Optimization of fairway design parameters: Systematic approach to manoeuvring safety

The article presents a systematic approach to design of marine navigation channels parameters resulting from manoeuvring and operational safety. Relations between the parameters of waterway system elements and the conditions of safe ship operation have been determined and the objective function of waterway parameters' optimization problems has been minimized with respect to variables of construction and operation costs. These costs have been functionally associated to variables of channel width at the bottom and fairway depth. The method of fairway's width computation at specified safe depth at the preliminary and detailed stages of waterway design has been proposed. The results of this method application have been illustrated with two examples: 1. The modernization of Szczecin-Świnoujście fairway aimed at accepting vessels of 60,000 DWT capacity. 2. Construction of an approach channel leading to a newly built container terminal in Świnoujście harbour (Poland), handling ocean-going container ships of 20,000 TEU capacity.