Development of data to support a software application for assessment of wind conditions in the Port of Rotterdam

Information on wind conditions in harbors and wind loads on ships is important for safe maneuvering and mooring of ships. The wind conditions in harbors are very complex and characterized by a multitude of internal atmospheric boundary layers due to the large variations in terrain roughness. This paper presents the development of data to support a software application for assessment of wind conditions in the Port of Rotterdam. An extensive measurement campaign using ultrasonic anemometers was performed in the harbor during a period of 6 months. These measurements were compared with the numerical simulations with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) on a high-resolution grid. This comparison showed a good agreement for such a complex heterogeneous terrain. 89% of the simulated amplification factors (¿=Ump/Ump1) were within the range of the mean measured amplification factors ± two times the standard deviation. These data will be used in the near future to support a software application for the harbor authorities and tugboat pilots to allow improved safety, maneuverability and mooring of container ships.