Optimizing the Split Port System to Promote Sustainable Development

Home , Sit (island)

Čedomir Dundović, Ph. D. Preliminary communication University of Rijeka Faculty of Maritime Studies Rijeka Received: 6th November 2013 Studentska 2 Accepted: 25th November 2013 51000 Rijeka Majda Jurić, B. Sc. Chem. Tech. Tijardovićeva 18/8 21000 Split Mirjana Kovačić, Ph. D. University of Rijeka Faculty of Maritime Studies Rijeka Studentska 2 51000 Rijeka Croatia

OPTIMIZING THE SPLIT PORT SYSTEM TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

SUMMARY

The facilities of the Port of Split are capable of of great importance, not only in the Splitsko- accommodating a large number of passengers, cargo dalmatinska County but in the broader area as well. and vehicles. However, the road and railway In this paper the authors analyse the current state of connections between the port and corridor Vc are not the Split port system in terms of transport (Split’s City able to handle such traffic density thus impeding the Port and North Port) and the access to the City Port, flow of goods and passengers. Because the route with emphasis on design solutions. Special emphasis is connecting the port passes through the town core, the placed on optimizing the port system while taking into conservation of the town’s monuments and cultural consideration the importance of preserving cultural heritage is a vital issue. heritage and fostering sustainable development. The Port of Split is the only departure point for overall passenger and car traffic to all the larger islands. Key words: Split City Port, Split North Port, Hence, the vision of the Stari Grad Port on the Hvar sustainable development, port optimization, traffic Island as the main connection with all other islands is route, cultural heritage

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1 INTRODUCTION railway and road traffic, together with inland navigable waterways) seek to enhance the ef- By the number of passengers and vehicles fectiveness of transport while reducing environ- that pass through it, the Port of Split is ranked mental pollution, costs and transport/travel first among the Adriatic ports, while according times. to the statistical data it is ranked third among the ports of the Mediterranean. The rapid increase of passenger traffic, the growing number 2 ASSESSMENT OF PREVIOUS of vehicles, the tourism orientation of the Town RESEARCH of Split, the construction of the Zagreb-Split motorway and the greater number of flights to Research pertaining to this issue generally the Split Airport are factors that call for a dif- involves analyses and partial solutions to spe- ferent way of organizing traffic in comparison cific problems. Hence the importance of the with the previous period. To reduce traffic con- Adriatic MoS Project in resolving the problem gestion and transport speeds, a solution needs of an integrated combined traffic in the entire to be found for the access roads to the Port of region, rather than just in partial areas. Split, otherwise the entire ferry port needs to Municipalities and towns have tended to re- be relocated. In addition to being economically solve traffic problems for each segment sepa- acceptable, the solution must be consistent with rately, thus failing to take into account other the principles of sustainable development and stakeholders and factors directly linked to the must not have an adverse effect on tourism de- overall issue. The Ministry of Maritime Affairs, velopment. Transport and Infrastructure, responsible for is- The 1990s witnessed a change in the habits lands development, were in charge of resolving of the population and in the modes of transport the issues of ports and quays, and in part, rail- in the continental part of Croatia. The disrup- way traffic issues as well. For a project to be re- tion of railway traffic brought about an increase alized, all stakeholders with an interest in this in road traffic (transport by bus and passenger area of activity need to be recognized, and the car), and as tourist arrivals started to grow once project needs to be delivered collectively to again after 1995, the Port of Split began to ex- avoid overlapping or partial project delivery. perience a mounting pressure. This required Particularly important is the project concern- the port terminals in these areas to be expanding the Stari Grad Port on the island of Hvar, ed and the ports and the entire port system to which should become the central link to other be organized in a different, better way. Adriatic islands. In this way, passengers want- The port reconstruction and the construction ing to travel from one island to another would of new piers, however, was too slow, thus indi- no longer need to travel first to Split and then rectly impeding traffic links and traffic fluidity from there to other islands. The Stari Grad and increasing external costs. Pursuant to the Port would become a link to all Adriatic islands, 2005 Strategy of the Republic of Croatia which and would help to reduce the crowds and con- presented the long-term development policy of gestion in the Split’s City Port Basin, especially Croatian ports and maritime traffic, great im- in the summer months. portance was attached to the development of Equally important is educating the popula- the so-called motorways of the sea which would tion to encourage changes in habits acquired in help in equalizing traffic flows in Croatia and the 1990s, in particular, travelling by car, espe- the EU. cially for short distances and in city traffic. In The Motorways of the Sea Project aims at Croatia, passenger cars are largely used for creating new intermodal logistics chains in Eu- travelling short distances (around town), mostly rope to help improve the access to markets by a single passenger per car, which is environ- throughout Europe. The participation in the mentally and economically unacceptable. Edu- Adriatic MoS Project opens up new opportuni- cating the population would help them to again ties for Croatia to develop short sea shipping fall into the habit of using public means of and foster intermodality not only within its ter- transport. The European Commission has pro- ritory but also within the entire region. Inter- posed a package of measures in the White Pa- modal logistics chains (combinations of sea, per “A Roadmap to a Single European Trans-

