26 Aug 2025

Tampa Harbor, Florida, Navigation Improvement Study

Abstract: The Port of Tampa Bay services approximately 30.5 million tons of cargo each year (based on 2017–2021 data) and is situated on the Tampa Bay/Orlando I-4 Corridor, which serves the largest concentration of distribution centers in the state. To expand operations to include direct Asia, Mexico, and Central America services, numerous port facility improvements were required. This rapid expansion of port capabilities led to increasing difficulty of port efficiency and navigation. A study was conducted investigating proposed channel improvements addressing these issues. In 2022 and 2023, the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) assisted the US Army Corps of Engineers–Jacksonville District in evaluating proposed deepening and widening alternatives in Tampa Harbor by completing a ship simulation study using ERDC’s Ship/Tow Simulator. During this study, focus areas were passing lanes in Cut B and Gadsden Point Cut, the turning basin at Hooker’s Point/Port Sutton, the turn widener between Cut F and Gadsden Point Cut, and turns into Alafia and Big Bend. The proposed design was evaluated over the course of 2 weeks with four pilots. Proposed modifications were assessed through analysis of data resulting from the ship simulations including track plots, run sheets, and final pilot surveys.

26 Aug 2025

Miami Harbor Navigation Improvements Study

Abstract: In 2019, the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL), Ship/Tow Simulator (STS), was used to perform a navigation study assisting the US Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District. The study evaluates channel improvements to allow larger containerships to call at the Port of Miami. This study also evaluates improvements associated with the proposed cruise terminals. This study was conducted at the CHL real-time STS. Real-time refers to the fact that model time uses a 1:1 ratio to prototype time. In addition, real world environmental forces were simulated and acted upon the modeled ships during the study. These forces included currents, wind, bathymetry, and bank effects. Simulations for the project improvements were conducted at CHL for 3 weeks in August 2019 and 1 week in November 2019. Seven Biscayne Bay pilots participated in the validation and testing exercises. The design vessels include the MSC Daniela (14,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit [TEU]) container ship, the Majestic Maersk (18,000 TEU) container ship, the Allure of the Seas cruise ship, the Disney Dream cruise ship, and the M/S Paradise cruise ship. Results, in the form of track plots and pilot questionnaires, were reviewed to develop conclusions and recommendations.

25 Jul 2025

Brandon Road Lock and Dam, Des Plaines River: Navigation Approach Physical Model

Abstract: This physical model study of the Brandon Road Lock and Dam was conducted to evaluate the navigation conditions associated with the implementation of two proposed engineered channels and associated features in the downstream approach channel. A 1:100 Froude scale physical model was constructed to evaluate the navigation conditions for tows entering and exiting the lower approach. Features included in the scaled model include the lock, the gated spillway, roughly 2 mi of the Des Plaines River and surrounding topography, and two NRG Energy generating stations. Data were collected to evaluate tow tracks and current direction and velocity information. Videos and rough estimations were also collected to gain an understanding of the water that displaces upstream when a downbound tow transits through the engineered channels.

20 Aug 2020

PUBLICATION NOTICE: Three Rivers, Southeast Arkansas Navigation Study: Ship Simulation Report

Abstract: The McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River System (MKARNS) is a major inland waterway that begins at the Port of Catoosa in Tulsa, OK, and travels to the confluence of the White and Mississippi Rivers. Over the years, many structures have been built to help control overland flow between the White, Arkansas, and Mississippi Rivers. These structures have required a significant amount of rehabilitation, which has resulted in high maintenance costs. The US Army Corps of Engineers and the Arkansas Waterways Commission conducted the Three Rivers Southeast Arkansas Feasibility Study (also known as the Three Rivers Study). The Three Rivers Study focused on providing long-term dependable navigation in the MKARNS. From this study, a proposal was developed that included a 1,000 ft reopening of the Historic Cutoff and a reinforcement of several areas near the White River. In 2019, the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center Ship/Tow Simulator was used to perform a navigation study to ensure the proposed modifications did not negatively impact navigation on the White River section of the MKARNS. Assessment of the proposed modifications was accomplished through analysis of ship simulations completed by experienced pilots, discussions, track plots, run sheets, and final pilot surveys.