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/6 ShipCollisionswith Bridges The Nature of the Accidents, Their Preventionand Mitigation Committee on Ship-Bridge Collisions Marine Board Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems National Research Council NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS Washington, D.C. 1983
NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance. This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The National Research Council was established by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of sciences and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and of advising the federal government. The Council operates in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy under the authority of its congressional charter of 1863, which establishes the Academy as a private, nonprofit, self-governing membership corporation. The Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in the conduct of their services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. It is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. The National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Medicine were established in 1964 and 1970, respectively, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences. This report represents work supported by Grant Number N00014-82-G-0032 between the Office of Naval Research and the National Academy of Sciences. Copies available in limited quantity from: Marine Board Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems National Research Council 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, o.c. 20418 Printed in the United States of America ii
MARINE BOARD of the COMMISSION ON ENGINEERING AND TECHNICAL SYSTEMS NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL John E. Flipse, Chairman Texas A&M Research Foundation College Station, Texas John F. Wing, Vice Chairman James A. Higgins Boaz, Allen and Hamilton Stanley Associates Bethesda, Maryland Washington, D.C. William M. Benkert Bramlette McClelland American Institute McClelland Engineers, Inc. of Merchant Shipping Houston, Texas Washington, D.C. William M. Nicholson Kenneth A. Blenkarn Annapolis, Maryland Amoco Production Company Tulsa, Oklahoma Fredric Raichlen California Institute of Technology Donald F. Boesch Pasadena, California Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium Clifford M. Sayre Chauvin, Louisiana E. I. DuPont de Nemours and Company Wilmington; Delaware H. Ray Brannon Exxon Production Research William H. Silcox Houston, Texas Standard Oil Company of California San Francisco, California Clifton E. Curtis Center for Law and Social Policy Julian H. Singman Washington, D.c. Maritime Institute for Research and Industrial Development Robert G. Dean Washington, D.C. University of Florida Gainesville, Florida Nathan Sonenshein Global Marine Development, Inc. Edward D. Goldberg Newport Beach, California Scripps Institution of Oceanography La Jolla, California Marshall P. Tulin University of California Arthur J. Haskell Santa Barbara, California Matson Navigation Company San Francisco, California James G. Wenzel Lockheed Missiles and Space Company Sunnyvale, California STAFF Jack w. Boller, Executive Director Richard w. Rumke, Staff Officer Donald w. Perkins, Assistant Executive Director Gale M. Munson, Administrative Assistant Charles A. Bookman, Senior Staff Officer Doris c. Holmes, Financial Assistant Michael E. Gaffney, Senior Staff Officer Phyllis Johnson, Secretary Aurora M. Gallagher, Senior Staff Officer Terrie Noble, Secretary iii
COMMITTEE ON SHIP-BRIDGE COLLISIONS Thomas R. Kuesel, Chairman Parsons, Brinckerhoff, Quade and Douglas, Inc. New York, New York Kenneth N. Derucher Department of Civil Engineering Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, New Jersey Ben c. Gerwick, Jr. Consulting Construction Engineer San Francisco, California J. Wesley Miller Spectra Research Systems Vandenberg AFB, California Pat Neely, Jr. American Pilots Association Washington, D.C. James E. Sawyer Greiner Engineering Sciences, Inc. Tampa, F lo _r ida Bolger s. Svensson Leonhardt, Andrae und Partner Stuttgart, Germany William c. Webster Department of Naval Architecture University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, California LIAISON REPRESENTATIVES Robert Wittenberg U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters Washington, o.c. Stanley Gordon Federal Highway Administration Department of Transportation Washington, D.C. iv
CONTENTS Preface vii. Executive summary 1 Conclusions and Recommendations 7 Introduction 11 Bridges 15 The Historical Record 17 Considerations of Ships and waterways 35 Dynamics of Ship Collisions 45 Siting and Design of Bridges to Reduce Ship Impacts 53 Geotechnical Aspects of Ship Collisi9ns with Bridge Piers 59 Protective systems 63 Preventive Systems 69 Estimation of Risk and Evaluation of Mitigating Alternatives 85 Legislative and Institutional Framework 97 References 105 Summary of Committee Expertise 113 Appendix: Bridges Spanning Major Coastal waterways A-1 V
vi 4-1 0 i:: 0 ·.-1 Ul ·.-1 .-i .-i 8
PREFACE A possibility not addressed by national policy or engineering standards in the United States is that a bridge may collapse from the impact of a striking ship. The possibility is actual: in the past 20 years, more than 100 lives have been lost in 22 catastrophic ship collisions with bridges. More than 50 of these fatalities occurred in the United States. Background of the Study A long-standing concern of the Marine Board of the National Research Council is the application of systematic analysis and engineering to ensure the safety of the public, of navigation, and of the marine environment. Initial investigation of the problem of ship-bridge collisions indicated to the Marine Board that the frequency of such accidents and the severity of their consequences might well be increasing and that the division of responsibilities for navigational projects and bridges among federal and other agencies of government fragments the focus necessary to systematic prevention or mitigation. The Marine Board determined that the subject should be independently assessed and, in accordance with the terms of its charter, that the Marine Board should undertake the study on its own initiative. The Committee on Ship-Bridge Collisions--composed of experts on bridge design and protective systems; navigational aids; and the nature, behavior, and handling of vessels--was appointed by the National Research Council to conduct the study under the direction of the Marine Board. Scope and Methods of the Study The Committee on Ship-Bridge Collisions reviewed the nature and scope of the problem in the United States, existing knowledge of ship-bridge collisions, pertinent regulatory and institutional considerations, and mitigation strategies. The study was restricted to bridges spanning major coastal ports and navigational channels of the United States, and to accidental impacts. The St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes were excluded, as well as most of the inland waterways. vii
International studies of ship-bridge collisions and investigations in foreign countries were being conducted when the committee undertook its assessment. The committee maintained an active exchange of infor- mation with these other studies through its foreign member. The committee reviewed the literature (including accident data and reports} pertinent to ship-bridge collisions and consulted with federal author- ities and other experts. Three meetings were convened by the commit- tee, including one in Tampa, Florida, to inspect the damaged Sunshine Skyway Bridge and to hear briefings about the several efforts proposed or under way to improve the safety of the replacement bridge and of marine tra ~fic in Tampa Bay. Associations of ship pilots were surveyed to gain an understanding of troublesome ship-bridge problems and to learn the views of those who steer vessels through navigational channels and bridges. Findings from these phases of the study were addressed by members of the committee from their individual and collective expertise and judgment. The report represents the consensus of the committee. Acknowledgments The Committee on Ship-Bridge Collisions gratefully acknowledges the participation and cooperation in this study of the Federal Highway Administration, u.s. Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, American Railway Engineering Association, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering. viii