286 POMORSTVO • Scientific Journal of Maritime Research • 27/2(2013) • str./pp. 285-298 Č. Dundović, M. Jurić, M. Kovačić: OPTIMIZING THE SPLIT PORT SYSTEM TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE... port Area” [10] to improve the competitiveness wide ramps, together with a new operating area and efficiency of the European transport- sys of 2,770 m2, berths 26 and 27 have raised the tem. The White Paper puts forward 40 different quality of services to port users, especially pas- measures aimed at enhancing the mobility of senger and ship operators. They were officially freight and passenger transport, reducing con- opened on June 2013. These new berths repre- gestion in key European transport hubs, and in- sent the beginning of the final development of creasing the employment rate in the transport the breakwater of the City Port Basin, which is sector and other related sectors. The White Pa- to be followed by the largest project – the con- per places special emphasis on sustainable destruction of berths on the external side of the velopment and environmental protection, and breakwater. its primary goal is a reduction of transport- based environmental pollution by 60% by 2050, 3.1 Spatial determinants of the Split City Port to be achieved by the proposed measures, especially by the measure encouraging greater use The majority of transport activities take of railway and waterborne transport [10]. place in the port’s eastern section which caters to all international and local ferries. Large cruisers and smaller passenger ships dock at the 3 ANALYSIS OF SPATIAL AND central customs pier. To avoid the problems of OTHER FEATURES OF THE crowding and congestion and to help relieve the town centre, it is necessary to explore the SPLIT CITY PORT possibility of relocating this form of transport The Split City Port is especially important as to the area of the North Port which would put a junction for all types of transport. In addition incoming and outgoing vehicles close to motor- to maritime and road transport subsystems, the ways and trunk roads. Such a change would City Port area is connected with the broader re- make the Port of Split into a port of local and gion by other transport subsystems (railway, air international transport for cruisers and passen- travel and telecommunication subsystems) into ger ships. Sveti Nikola Pier mostly accommo- a single transport system. Passenger and cargo dates catamarans and motorboats. The last transport is optimally distributed across all berth on the pier serves as a border crossing in transport subsystems. the summer when there is heavy traffic on international lines. External berths that have a The Port of Split is located in the central part sea depth over seven metres are used for ac- of the Croatian part of the Adriatic coast to commodating cruisers on cruising voyages. The which many inhabited islands gravitate. It is sit- farthest berth, number 28, is exposed to strong uated on the transport corridors between Rije- southerly winds making it unsuitable for dock- ka and Dubrovnik, as well as between Split and ing. Zagreb, and Ancona and Pescara in Italy. Sveti Duje Pier is mostly used by ferries and A part of the Split transport system, the ferry passenger ships on cruise voyages and it is a port is located in the eastern part of the City state border-crossing area. Port. The ferry port handles domestic and international passenger and cargo transport For the most part, Sveti Nikola Pier and the throughout the entire year but especially in the Lazaretto Quay accommodate regular-line cat- summer months when there is a heavy flow of amarans, high-speed crafts for transferring tourists towards the Central Dalmatian islands travellers from the airport to island destina- due to Split’s favourable geographical position tions, and day-trip pleasure boats. in terms of transport. This makes reaching the During summer, the Quay of Knez Domagoj bus and railway terminal very difficult. The pas- is used by smaller-sized crafts in tourism traffic senger port is located in the town’s central and smaller yachts on cruise voyages (resulting zone, an area where all forms of the transport in heavy congestion in the summertime during system, both mobile and stationary (road, rail- waves of tourist arrivals). way and maritime transport), collide and are The central part of the port between Sveti integrated. Duje Pier and the Quay of Knez Domagoj gen- Upgraded and expanded with two 140-metre erally accommodates smaller ferries whose wharves and two new, sophisticated 30-metre numbers are gradually dropping (Figure 1).

