Fairway (navigation)

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Fairway is a part of a water body (bay, harbor, river) containing the navigable channel (also known as a ship channel), a route suitable for ships of the larger size [1] (with draft closer to the draft limit).

Contents

Fairway depth, width, and height

The underwater cross-section of a ship in the channel is limited by the fairway depth and width (bridges may create restrictions for the height above the waterline). Fairway depth is a distance between the seabed/riverbed and the water surface. The fairway depth of a river varies with the season, so some standardized depth value is used, usually the one corresponding to the low navigable water level (LNWL) defined as the water level that the river stays above during almost the entire navigation season: statistically, the level shall stay below the LNWL for 20 ice-free days per year, corresponding to 5-6% of the ice-free period on European rivers. [2] The fairway width is defined as a width of the cross-section of the river that corresponds to the fairway depth, [3] the fairway height under the bridges is usually specified with respect to the highest navigable water level (HNWL). [4]

Fairway and navigable channel

The term "fairway" usually means all the navigable waters between the fairway buoys (that indicate the ends of the channel), even the routes only accessible to the lighter-draft vessels. [1] Some authors restrict the definition to the linear approach part of a marine waterway, the approach channel leading into a port. [5]

Legal definitions of the navigable channel differ depending on the context. In many cases any part of water body that can be navigated is considered to be navigable waters, although in the US (per Title 33 of the United States Code) the term applies to the waters over which the US Congress has jurisdiction to regulate the commerce, [6] individual states apply similar criteria. [7] The courts, however, use an expanded definition and include into the scope of Title 33, for example, waters "frequented by small, pleasure-fishing crafts". [8]

The center of the navigable channel lies on the thalweg, so in the international river law in case of disputed borders the border is assumed to follow the thalweg, as doing otherwise would deny the navigation rights to one side. [9]

Fairway management in Europe

Many major European rivers (e.g., Rhine, Danube, Moselle, Meuse, and Sava) have long-established systems for waterway management. [10] Some countries, primarily in Scandinavia, charge the ships fairway dues, fees intended to support maintenance of the fairways (e. g., dredging). [11] The following table contains the parameters of some of the European waterways. [12]

Fairways on European river systems
River basinAuthorityDepthWidthHeightDays of availability
Danube Danube Commission 2.50 m (draft)50–180 m6.40-10.00 m343
Moselle Moselle Commission 1.90-3.00 m (fairway depth)40m6.00 m365
Rhine Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine 1.90-3.00 m (fairway depth), depending on the section88–150 m7.00-9.10m345
Sava International Sava River Basin Commission 2.50 m (draft), 2.80 m for Class IV sections55 m7.00 m343
Elbe 1.5–1.6 m (navigation channel depth) for section Geesthacht, 1.9 m (navigation channel depth) for other free-flowing sections, 2.2 m (draft) for regulated section
Meuse International Meuse Commission 2.50 m (draft)5.25 m
Oder 1.80 m (navigation channel depth) for border section, 3.00 m (navigation channel depth) for Klützer Querfahrt
Scheldt International Scheldt Commission 2.50 m (draft)5.25 m

Fairway management in the US

Inland waterways in the United states are managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).[ citation needed ] A mechanism similar to the fairway dues, a Harbor Maintenance Tax on imports is used to finance the maintenance (primarily dredging) of the ports on the coasts and Great Lakes. [13]

Fairways on US rivers
River basinAuthorityDepthWidthHeightLengthDays of availability
Missouri River [14] USACE2.70 m91 m1181 km245
Upper Mississippi River (UMR)-Illinois Waterway (IWW) [15] USACE9 ft300-500 m1200 miles245 for UMR; [16] IWW operates year-round [17]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waterway</span> Any navigable body of water

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulf Intracoastal Waterway</span> Portion of the Intracoastal Waterway located along the Gulf Coast of the United States

The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) is the portion of the Intracoastal Waterway located along the Gulf Coast of the United States. It is a navigable inland waterway running approximately 1,300 mi (2,100 km) from Saint Marks, Florida, to Brownsville, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sea mark</span> Maritime navigation aid

A sea mark, also seamark and navigation mark, is a form of aid to navigation and pilotage that identifies the approximate position of a maritime channel, hazard, or administrative area to allow boats, ships, and seaplanes to navigate safely.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thalweg</span> Line of lowest elevation in a watercourse or valley

In geography, hydrography, and fluvial geomorphology, a thalweg or talweg is the line or curve of lowest elevation within a valley or watercourse. Its vertical position in maps is the nadir in the stream profile.

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The waterline is the line where the hull of a ship meets the surface of the water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Navigability</span> Capacity of a body of water to allow the passage of vessels at a given time

A body of water, such as a river, canal or lake, is navigable if it is deep, wide and calm enough for a water vessel to pass safely. Navigability is also referred to in the broader context of a body of water having sufficient under keel clearance for a vessel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stabilizer (ship)</span> Ship component meant to reduce a ships roll

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inland waterways of the United States</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inland navigation</span> Water transportation on rivers and other internal waters

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">McClellan–Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System</span> Part of the United States inland waterway system

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Draft (hull)</span> Depth of a vessel below its waterline

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In the water transport, the navigation season is a period of the year during which a waterway is open for navigation. The opening and closing dates of the season are determined annually by the waterway administration to accommodate the weather, water flow and ice conditions as well as the transportation demands. The term is also frequently used to designate number of days per year with easy navigation.

