In a recent exercise, looking at dynamics on the Balochistan coast, Pakistan, two harbours have had significant persistent challenges, overwhelming successive structural interventions. However, applying standard coastal engineering approaches, 9/10 coastal engineers would likely have suggested similar actions, as they are the obvious response when considering littoral transport. Case 1: Gaddani Harbour At Gaddani Harbour, the southwest monsoon caused prevailing eastward along

Actions to mitigate harbour motions range from site selection or harbour design (large scale), through asset positioning or water / vessel motions (medium scale) down to mooring or jetty designs (small scale). In general, getting larger scale mitigation right is the most cost-effective outcome, with other forms of mitigation useful to deal with assessment uncertainty, local issues, or post-construction refinement of harbour use. Identification of internal motions can be chall

Adaptation triggers for coastal structures tend to be based on theoretical risk, which can obscure the necessity to implement change. Use...

Intakes & outfalls are two key structures for industrial seawater uses. However, they each require different factors to be assessed....

Selection of spoil disposal sites is often based on relatively short-term evaluation of drivers. When placed on the shelf, longer-term...

After 15 years of reviewing all sorts of jetty applications, I'm well aware of variety in design practices. These are apparently results of student-mentor training. While most are reasonably comparable, almost all struggle for design efficiency when applied at different scales, or different locations. Thanks to my mentors Mario Formentin, Martin Searle & Nello Siragusa, for taking the time to convey more than just one method!

The body of practice for harbour & port design has been built on a litany of mistakes. Understanding how the long list of issues might...

In the early 2000s, there was discussion about movement away from 'safety standard' design in coastal engineering towards reliability...

Fenders and buffers provide an important balancing role between risk of damage to #maritime structures, and risk of damage to vessels.

Whether 'someone got it wrong', 'things changed' or it 'just happened', conditions sometimes go beyond a facility's coastal design...

AS4997 has improved use of the concept of design life in general coastal engineering practice. However, there is more to design life than...

This post was prompted by a friend's comment that 'everything ultimately needs to be designed, or at least specified'. However, my years...

Australian Standards AS4997-2005 provided an important unification of probabilistic-based design. However, there are other factors and...

Rock structures do not all have a design life of 30-50 years and an average annual maintenance of 1-2% of capital cost! Armour stability...

One of my favourite examples of where we can do better as a coastal engineering community... Representing groynes in a one line coastal...