Page 19: of Marine Technology Magazine (November 2019)

oastal ? ooding disasters navigation gates hold the largest engi-

CONTROL have occurred periodically neering challenge, balancing demands through history often fol- for the widest possible gate opening,

Clowed by construction of against cost and engineering to develop ? ood defenses to help ensure it does an economically viable barrier design.

not happen again. One of the most The largest storm surge navigation well known was the 1953 North Sea gate is Maeslant Barrier in the Neth-

POWER

REACTION

Flood in the Netherlands when a storm erlands at 1,200 ft wide as a single surge occurred on top of astronomical sector gate comprised of two rotating high tides causing thousands of deaths, ? oating sector leaves. St. Petersburg property and economic damages. The has a similar ? oating sector gate 650 ft

Dutch and UK reacted and increased wide. New Bedford also has a sector construction of sea defenses including gate 150 ft wide, but the gate leaves are storm surge barriers, such as the Delta on wheels. The Bubba Dove ? oodgate

Works and River Thames barriers. In in Louisiana uses a ? oating barge gate the US the New Bedford/Fairhaven 250 ft wide and is reported to have been port was severely ? ooded by hurricanes one one-third the cost of a sector gate. in 1938 and 1954 causing $8.3 million A similar ? oating barge gate has been in damages, which lead to the construc- proposed for the Galveston navigation

Motion tion of the New Bedford Hurricane gate, 787 ft wide. Some of the existing

Barrier in 1962 by the Army Corps of navigation gates in exposed waters are

Engineers at a cost of $18.6 million. around 40% wider that the ship beam,

Evolution

The Army Corps project summary while lock type gates in protected wa- notes that this barrier has since pre- ters with alignment fendering may only

It takes superior senses to thrive vented $24.1 million in ? ood damages be 6% wider that the ship beam. A in the marine world. We’re (to 2011), and properties within the recent concept for a storm surge bar- constantly evolving with cutting protected area are no longer required to rier across the outer harbor islands in edge research and development, purchase FEMA ? ood insurance. The Boston uses redundant multiple navi- bringing inertial sensing products

Port of New Bedford does emphasize gation gates, with some separation, and they are one of the safest ports of the PIANC guidelines suggest 380 ft wide to your marine application.

eastern seaboard with the storm and navigation openings for 140 ft beam ? ood protection provided by the hur- vessels (170% wider than the ship

FOG GRADE PERFORMANCE ricane barrier. beam).

COMPACT, ROBUST

More recently, Hurricane Ike caused With the heightened concerns about

AND RELIABLE storm surge damage to Galveston in sea level rise, perhaps more frequent 2008 and a feasibility study is under- severe storm surges and the severe

QUALITY TECHNICAL SUPPORT way by the Army Corps of Engineers, economic damages caused by coastal

DURING INTEGRATION with an Ike Dike concept design being ? ooding, there does appear to be in-

COST-EFFECTIVE advanced by Texas A&M University. creasing interest in and demand for

NAVIGATION CORE

Similar concepts for a hurricane surge storm surge barriers. The possibility of protection barrier are being progressed a large, once in a lifetime, infrastruc-

IDEAL WHERE for the New York-New Jersey Harbor in ture funding bill by the federal govern-

SPACE IS AT A the wake of Hurricane Sandy, with the ment has also primed the pumps to have

PREMIUM most feasible barrier connecting Long these storm surge barriers advanced to

Island to Sandy Hook. Common to at least feasibility level. This can be a the existing and proposed storm surge signi? cant bene? t for ports, with the barriers are three main elements: dike; opportunity to market enhanced cargo tidal ? ow gates and navigation gates. safety that may not be offered by com-

The dike and tidal ? ow gates are exist- peting ports. However, these structures ing traditional engineering technology, will need to be well designed, with aided in the modern age with computer adequate clearances and approach fen- modelling of the harbor to size and dering for safe vessel passage, with al- locate the tidal ? ow gates to maintain lowances for future ship size increases water quality and to minimize current (width and depth), and unknown future velocity at the navigation gates. The sea level rise. www.marinetechnologynews.com

MTR #9 (18-33).indd 19 12/2/2019 12:24:46 PM