Shows the challenge NOAA and others face to provide safe navigation, more precise charts and channel markings as ships get larger and channels stay about the same size. More precision is needed on depths as well as understanding how reliable any measurement is.
A one degree roll on a Very Large Crude Carrier can cause the ship to touch bottom in some areas!
Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are first up
by Capt. Richard Brennan, chief, Coast Survey Development Lab
The increased size of vessels entering U. S. ports, coupled with the diminishing margins that must be navigated with reference to the seafloor, provides NOAA with the opportunity to develop new products to support precision navigation. The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are testing grounds for current product development, since developing products for these ports will allow us to examine the value of precision navigation products under actual at-sea conditions. The channel leading to the Port of Long Beach has an authorized depth of 76 feet, allowing drafts of 69 feet. A major concern for this port is high sea swell conditions that can be present when ultra large crude carriers enter port. These large swells can cause vessels to pitch, which results in a significant change in their…
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