POMORSTVO • Scientific Journal of Maritime Research • 27/2(2013) • str./pp. 285-298 287 Figure 1 Road links with the Split ferry port

Source: www.faehren.amatori.com (2/9/2013)

3.2 Oceanographic conditions in the Split City or reconstructed it is crucial to have oceano- Port graphic parameters measured continuously over a longer period of time. When other pa- Measuring oceanographic parameters is vital rameters are measured as well, the result is a for every port. However, measurements are not clear picture of all events in that marine area carried out in the City Port Basin because it is (ecosystem). not equipped with the equipment needed for measuring wind speed and wave heights. The In the Port of Split, a strong northerly bora meteorological data needed are obtained from wind makes it diffi cult for vessels to enter the the data published by the Marjan weather sta- port, while a strong southerly jugo wind creates tion. The fact is that when a port is being built problems in the western part of the port. The

St. Nicolas' Pier

St. Peter's Pier

St. Duje's Pier (Port Authority and Customs)

Figure 2 Split City Port Basin

Source: www. portsplit.com (Split Port Authorities), 2/8/2013 Č. Dundović, M. Jurić, M. Kovačić: OPTIMIZING THE SPLIT PORT SYSTEM TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE... worst wind is oštro, because it blows straight of berthed vessels as well as the safe embarka- from the open part of the port which has a tion and disembarkation of passengers and ve- small depth, causing large waves and making it hicles. Throughout the entire year, the berths difficult for vessels to stay in the port, particu- can be used for local and international ferries. larly when their ramps are lowered. Sveti Niko- The traffic area of the pier is organized to allow la Pier and Sveti Petar Pier are especially af- vehicles access to the extended part of the pier fected by these problems. along a single 3-meter wide traffic lane, when, at the head of the pier, vehicles do a turn on its Lebić is another unfavourable wind, but it widest part. After this manoeuvre and prior to rarely blows, while the winds polenat and tra- embarkation, vehicles park on a two-lane car- montana have no effect on the port. The effect riage-way that is 5.5 meters wide. When it is of the oštro and lebić winds could be avoided by time to embark, drivers are required to drive further extending the breakwater on the north- their vehicles the back down the pier and over a ern and western sides of the City Port Basin [5]. new 19-meter wide ramp to embark onto a ferry or other vessel. The route vehicles take to 4 ANALYSIS OF THE DESIGN join traffic remains unchanged. Vehicles use the port road to enter onto the traffic lane at the SOLUTIONS FOR THE SPLIT Quay of Knez Domagoj. The extension of the CITY PORT Sveti Petar Pier has provided the parking spac- es needed (for 85 cars). A check point is locat- This chapter analyses the design solutions for ed at the entrance to the pier to monitor vehi- the extension of the Sveti Petar Pier, the recon- cles entering and leaving. struction and upgrading of the Sveti Duje Pier, the external berths of the City Port, and the access to the ferry port. 4.1.1 Climate conditions of the location The climate of an area represents a set of at- 4.1 Extension of the Sveti Petar Pier mospheric elements and phenomena character- izing the average condition of the atmosphere The Sveti Petar Pier in its extended form – determined by statistical medians and devia- 146 meters long and 16 meters wide – was tions based on long-term measurements and opened on 17th August 2007. The south side of observation [3]. An area’s climate features are the operational quay is 135 meters long and has determined by its geographical position and the a 19.50-meter wide loading ramp. The north orthographic characteristic of the environment side of the operational quay is 156 meters long [4]. When planning marine facilities, the most and has three water and power supply cabinets. important factors in addition to the configura- The pier extension covers an area of 2,669 m2. tion of the coastline and sea bottom are dynam- The extension of the Sveti Petar Pier marked ic marine processes – the effects of sea waves the end of the first part of the Infrastructure and currents, and the oscillation of the sea level Development Strategy, involving undertakings [2]. Especially important are wind-generated required to boost the Split’s maritime develop- sea waves and their interaction with natural or ment and ensure the improved accommodation built coastline constructions. Such waves (with of vessels, vehicles and passengers travelling a swell period of 5 to 15 seconds) generate the through Split to the islands of Central Dalma- greatest specific energy. Wind is also a vital fac- tia. The extension of the pier was absolutely es- tor in manoeuvring and mooring vessels. sential given that experts forecast that the Figure 3 displays the characteristic winds, number of passengers will grow to seven mil- mostly blowing from a NNE direction, as well lion by 2015, alongside a proportional increase as from the ESE and SSW. Because of its topo- in the number of vehicles [9]. graphic position, the Port of Split is predomi- An engineering company has developed the nantly exposed to ESE and SSW winds. With analytical basis for obtaining a location permit some qualifications, strong NNE and N winds for the extension of the Sveti Petar Pier, locat- are considered as tramontana winds, while ed in a sheltered water area where vessels can gale-force N and NNE winds are bora winds. be accommodated in all types of weather and Winds from an ESE direction and winds from a sea conditions. The location ensures the safety SE and ESE direction are generally considered

