Dynamic Under Keel Clearance Project

Under Keel Clearance

DYNAMIC UNDER KEEL CLEARANCE PROJECT

JPS and Tesoro will analyze twenty transits to compare the Protide prediction to the actual motion. At press time, four transits have been analyzed with favorable results.

By Captain Kip Louttit

modern technology. At 1,200 feet long, to roll during the approach. This is not Long Beach by ship is critical 200 feet wide, and weighing more a problem with under keel clearance Ttohe California flow of oil and into the the Nation. Port of than 320,000 tons, they are the largest during westerly swells, but during 50 percent of California’s oil enters moving objects constructed by humans the late summer the storms and hur- through the Ports of Los Angeles and on the planet. The ships aren’t just big and heavy, they have deep drafts and of Mexico create a long swell from the supply ashore at any given time. The south.ricanes This in the causes Pacific ships and enteringoff the coast the numberLong Beach of andtankers there entering is only a thefive-day two Captain of the Port of Los Angeles and ports to pitch as they approach, and 1 ports has been increasing during the Longfloat deep Beach in setthe thewater. maximum The Coast draft Guard for degree of pitch on a 1,100-foot tanker past 4 years, with 589 tankers enter- tankers entering the Port of Long Beach is a 9.6-foot increase in draft. Thus, a ing the Ports of Los Angeles and Long at 65 feet. The channel into Long Beach tanker with an even-keel draft of 65 beach in 2012, 592 in 2013, 606 in is 76 feet deep. feet increases draft to 74.6 feet under 2014, and 632 in 2015. Most of the year, the swells these conditions, leaving only 1.4 feet The Port of Long Beach has the approach the Ports of Los Angeles and of water under the keel. only supertanker berth in the port Long Beach from the west, and since complex and the US West Coast. Navi- the approaches to the ports are from on bringing these tankers into port is gating supertankers into the port safely south to north, the swells are on the madePresently, using swell the warnings go/no-go from decision the requires special training and the use of ship’s beam and they cause the ship Coastal Data Information Program

26 Pacific Maritime • April 2016 • www.pacmar.com Under Keel Clearance

(CDIP), real-time CDIP wave buoy observations, experience, seaman’s Example Validation eye, and observing pitch and roll of the Tanker CHLOE entering Long Beach 5 Nov 2015 LOA 1092 feet Beam 196 feet Draft 64.9 feet tanker offshore – before committing to 320,137 DWT the channel entrance. CDIP is an extensive network of The actual pitch/roll are within the range offshore buoys for monitoring waves of the ProTide predicted pitch/roll. along the coastlines of the United  Therefore, ProTide is validated for this run. States operated by the Scripps Institu- Spike in roll tion of Oceanography at the University Pink area is predicted roll in black oval of California San Diego and part of the is roll due to Interagency Ocean Observing System turn at the Red line is actual roll breakwater Aqua area is predicted pitch and height parameters are met, CDIP automatically(IOOS). When sends defined a warning swell periodto the Blue line is actual pitch ship pilots at the Jacobsen Pilot Service 17 (JPS), which provides piloting services for the Port of Long Beach. JPS use This chart shows the predicted roll and pitch of the tanker Chloe entering Long Beach, as these warnings as one of their inputs well as the actual observed roll and pitch.

“Ready to handle even the biggest pitch, and squat for that vessel at the predicting the pitch and roll of large toships” make is the the go/no-go credo of decision. Jacobsen Pilot time of transit including weather. Pro- deep draft vessels calling at the Port tide plots the predicted motion along of Long Beach to manage under keel pilot organization in the United States. the planned route, and calculates the JPS,Service, which the has only been ISO providing 9001-certified pilot ser- under keel clearance and the prob- vices to the port for more than three ability of touching bottom. The system clearance. The three potential benefits generations, has developed a tried-and- is currently in use successfully in the reducedof a successful emissions. program Increased were identified safety true protocol that has resulted in an Netherlands for the ports of Amster- wouldas increased be achieved safety through and efficiency, the reduced and accident-free record for bringing large dam, Rotterdam, and Eemshaven. risk of accidental grounding caused by ships into the Long Beach harbor safely. Captain John Strong, Vice President the pitch or roll of a large vessel. Ship “Big ships can’t afford any delays; they of Jacobsen Pilot Service, rode with owners and masters would have the need reliability. They need to arrive on the Dutch pilots, saw the system work ability to adjust arrival times based time and be moved safely every time, in the Netherlands, and brought the on pitch and roll predicted to be out- which is exactly what we do,” said Cap- concept back to Long Beach. The next side of port entrance safety margins, tain Tom Jacobsen, President of JPS. question was, could a system designed JPS has been innovative through- to work in the Netherlands and North would be reduced by enabling larger shipsthus increasingcarrying more efficiency. cargo to Emissions enter the to use shore-based radar to assist in POLB, which will reduce overall stack piloting,out its 92-year and to history. use on-board They were portable first SeaTo be answermodified the to workquestion, in Long a unique Beach emissions per ton of cargo arriving at piloting units. JPS asked the question, andpartnership the Pacific? was formed during the the port. “Is there a system that uses modern sci- summer of 2014 between the Port of Protide’s ability to predict safe ence and technology to help the pilots - Prevention and Response (CA OSPR), cient use of the port infrastructure and decision for supertankers entering TesoroLong Beach, – the CaliforniaOperator Officeof the ofsuper Spill- transit windows will result in more effi Longand ship’s Beach?” captain make the go/no-go tanker berth 121, and Jacobsen Pilot and the public would be to reduce the Jacobsen Pilot Service did their Service who, together, teamed with riskreduce of emissions.transporting Benefits oil on to the industry West the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Coast because science and technology based in the Netherlands, Charta Soft- Administration (NOAA), US Integrated would be used to validate the observa- ware,research which and developed found the answera product at calleda firm Ocean Observing System (IOOS), South- tions of the pilots and ship’s captains Protide that showed promise. Pro- ern California Coastal Ocean Observing tide’s inputs are predicted water levels System (SCCOOS), and CDIP. A Memo- Additionally, the ability for deeper draft (tides), currents, wave conditions, randum of Understanding was drafted shipswhen tomaking be brought the go/no-go directly intodecision. Long channel depth, course and speed of the and signed, and the Marine Exchange Beach would reduce the need for light- ship, ship dimensions, and the ship’s of Southern California was selected as ering, lessening the risk of an oil spill Project Manager. on the coast. Protide then calculates the predicted The overarching goal of the project shiparrival/departure motion, taking loading into account condition. roll, funded by the Port of Long Beach and The first phase of the project, was to develop a scientific method of www.pacmar.com • April 2016 • Pacific Maritime 27 Under Keel Clearance

