume cargo. It is a high-throughput port handling a wide variety of cargoes such as containers, bulk cargo of coal and grains, and different liquid cargoes. It plays a major role in the international trade of Israel, having connections with several European, Asian, and African destinations. The capacity and efficiency of the port have been developed on a continuous basis to keep pace with the growing demands of the shipping industry.

Routes and Business

Ashdod Port is part of a wide-ranging network of shipping routes. It has regular links with other ports in the Mediterranean Basin, for example, Italy, Spain, and Greece. In Asia, it is connected to ports in Turkey and the Arabian Peninsula. The business operations are mainly based on container handling, which is a major constituent of its trade activities. It is also involved in the import and export of industrial products, agricultural produce, and energy resources. The port activities have far-reaching implications in the local and regional economies.

Management and Operation of the Port

The port is run by professional personnel. They manage all aspects of the port, including making available berthing for various classes of vessels and coordinating cargo to ensure loaded/unloaded cargo. The management sees that the port area maintains complete security and safety under liaison with customs and other various forces involved. They have put it under continuous development in strengthening infrastructure to make the port very competitive.

Port Facilities

The port has modern and efficient facilities. There are several berths with various depths and lengths to receive bigger container vessels down to small cargo ships. Modern cargo - handling equipment is used at the port, which includes cranes for container lifting and conveyor systems for bulk cargo. There are extensive warehousing facilities to store different types of cargo. In addition, it has facilities for ship repair and maintenance and terminals for liquid cargo handling with appropriate storage and transfer systems.

Channel and Direct Navigation

The port has a well-maintained channel through which ships can safely enter and leave the port. Regular dredging is done on the channel to maintain the correct depth in order to facilitate ships of various drafts. It also has different navigation aids like buoys, lighthouses, and radar systems that guide ships during approach and departure. This allows direct navigation for vessels coming from different directions in the Mediterranean Sea.

2. Why are the ocean currents in the Port of Ashdod to be measured?

Navigation Safety

The measurement of ocean currents in the Port of Ashdod is a very serious issue concerning ship safety. Knowledge of current patterns enables vessels to navigate more safely, especially in the busy and complex shipping environment of the Mediterranean. Unpredictable or strong currents present a high risk to the ships that could result in collisions or grounding. By having accurate current data, ships can adjust their speed and course to avoid such hazards.

Efficient Port Operations

It also helps in efficient port operations. The knowledge of the ocean currents makes for better scheduling of arrival and departure of ships. It can utilize the favorable current to reduce fuel consumption in the actual docking and undocking processes. These can lead to better utilization of port resources and lesser waiting for the ships, hence greater productivity of the port.

Environmental Protection

From an environmental point of view, the measurement of current is important. Currents can have a great impact on the dispersion of pollutants such as oil spills or wastewater discharges. In the event of an accident, knowing the current patterns enables more effective containment and clean - up strategies. This helps to minimize the environmental damage to the marine ecosystem and the adjacent coastal areas.

Infrastructure Maintenance

Current data is an important input for long-term planning and maintenance of port infrastructures, like breakwaters and quay walls, since ocean currents exert forces on these structures that can cause wear and tear over time. Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) represents a more sophisticated and convenient way to measure ocean currents compared with traditional methods; it provides detailed real-time information about current profiles at different depths.

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

ADCPs operate on the basis of the Doppler principle. They emit acoustic signals into the water. Due to the interaction of these acoustic waves with moving particles in the water, for example, sediment particles, plankton, or other small organisms carried by the ocean current, the frequency of the reflected waves is changed. The shift in frequency, known as the Doppler shift, is directly related to the velocity of the moving particles and thus directly related to the velocity of the ocean current.

These acoustic signals are usually emitted and received by several transducers set up on ADCPs, oriented in different directions. The ADCP measures the Doppler shift from multiple directions, normally in a three - dimensional or two-dimensional configuration, to obtain the speed and direction of the ocean current at various depths.

ADCP in Port Ocean Current Measurement: Shipborne ADCP

Shipborne ADCPs are installed on vessels. The ADCP current meter continuously sends acoustic signals downward and around as the ship moves through the water. It collects data on the current velocity as the ship traverses different areas of the port. The advantage of this method is its mobility, allowing for a wide range of measurements within the port waters. However, it is necessary to account for the ship's own motion to obtain accurate results. It is appropriately calibrated and compensated for using methods to correct for the errors induced by the ship's movement.

