ADCP's Application to Ocean Current Measurement in Umm Qasr Port

1. Where is Umm Qasr Port?

It is located in southern Iraq, near the border with Kuwait. The port city is situated at the head of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, where they empty into the Arabian Gulf. It therefore serves as Iraq's main seaport, handling the majority of the country's imports and exports.

Scale and Throughput of the Port

Umm Qasr Port is a mega port with tremendous capacity. This terminal contains a number of berths whose facilities range in capacity, able to accommodate a vessel for carrying general cargo up to the biggest container carrier vessel. Over recent years, yearly throughput through this port has demonstrated gradual growth-the reflection of Iraq's recovery and trade growth in the country. The shipment it deals in varies widely: from consumer goods to construction/industrial cargo. Because Iraq is an oil-based economy, it also tends to play its role in transporting oil-related equipment and supplies.

Routes and Business

It has well-developed shipping routes that connect the country to different major ports across the globe. It has direct shipping lines in the Middle East to ports at Dubai, Jebel Ali, and Salalah. There are also international routes to Asia, Europe, and Africa. These routes are very important for Iraq to import goods that are not produced locally and also to export its products, especially those related to oil. The port is also involved in the trans-shipment business, serving as a regional hub for the movement of goods between different parts of the world.

Port Management and Operation

The port operates under the authority of the Umm Qasr Port Authority, in accord with a set of rules and regulations that were formulated to steer its operations. Management is charged with the whole structure of the port, comprising berths, quays, and storage facilities. The administrative functions related to customs clearance, security, and coordination with shipping companies are entrusted to the management. The Authority cooperates with several parties-government agencies, shipping lines, and freight forwarders-to develop efficiency and competitiveness in the port.

Port Facilities

Umm Qasr Port is a modern facility with all the facilities that can handle different types of cargo. Various cranes, including container and general-purpose cranes, are capable of doing the job efficiently in vessel loading and unloading. Then there are storage areas including warehouses for dry goods and open-air yards for bulk commodities and oversized cargo. The port has facilities for handling liquid cargo, such as oil and chemicals, with dedicated pipelines and storage tanks.

Waterways and Direct Navigation

Waterways to Umm Qasr Port are kept safe for navigation. The port has a channel that is constantly dredged, keeping it appropriate for big vessels. There are navigational aids like buoys and lighthouses to guide vessels during their approach to the port. Umm Qasr Port has direct navigational access to the Arabian Gulf, hence access to the intercontinental shipping network.

2. Why shall we measure ocean current in the port of Umm Qasr?

Navigational safety

Accurate knowledge of ocean currents in Umm Qasr Port is very important to ensure navigation safety. Current patterns in the Arabian Gulf are complicated and diverse, depending on tides, wind, and interaction of water masses. The currents can impact vessel movement during berthing, unberthing, and while navigating through channels. Measuring the ocean currents will enable masters of vessels to predict their vessels' behavior better, adjust speeds and courses accordingly, and therefore avoid collisions or grounding.

This would mean that ocean currents are important for the optimization of operations in ports. During the berthing of vessels, for instance, the direction and strength of the current have to be put into consideration. A strong current can make the process of berthing more cumbersome and time-consuming. With correct and accurate measurement of current, therefore, port operators can plan the best times of vessel maneuvers, effectively allocate resources, and maintain high levels of efficiency in cargo handling activities. Currents also affect the motion of port-related craft, including tugboats and floating cranes, and the understanding of such factors can increase safety and efficiency of operations.

Environmental Protection

One of the major activities that enforce environmental protection in the port area is the measurement of ocean currents. Currents are a major carrier of pollutants. In the event of an oil spill or other hazardous substances, knowledge of the current patterns will enable forecasting of the spread of the contaminants. This will allow timely preventive measures and cleanup by environmental managers to protect the sensitive marine ecosystem of the Arabian Gulf and the surrounding coastal areas.

The Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) has become indispensable in the Umm Qasr Port due to its highly precise and real-time data output in ocean current measurements.

3. How do the ADCPs Using the Doppler Principle Work?

Measurement Principle

The operation of ADCPs is based on the principle behind the Doppler effect. When an ADCP current meter sends an acoustic signal into the water column, the sound waves interact with in-water suspended particles, such as sediment or small organisms. Since the movement of these particles occurs with the current, the reflected frequency of the sound waves back to the ADCP varies from the original frequency it transmitted. This frequency shift, now called the Doppler shift, is measured by the ADCP. By using the Doppler equation, the instrument calculates the velocity of the water current at various depths in the water column.