CA OSPR, was to determine if the Protide system would work for the Port of Long Beach using data sources available in the United States. Charta Software was chosen to from the National Weather Service, charts from the Nationalconduct theOcean study Service, using and the wave Pacific buoy Ocean input wave from model CDIP. Approach to port of A successful study with Charta Software was completed in February 2015 using the locally available data inputs. CA OSPR, the Port of Long Beach and Tesoro are fund- Long Beach… ing the rental and use of a highly accurate motion sensor called Octopus made by Amarcom that is being placed aboard each supertanker entering Long Beach to validate Protide’s outputs. “Tesoro is committed to safety, environmental stewardship and reliable operations,” said Captain Rob Channel dredged to 76 feet McCaughey, Manager Marine Operations for Tesoro take the next step forward in developing an operational ProtideRefining system.” and Marketing Company. “And we’re excited to The operational Protide system for Long Beach was completed in September 2015. JPS and Tesoro conducted Area of concern is a test period where a Protide prediction was calculated for each supertanker arriving in Long Beach using the Octopus system to record the actual motion of the ship. the approach channel, Twenty transits will be analyzed to compare the Protide prediction to the actual motion. As of the writing of this article, four transits have been analyzed and the results are favorable that the Protide predictions are accurate. the turn, and Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate and only westerly swell and wave motion could be recorded. a little bit after the turn - 4 tide system in order to verify that Protide can be used operationally.In 2016, theThe nextNOAA’s step NWS will National be to refineCenter thefor Envi Pro-

This chart shows the approach to the Port of Long Beach, where the operational a Nearshore Wave Prediction system for channel is dredged to 76 feet. The area of concern is the approach theronmental San Pedro Prediction Bight, which (NCEP) will improve is refining the and accuracy making of channel, the turn, and just after the turn. the wave and swell forecast inputs to Protide. Swell and wave model outputs will be analyzed and compared with actual wave buoy measurements to validate the model. Octopus will again be used in late summer of 2016 and record ten transits in Captain Kip Louttit is southerly swell conditions. the Executive Director This project is focused primarily on supertankers entering Long Beach, of the Marine Exchange - of Southern California. A graduate of the United tion systems that can be shared with the maritime industry. This shared value but there are other potential benefits of dynamic under keel clearance predic States Coast Guard includes cruise ships, Very Large Container Vessels (VLCVs) that have similar Academy, he served in the characteristics to supertankers, unique vessels such as heavy lift ships, large United States Coast Guard bulk carriers, ships transiting the channel in bad weather, and ships inside the (USCG) for 30 years prior to retiring with the rank of Captain. His career development of the Protide model is already being looked at by other ports included 10 years at sea including six years in thatbreakwater have similar at docks under that keel are clearance heavily influenced challenges. by large southerly swells. The command of three different Coast Guard cutters and two years as commanding officer of USCG The dynamic under keel clearance project in Long Beach is an example of Integrated Support Command in San Pedro. shared value and powerful collaboration between the public and private sec- Captain Louttit was a Sloan Fellow at the tors to form a partnership using modern science and technology to increase Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and holds Masters Degrees from MIT and entering Long Beach. Golden Gate University. safety, environmental stewardship, and efficiency, for large deep draft vessels

28 Pacific Maritime • April 2016 • www.pacmar.com