3rd International Conference on Ship Manoeuvring in Shallow and Confined Water: Ship Behaviour in Locks.

The 3rd International Conference on Ship Manoeuvring in Shallow and Confined Water will focus specifically on Ship Behaviour in Locks bacause it is an actual topic that merits attention. A significant number of locks for large sea-going vessels are in construction or in study all over the world, the new Panama Canal locks being the most famous example. But also in inland shipping, adaptation of existing canals requires continuing renovation of existing lock complexes.

Lock manoeuvres involve more than just shallow water and bank effects. A series of additional effects such as density currents and the permeability of structures also have to be considered. Ultimately, complex ship hydrodynamics are involved, which are not yet fully understood. Several specific topics can be distinguished such as the behaviour of ships approaching and entering lock chambers, the design of approach lanes to the locks in order to reduce wave reflection and lateral forces and the development of more realistic ship - lock simulation models.

The Third International Conference on Ship Manoeuvring in Shallow and Confined Water: Ship Behaviour in Locks intends to offer researchers and experts the possibility to discuss the latest developments in research and practice related to the behaviour of ships in or near locks, including the following applications:

• Ship hydrodynamics
• Development of ship - lock simulation models
• Design of approach lanes
• Effect of density currents and structure permeability
• Mooring forces

The presentations will cover experiences from different points of view:

• Practical aspects of manoeuvres and operations
• Simulation models
• Field observations
• Experimental results
• Numerical calculations, including CFD

Papers concerning the civil engineering aspects of locks are welcome if the main subject focuses on the behaviour of ships in or near locks.

Related topics

Papers discussing related topics in the field of hydrodynamics of ship manoeuvring in shallow and confined waters will be considered as well:

• Shallow and confined water effects
• Squat
• Ship - ship interaction
• Ship - fender interaction

Benchmark data

With respect to simulation models and numerical calculation methods to determine forces and moments due to ship behaviour in locks, the organisers would particularly welcome papers which focus on comparisons between the output of numerical models and benchmark model test data obtained at Flanders Hydraulics Research. A selection of the model test results has been made available by the project management. The benchmark data can be obtained by mailing to info@shallowwater.be to request a digital version of the benchmark data. The data will then be sent to you along with an accompanying paper describing the experimental set-up.

The benchmark data which were made available for the 2nd International Conference on Ship Manoeuvring in Shallow and Confined Water are also still available for interested parties.

First call for papers

Authors are invited to submit an abstract of 250 - 300 words to info@shallowwater.be before 31 August 2012. The official language of the conference is English and the abstracts will be reviewed by an international scientific committee. Once accepted, authors will be expected to write and submit a full paper, which will also be reviewed by the international scientific committee.

Conference Venue

The conference will be held at the Convention Centre "Het Pand" of Ghent University. Het Pand is an old Dominican monastery located in the heart of the city on the banks of the river Leie, near the medieval port with the guildhalls as its remnants.

As before, the conference will be organised by the Royal Institution of Naval Architects, Flanders Hydraulics Research and Ghent University – Maritime Technology Division.