Application-specific methods in port current measurement

Ship-borne ADCP: The ship-borne ADCP is installed on a moving vessel. As the ship travels in the water at Umm Qasr Port, the ADCP measures the velocity of the current at different levels of depth and records the track of the ship. This is a beneficial method to provide the broad-scale view of present conditions in a port. Thus, it serves to map the general current pattern in different parts of the port, which has applicability on large-scale for navigation planning.

Fixed ADCP: Fixed ADCPs are those which are installed in some specific locations in the port, either on the seabed or fixed above the water surface, like on piers or buoys.

These ADCPs can monitor current conditions of a particular point continuously over a longer period. That will serve to achieve an understanding of the long-term trends and local variations of the currents in places like near the berths, in narrow channels, or at critical navigation points in Umm Qasr Port.

4. What is required for good quality measurement of currents in Umm Qasr Port?

Reliability of Equipment

The ADCP current profiler equipment has to be highly reliable for high-quality current measurement at Umm Qasr Port. The harsh marine environment from the Arabian Gulf includes high salinity, high temperatures, and the possibility of being exposed to sand and dust-all these call for resistance by the ADCP without any breakdowns happening all the time. Reliable equipment provides consistent data; such is required for analyses and decision-making.

Size, Weight, and Power Consumption

The ADCP flow meter shall be compact in size and lightweight.

This facilitates installation, as in many situations, space might be limited on small local vessels or in the confined structure of a port.

Another important aspect is low power consumption, which enables operation over a long duration, especially for fixed installation ADCPs that will have to be dependent on battery-powered or solar-powered systems. In the Umm Qasr Port case, where continuous monitoring is usually required, the low-power-consumption ADCPs could go longer periods without frequent recharging or replacement of the power sources.

Cost-effectiveness

Since the ADCP meter price is to be within reason for making wide measurements inside the port, an inexpensive ADCP will, of course, allow several deployments wherever needed in the area with the benefit of having full current data from multiple parts of the port. It is rather crucial in order to have a thorough picture of Umm Qasr Port's currents, hence applications range from navigation safety down to environmental protection.

Material Selection

The casing of the ADCP profiler shall preferably be in Titanium alloy.

The Titanium alloy possesses excellent corrosion resistance, which will be quite critical for long-term use in salty and harsh environments such as that of the Arabian Gulf. This will withstand corrosive saltwater and abrasive sand over a period of time for the durability of the ADCP. Besides, titanium alloy is strong yet lightweight to meet the requirements of both structural integrity and ease of installation.

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

Based on Usage

• Ship-borne ADCP: Suitable for large-scale surveys of the port area. When a ship needs to quickly assess the current conditions over a wide range, a ship-borne ADCP is the best choice. Larger vessels, like container ships or oil tankers using Umm Qasr Port, may gather data as they move through it, thus giving real-time information on the conditions currently faced in their route.
• Sit-on-bottom ADCP: this type of ADCP would be suitable for long-term monitoring of specific locations in the port. For instance, near the entrance of the port, a channel where the current may be of more influence for navigation, or near a berth where the current is of importance for the vessel berthing operation, a sit-on-bottom ADCP can be placed on the seabed to record current data continuously.
• Buoy-mounted ADCP: This is useful in the acquisition of data at the water surface and for areas beyond the reach of fixed-bottom installation. In the Arabian Gulf near Umm Qasr Port, the areas could have strong tidal currents, or the bottom conditions might not be suitable for mounting the ADCPs from the bottom; in that case, a buoy-mounted ADCP should be installed. It can drift with the current, concurrently delivering information on the surface-layer currents.

Based on Frequency

For water depths within 70m, an ADCP of frequency 600kHz will be suitable. In Umm Qasr Port, large areas-areas near the shoreline and some inner-port channels - have water depth within this range. A 600kHz ADCP will provide high-resolution data for those shallow-water areas and enable very detailed analysis of the current conditions.

The ADCP 300kHz is appropriate for water depths of up to 110m. This equipment can be deployed in the middle-depth areas of the port, including some of the main shipping channels where it isn't that deep yet very good accuracy is still needed for the current measurement.

For the deeper water areas in the Arabian Gulf, the 75kHz ADCP will be appropriate, which can handle current measurement water depths up to 1000m.

A few of the well-known ADCP brands on the market are Teledyne RDI, Nortek, and Sontek. However, for those seeking a cost-effective and high-quality option, the Chinese brand China Sonar PandaADCP is highly recommended.

It is made of all-titanium alloy material, ensuring excellent durability in the marine environment, and offers an incredible cost-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.