The Jefferson Seaway was a proposed deep-draft ship channel to be created in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, that would establish a route between the Mississippi River at Westwego and the Gulf of Mexico near Grand Isle. The Mississippi River provided the only deep-water access to New Orleans and its neighboring ports. In the mid-20th century, the creation of alternate routes was considered, including the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet (MR-GO), which was ultimately selected, funded and constructed. The Jefferson Seaway, sometimes referred to as the Arrow to the Americas, the Mississippi Valley Seaway Canal, the Tidewater Ship Canal and the Barataria Canal, was also under consideration but ultimately was never constructed as a deep-draft channel.

The reference water levels are used on inland waterways to define a range of water levels allowing the full use of the waterway for navigation. Ship passage can be limited by the water levels that are too low, when the fairway might become too shallow for large ships, or too high, when it might become impossible for the target ships to pass under the bridges. The goal of establishing the reference water levels is to balance the safety of navigation and economic value of the waterway. Reference levels are set up based on statistics obtained from the multi-decadal observations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moselle Commission</span> Commission that regulates shipping on the Moselle river

Moselle Commission is an intergovernmental institution established by all three Moselle riparian states to regulate shipping on the Moselle and cooperate in the maintenance of its fairway. Commission consists of 6 members, 2 from each state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port of Port Klang</span> Port in Selangor, Malaysia

The Port of Port Klang is a seaport on the estuary of the Klang River, located in the Malaysian town of Port Klang and the neighboring island of Pulau Indah. The port officially began operations in 1901, at which time the port was known as Port Swettenham. The port has three distinct port areas — North port, South port (Southpoint) and West port. Also under the port are Kapar Energy Ventures (KPS) Jetty and Port Klang Cruise Terminal. The Port of Port Klang's port limits encompasses an area of about 70 square nautical miles covering the waterways at the approaches, inner harbour and navigable rivers within the port.

References

  1. 1 2 René de baron Kerchove (1961). "Fairway". International Maritime Dictionary: An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Useful Maritime Terms and Phrases, Together with Equivalents in French and German (2 ed.). Van Nostrand Reinhold. p. 273. ISBN   978-0-442-02062-0. OCLC   1039382382.
  2. ↑ UNECE (2017). Inventory of Main Standards and Parameters of the E Waterway Network (Blue Book) (PDF) (3rd ed.). New York and Geneva: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. p. 15.
  3. ↑ Muilerman et al. 2018, p. 65.
  4. ↑ Muilerman et al. 2018, p. 66.
  5. ↑ Gucma, Stanisław; Zalewski, Paweł (2020). "Optimization of fairway design parameters: Systematic approach to manoeuvring safety". International Journal of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering. 12: 129–145. Bibcode:2020IJNAO..12..129G. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnaoe.2019.08.002 . ISSN   2092-6782. S2CID   203036943.
  6. ↑ René de baron Kerchove (1961). "Navigable waters". International Maritime Dictionary: An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Useful Maritime Terms and Phrases, Together with Equivalents in French and German (2 ed.). Van Nostrand Reinhold. p. 531. ISBN   978-0-442-02062-0. OCLC   1039382382.
  7. ↑ New Jersey Register, Volume 18, Issues 1-8. Administrative Publications of the Office of Administrative Law. 1986. OCLC   1375930. Navigable channel means a channel marked with navigational markers including poles, piling or buoys, by the Coast Guard or the State.
  8. ↑ Dennis W. Nixon; Michael J. Daly; Susan E. Farady; Read D. Porter; Julia B. Wyman (31 March 2022). Marine and Coastal Law: Cases and Materials (3 ed.). ABC-CLIO. p. 513. ISBN   978-1-4408-7740-7. OCLC   1303558946.
  9. ↑ Nuno Marques Antunes (16 May 2022). Towards the Conceptualisation of Maritime Delimitation: Legal and Technical Aspects of Political Process. BRILL. p. 170. ISBN   978-90-04-48205-0. OCLC   1321803406.
  10. ↑ Muilerman et al. 2018, p. 61.
  11. ↑ Peter Brodie (3 June 2013). "Fairway dues". Dictionary of Shipping Terms (6 ed.). Taylor & Francis. p. 83. ISBN   978-1-135-04622-4.
  12. ↑ Muilerman et al. 2018, p. 62.
  13. ↑ Merkel & Lindgren 2022.
  14. ↑ Alshareef 2019, pp. 2–3.
  15. ↑ USACE 2004, p. 620.
  16. ↑ U.S. Army Engineer District, Rock Island 1989, p. 2.
  17. ↑ USACE 2004, p. 49.

Sources


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