Fixed ADCP

Fixed ADCPs are deployed at fixed locations around the port, on the seabed or on fixed structures such as piers or buoys, to continuously monitor the ocean current at that fixed point for an extended period. This provides long-term and consistent data to understand the regular current patterns in a specific area of the port. The disadvantage is that they only cover a limited area around their installation location, but they are very useful in establishing reference current data for particular regions within the port.

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

Reliable Equipment Materials

For high - quality measurement of ocean currents in the Port of Ashdod, the equipment materials must be reliable. Given the corrosive nature of seawater and the potential for impacts from floating debris, a durable material is essential. The equipment should be able to withstand the harsh Mediterranean marine environment and maintain its performance over time.

Compact and Lightweight Design

Smaller-sized equipment in order to ensure installation is easy, particularly at instances where space is limited like on small buys and in regions containing a lot of complicated structures underwater. Also, lightweight would be conducive as it makes the work of installation and maintenance pretty simple.

Low Power Consumption

The consumption of low power is also very important, especially in long - term monitoring. Equipment with a high power requirement may have certain difficulties in keeping continuous operation because there are only limited power supply options in the port area or frequent replacements of batteries are required.

Cost-Effectiveness

Cost-effectiveness is another consideration: For instance, equipment priced to buy permits more widespread deployment for full current measurement now in the port, leading to a far better understanding of the current conditions throughout the waters of the entire port.

The casing is preferably made from a titanium alloy. For this purpose, titanium alloy is very resistant to corrosion in seawater, which can ensure the service life of the equipment. It is also relatively strong yet light and can withstand high pressures at greater depths without adding too much weight to the device. Besides, its biocompatibility means that it will not cause adverse effects on the marine environment or interfere with the acoustic signals used by the ADCP profiler.

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

Based on Usage Purpose

  • Shipborne ADCP: In the case of needing current data over a broad area of the port where the ship is supposed to work, such as during routine port surveys or even collection of data for the update of navigational charts, ADCPs are ideal for mounting on ships. They cover different areas of the port as the ship moves.
  • Bottom-mounted (Sitting) ADCP: When long - term and fixed - point monitoring of specific locations within the port is required, such as near critical infrastructure like breakwaters or at the entrance of the port channel, bottom - mounted ADCPs are suitable. They provide stable and continuous data for understanding the local current characteristics.
  • Buoy-mounted ADCP: Buoy-mounted ADCPs come in where fixing equipment on the seabed or on structures is not convenient or a floating monitoring point has to be had in order to capture the current condition on the surface and near-surface.

Based on Different Frequencies

  • For water depth within 70m, a 600kHz ADCP will often be a good option. This would provide a relatively high resolution for current profiles in shallower areas, hence being suitable for most areas of the port that may not have extremely deep water levels, such as near quay walls or inner harbors.
  • With water depths up to 110m, it is appropriate to use a 300kHz ADCP. It can penetrate through the water column of this much depth and measure the current velocities with great accuracy.
  • For deeper areas, like the approach channel of the port where the water depth may be over 1000m, a 75kHz ADCP is recommended. Its lower frequency allows it to reach greater depths and still obtain useful current information.

There are well-known ADCP brands such as Teledyne RDI, Nortek, and Sontek. However, for those who want a cost-effective option with great quality, the China Sonar PandaADCP should not be left out. This all-titanium alloy material combines durability with good performance. With an amazing cost-to-performance ratio, it stands to be an excellent option for ocean current measurement in the Port of Ashdod. You can learn more about it on its official website: (https://china-sonar.com/).

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

Brand model
Teledyne RDI Ocean Surveyor ADCP, Pinnacle ADCP, Sentinel V ADCP, Workhorse II Monitor ADCP, Workhorse II Sentinel ADCP, Workhorse II Mariner ADCP, Workhorse Long Ranger ADCP, RiverPro ADCP, RiverRay ADCP, StreamPro ADCP, ChannelMaster ADCP, etc.
NORTEK Eco, Signature VM Ocean, Signature ADCP, AWAC ADCP, Aquadopp Profiler, etc.
SonTek  SonTek-RS5, SonTek-M9, SonTek-SL, SonTek-IQ, etc.
China Sonar PandaADCP-DR-600K, PandaADCP-SC-300K, PandaADCP-DR-300K, PandaADCP-SC-600K, PandaADCP-DR-75K-PHASED, etc.
Jack Law November 6, 2024
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