Analysis of Berth Operability by Utilization of Agitation Models

Agitation models are utilized in order to predict the operability of berths for ship unloading purposes. Usually, in such models all ship displacements are measured and when one of them exceeds a certain value given as a criterion, it is assumed that unloading operations are stopped. Therefore, the probability of the storms leading to high maximal values of ship displacements determine the berth operability. This paper suggests another probabilistic approach stemming from the random appearance of large ship displacements. Such an approach represents the time percentage of the berth operability as a probabilistic criterion depending on the 'acceptable efficiency' of the unloading system or 'acceptable risk' in these systems. Justification of such an approach was obtained by the performance of a series of experiments in the laboratory.