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Č. Dundović, M. Jurić, M. Kovačić: OPTIMIZING THE SPLIT PORT SYSTEM TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE...

RAZDOBLJE 1990-1999 N 30.0 NNW NNE 25.0

NW 20.0 NE

15.0

WNW 10.0 ENE

5.0 W 0.0 E

WSW ESE

SW SE Cestina SSW SSE Tišina= 0,1% S

Figure 3 Annual rose wind, %, Split-Marjan, 1990–1999

Source: Analytical basis for the construction of the Sveti Petar Pier as jugo winds, while SSW winds belong to the minimum number of qualified persons. Hence, maestral wind. Based solely on the mean hourly in addition to a well-organized evacuation pro- values of the wind speed, it is not possible to cedure, good logistics ashore is also required. clearly distinguish between the tramontana, The destruction of the environment and of bura, jugo, lebić and maestral winds because of the existing seabed was reduced to a minimum overlapping. because the construction was grounded on re- inforced concrete piles. Apart from environ- 4.1.2 Environmental impacts and mental protection measures, safety measures environmental protection measures are also absolutely essential and must be care- fully planned [8]. Environmental impacts may occur during the construction phase or when the pier and ferry port are in use. Adverse effects to the sea are 4.2 Reconstruction and upgrading of the Sveti foremost evident, because that is where con- Duje Pier struction takes place. When vessels are berthed incidents may occur as a result of: The reconstruction and upgrading of the Sveti Duje Pier in the Port of Split was finished • faults on the vessels and incorrect handling in 2010, providing a considerable number of of the equipment, new berths, enabling cruise vessels to berth at • faults on the quay and incorrect handling of the pier and helping to lessen the burden of the the equipment and devices, Split-Supetar line, the busiest line in the summer months. The reconstruction and upgrading which cause fuel and oil leakages or fire to design was developed by the IGH Institute, break out on board vessels. In case of pollution, IGH Design Sector, Water and Environmental the competent office at the terminal is obliged Engineering Department [6]. to notify the harbourmaster’s office and the nearest company engaged in marine pollution It is of international importance that the Port prevention and removal. To contain the pollu- of Split consists of two basins: the City Port Ba- tion, a floating barrier is to be put in the place sin and the North Port Basin. The City Port Ba- and measures must be taken in compliance with sin is developing into a complex passenger, fer- the Intervention Plan for Cases of Sudden Sea ry and tourist port and it is also an important Pollution. In case of fire on board a vessel that urban area with cultural and historical assets. cannot be put out or contained, berth evacua- All forms of transport (road, maritime, railway tion measures should be foreseen involving a and air transport) are present in the City Port,

