Pilot water depth measurements by the commercial fleet

Van Wirdum, M., R. Audenaerdt, H. Verheij, H. van Laar & C.F. van der Mark (2014). PIANC World Congress 2014 San Francisco, USA.

The paper describes a cooperative pilot project on water depth measurements. The pilot is a common project of individual ship masters, knowledge institutes, ICT suppliers for the inland navigation sector and Rijkswaterstaat. The purpose of the project is to show that for individual ship masters, cargo traders, waterway authorities working together and sharing information is beneficial with low costs. The vessel owner gains fuel efficiency, reliability in terms of ETA and a maximised cargo capacity regarding actual water depths and predictions. The waterway authority gains detailed actual information on the riverbed condition. Shippers gain a more reliable supply chain against maximised efficiency .Therefore, the under keel clearance, the position and the draught is measured, send to shore, and translated into the water depth, and, subsequently send back to the participating ships. The paper gives a description of the pilot project, shows the first results and gives an outlook to future developments.