1.6.

Sediment transport and dredging

Planning of a port in regions with significant sediment transport requires special care. Many
ports have failed or led to unexpected high maintenance costs because of inadequate
treatment of sediment transport.
Two kinds of sediment transport caused by currents and waves
1. Bed load
- Sediment is transported in the form of rolling along sea bed.
2. Suspended load
- Sediment is suspended by the turbulence due to wave breaking and transported.
Waves play a decisive role in coastal sediment transport process. The sediment transport
capacity increases as the water gets shallow, and in the breaking zone, high concentration of
suspended sediment occur. In the case where the tidal current is superimposed on the wave
action, the sediment transport capacity is much higher than the current along, because the
orbital wave motion at the bed generates a high concentration of sediment near the bed,
which in turn is transported by the current. This mechanism is important in connection
with dredged channels.
Sediment accumulation in the harbour basin can be a serious problem because the still water
in the basin provides an ideal condition for the suspended sediment passing through the
entrance to settle down.
Dredging is often necessary in order to maintain the water depth in navigation channels and
harbour basins.
Method of dredging
1. Mechanical
- Sediment is picked up on board by a bucket moved by a very strong arm and
boom. The sediment is then transported and dumped in another place.
2. Hydraulic
- It is the most popular and economical method. Sediment is sucked from the sea bed
and then discharged through pipes to a spoil disposal area (land or sea).
With respect to dredging economics, the variable costs, such as labor, fuel are minor
compared with the fixed costs arising from new equipments, which are often manufactured
specifically for the project. Moreover, the dredging efficiency is greatly influenced by the
weather.