Port Management and Operations
Port activity at world level is showing an increasing trend in the movement of goods, the use of increasingly large ships for their transport which will require more unloading and manoeuvring areas. This means that increasingly large port projects are projected, moving towards external coastal areas, and therefore, being exposed to the complex, variable, and severe action of environmental conditions.
This means that there is a rethinking in the way of planning the construction process of new port infrastructures, and in the traditional management in the daily work of operating existing infrastructures. Therefore, the port builder/manager must know and manage increasingly complex and costly processes in relation to the movement of goods and the management of machinery on site, and must prioritize the establishment of optimum safety thresholds for personnel and labour in the establishment of optimum safety thresholds.
At IHCantabria we provide the port manager/builder with a series of methodologies and operational systems, adapted to the daily management of activities related to port works and operation.
Methodology
We develop operational port management systems that integrate the variables of the physical environment, their interaction with port infrastructures, port operations and the safe conditions for said operations in the form of operational thresholds.
We Combine the use of experimental techniques, numerical and onsite measurements to develop smart port management systems that allow improving port management systems.
We study and optimize the different operating thresholds associated with each of the links in the logistics chain, port activities or construction processes in port environments.
We develope operational systems to aid in the construction of ports that integrate the variables of the physical environment with changing port configurations as construction work progresses, as well as optimizing highly specialized resources that can only be safely used under highly specific operating windows.
We carry out complete adaptability of the various tools to the construction and/or port management resources and processes in order to reliably and realistically obtain the products demanded.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Development of specific climate services for ports
Capacity and demand studies of port terminals
Navigation route analysis
Effect of climate change on port management and operations
Development of operational systems for port management and operations
Development of tools to aid in decision making (DSS, Decision support systems)
Oil spill warning systems
SIGNIFICANT PROJECTS
ALGECIRAS S@FEPORT
MANAGEMENT OF OCEANIC-METEOROLOGICAL RISKS IN PORT ENVIRONMENTS. BAHÍA DE ALGECIRAS PORT AUTHORITY
Project that involves increasing the spatial resolution of the measurements and model of oceanic-meteorological variables by using high-resolution numerical models to both obtain historical series and to create wave, wind and overflow operational systems. This yielded historical, real-time and predictive information on the Operational Areas of Interest (OAIs) for the Bay of Algeciras and Tarifa, and resulted in the development of new IT tools that showcase this information and are useful in the design and operation of ports.
CHARACTERIZATION OF THE RELIABILITY OF SEAWALLS DUE TO THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE (BRACC). MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY, ECONOMY AND COMPETITIVENESS.
The goal of the project is to quantify the influence of climate change on the failure probability of maritime facilities as a basis for planning contingency measures. This will allow us to contribute to the challenge posed by climate change by developing methods for evaluating the risk associated with housing construction posed by climate variability.
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SYSTEM FOR PUBLISHING WAVE CHARACTERISTICS IN THE NAVIGATION CHANNEL OF THE PORT OF SANTANDER IN REAL TIME. SANTANDER PORT AUTHORITY
The Port Authority of Santander, aware of the complicated hydrodynamics in the navigation channel of the port of Santander and to facilitate operations in it, demanded an operational, real-time service to determine the navigational conditions in the natural entrance to the port based on the oceanic-meteorological conditions in the area.
METEO-OCEANOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS AND DEVELOPMENT OF TOOLS TO SUPPORT THE CONSTRUniversidad de CantabriaTION OF THE PORT OF ACU (BRAZIL). FCC
The goal of this project was to develop an operational meteo-routing, swell, overflow and agitation system to assist during several phases in the construction of the Port of Açu, that was able to assimilate instrument data measured onsite. To achieve this, satellite measurements were used to validate the maritime climate in open waters and onsite readings were taken at the port to correct wave-agitation predictions. Likewise, a geo-referenced web application was developed to generate, during each construction phase, alerts for the transport and anchoring of caissons and the construction of the cap block. This tool would alert the construction manager automatically to problems anticipated with the construction resources at the site.
PARTNERSHIPS
IHCantabria has carried out projects as part of national and international competitive tenders, as well as transfer projects and specialized consulting for leading companies in the sector in an international port environment.
Nationally, IHCantabria collaborates actively with national entities, such as the State Public Ports Authority (EPPE), to manage port infrastructures, and directly with port authorities, for which it develops innovative projects such as SAMOA, for EPPE, and SAFEPORT, for the Bahia de Algeciras Port Authority. It also provides solutions for regional port management entities such as Puertos de Cantabria, Ports of the Generalitat, Ports of Illes Balears, Puertos Canarias, Portos de Galiza and others, either directly with them or through partnerships with companies.
Internationally, IHCantabria collaborates with national and international companies, assisting in the design and construction of unique facilities such as the ports of San Antonio in Chile, Aberdeen in Scotland and Açu in Brazil.
Finally, IHCantabria is actively involved in expert commissions such as the Recommendations for Maritime Projects (ROM), sponsored by the EPPE and which provides a practical guide for the design and management of infrastructures, as well as in different working groups associated with the International Association of Navigation (PIANC).
SOFTWARE & TOOLS
EXPERIMENTAL FACILITIES
Universidad de Cantabria headquarters
Directional wave tank
Wave channel
Wave-current channel
Variable slope channel
LET´S TALK
Would you like to know how we can help you?
Send me a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible
LET´S TALK
Would you like to know how we can help you?
Send me a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible
GABRIEL DÍAZ
Researcher || Expert in Port Management
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