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cillations in maritime transport during the year, because most of the maritime transport takes place during the summertime (over 60% in two summer months). The area for which the Port Authority is responsible consists of 28 berths for domestic and international maritime transport, as well as berth number 18 at the head of the Sveti Duje Pier which is today mostly used for stern-to- quay anchoring of international vessels. The extension of the pier by a length of 150 meters re- Figure 4 Sveti Duje Pier sulted in two berths, 18A and 18B, thus increasing the capacity of the port and raising Source: www.skyscrapercity.com (4/9/2013) the quality of berthing at the stationary pier with two ferry ramps for embarking and disem- which also provides a city and tourism public barking vehicles and passengers. According to transport terminal, tour-operator transport, future development plans, this part of the pier taxi service, and other auxiliary services and fa- will largely be used by domestic lines. cilities (public car parks and garages, offerings and services to port users, etc.). Being the larg- 4.3 External berths of the Split City Port est passenger ferry port in Croatia, Split has a vital role in organizing and conducting mari- The aim of the construction of external time transport, especially since it is connected berths – that is, berths along the external side through the City Port to a significant part of the of the City Port’s breakwater – is to accommo- Croatia’s archipelagos. To the fullest extent date large cruise ships to improve domestic and possible, Split connects the Central Dalmatian international line transport. The construction islands of Brač, Šolta, Hvar, Vis, Korčula (the of these berths will have a direct effect on in- west part of the island consisting of the munici- creasing the throughput of maritime and land palities of Vela Luka, Blato and Smokvica) and transport in the City Port, and will provide the Lastovo. Domestic transport accounts for 91% water area needed for ships to manoeuvre. The of passengers and 89% of vehicles passing berths will form a unique spatial whole with the through the City Port Basin. There are large os- port road, the Sveti Duje Pier and the breakwa-

Figure 5 Split City Port – map of berths managed by the Split Port Authorities

Source: General Design by – INSTITUTE IGH d.d., IGH Design Sector, Water and Environmental Engineering Department (2009)

POMORSTVO • Scientific Journal of Maritime Research • 27/2(2013) • str./pp. 285-298 291 Č. Dundović, M. Jurić, M. Kovačić: OPTIMIZING THE SPLIT PORT SYSTEM TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE... ter. In addition, they will ensure accommoda- 4.4 Analysis of the handling costs tion for ships up to 300 meters in length at one berth and for 320 meter long ships at the other As cruise liners continue to burden the port’s berth. It will be possible to berth two passenger road traffic infrastructure, the construction of ships of the given dimensions at the same time. berths for cruise liners in the period 2015 – This transport solution provides for unimpeded 2020 is sure to considerably enhance the use of driving and parking of buses coming to pick up space and make it possible to separate interna- passengers from cruise ships. The sea at the tional from domestic passenger traffic more ef- coast line must be at least ten meters deep. In fectively. The accumulation of buses coming to addition to passenger ships, the berths should collect cruise passengers will not place any ad- also be able to accommodate ferries (Marko ditional pressure on the existing areas reserved Polo, Dubrovnik, Regina della Pace) and cata- for stationary traffic because these areas al- marans (Pescara Jet, Croatia Jet). A maritime ready serve passengers arriving at the new study was conducted by the Faculty of Maritime berths. Studies of Rijeka to analyse the different de- Figures 6 and 7 display a possible solution sign solutions for external berths at the City for freight vehicles (entrance – exit) to ensure Port breakwater. To ensure safe handling and less traffic congestion. When planning berths embarking/disembarking of vehicles from fer- for cruise liners, it is vital to foresee a large ries, an additional analysis of the transport re- enough area to accommodate a very large quirements needs to be carried out with the number of passengers and transfer them to aim of expanding the plateau for ferry loading their destination. Figure 8 shows one solution ramps. Because of the limited water area bor- for an area for buses coming to collect cruise dering on the eastern part of the port, such a passengers. requirement entails reducing Berth 2 on the east by five meters. Accordingly, the overall To increase the capacity of the Port of Split length of the operative quay of Berth 2 would and the number of berths it provides, it is nec- amount to 245 meters making it possible to essary to resolve the issue of the port’s access berth vessels up to 265 meters in length [7]. road. In recent years, experts have put forward a number of design solutions to the problem of access to the Split ferry port. Some solutions advocate using the ferry port exclusively as a passenger port and relocating the entire cargo

Figure 6 Coupled vehicle – Trailer truck Figure 7 Coupled vehicle – Trailer truck (type ROA-NL, VA98, Region Europe, (type ROA-NL, VA98, Region Europe, Total length 19.25 m), Total length 19.25 m), BERTH 1 (WEST BERTH) – ENTRANCE 1 BERTH 1 (WEST BERTH) – EXIT 1