Working to advance the sustainable development of maritime and inland navigation infrastructure through the international exchange and publication of expert technical information on port and waterway development.

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Working Groups

International Co-operation Commission

CoCom 2
Best Practice for Shoreline Stabilization methods
Fact Sheet

CoCom 126
Training in Ports and Waterways
Fact Sheet

Environmental Commission

EnviCom
Environmental Benefits of Waterborne Transport
Fact Sheet

EnviCom
Climate Change and Navigation
Fact Sheet

EnviCom 0
PIANC Permanent Task Group on Climate Change
The PIANC Permanent Task Group on Climate Change (PTGCC) conducted a work session in Brussels, Belgium on 31 January and 1 February 2011. Countries represented were Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, South Africa, and the US. PIANC Commissions represented were EnviCom, InCom, MarCom, RecCom, CoCom, and the Younger Members. Together with the representatives of the partner organisations IAPH, IADC, CCNR and others the PTGCC continued its establishing phase to become a focal point for climate change and navigation on the global level. The PTGCC has made a preliminary review of PIANC reports to evaluate the extent to which climate change effects or climate change adaptation has or should be covered. At the meeting, we decided to gather additional information from the commissions about recreation, inland navigation, and countries in transition. PTG CC members were assigned to contact the commissions to better identify and prioritize needs, with a draft by mid-April. Based on the information gathered to date, we decided to form two additional subgroups which will address the priority needs of sea-level rise and extreme hydrological events to provide the relevant information for the adaptation of the waterborne transport infrastructure. An inland navigation mitigation subgroup is lead by Gernot Pauli of the Central Commission on Navigation of the River Rhine who is going to organize a workshop in April in Strasbourg in France. The input for maritime mitigation is given by IAPH and the World Ports Climate Initiative. An additional team was formed to handle website development. Volunteers are welcome to assist the PTGCC in these subgroups. Please contact the PTG Secretary, Dr. Jason Giovannettone, at Jason.P.Giovanettone@usace.army.mil if you’d like to participate. Our next team meeting is in May at Berlin for the Annual General Assembly, where PTGCC will present progress to date and the its road map for PIANC and the navigation sector. ‘New’ Task Group Website: http://pianc.org/climatechange.php - Here you will find information on the Task Group, as well as a FREE download of the EnviCom Task Group 3 “Climate Change and Navigation”
Fact Sheet

EnviCom 11
Management, Dredged Material Re-use and Transformation of Existing Confined Disposal Facilities
Fact Sheet

EnviCom 12
Sustainable Waterways within the Context of Navigation and Flood Management
Fact Sheet

EnviCom 15
Environmental Aspects of Dredging and Port Construction Around Coral Reefs and Cold Water Hard Bottom Benthic Communities
Fact Sheet

EnviCom 16
Management of Ports and Waterways for Fish and Shellfish Habitat
Fact Sheet

EnviCom 100
Best Management Practices Applied to Dredging and Dredged Material Disposal Projects for Protection of the Environment
Fact Sheet

EnviCom 104
Dredged Material Beneficial Use Options and Constraints
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EnviCom 136
Recommendations for Sustainable Maritime Navigation
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EnviCom 143
Screening evaluation of environmental effects of navigation and infrastructure projects
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EnviCom 148
Environmental Impact Aspects of Recreational Navigation Infrastructures
This working will understand and identify the actual environmental impact of recreational navigation infrastructures.
Fact Sheet

EnviCom 150
A Practical Guide for a Sustainable Seaport
Increasing environmental awareness create new challenges for the development of ports. Green Ports are widely regarded as ?the answer? to these challenges. However, there is no clear and comprehensive description of what a Green Port actually is. There is a need for a step forward towards an integrated approach in which all separate measures, including climate change adaptation and mitigation measures, are merged into the concept of a single package: the Green Port.
Fact Sheet

EnviCom 157
Environmental Aspects of Dredging and Port and Waterway Construction around coastal plant habitats
In order to fill the gaps in information about the relation between dredging and port construction and the well being of productive marine and inter tidal plant habitats, an EnviCom Work Group is to be established.
Fact Sheet

EnviCom 163
Management of Ports, Harbors, and Waterways for Fishes & Shellfishes
Fact Sheet

Inland Navigation Commission

InCom 29
Innovations in Navigation Lock Design
Fact Sheet

InCom 30
Inventory of Inspection and Repair Techniques of Navigation Structures
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InCom 31
Organization and Management of River Ports
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InCom 32
Performance Indicators for Inland Waterways Transport
Fact Sheet

InCom 125
River Information Services (RIS)
InCom Working Group 125 River Information Services is dedicated to enabling safe and smooth navigation on the inland waterways through the introduction and advancement of information sharing enabling better, more informed decisions faster. WG125 River Information Services has participating members from Austria, Belgium, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Russian Federation and the US. Previous meeting was held 25 - 27 May in Gent, Belgium. At that meeting each member reported the status of RIS implementation in their country and the group reviewed the following documents: •Minutes of Meeting #2 in Pittsburgh, PA USA •Draft Definitions Related to RIS •Guidelines and Recommendations for River Information Services (Revision 3) •Technical Report on the Implementation Status of RIS (version 1) The group also attended the opening of the newest RIS Center and Lock facility in Flanders and the RIS Center in Netherland. Next meeting is 19 - 21 October in Prague, Czech Republic. Agenda items include review of the latest revision of the following documents: •Technical Report on the Implementation Status of RIS •Guidelines and Recommendations for River Information Services •Terms and Definitions Related to RIS •Proposal for an e-Navigation Task Force/Working Group The group will also attend working meetings on the waterways of the Czech Republic and implementation of River information Services. USA IMPLEMENTATION REPORT Since the last meeting USACE and USCG have made strides in implementing RIS. A meeting was held by the national Commanders of both organizations and an agreement to move forward with RIS was achieved. USACE is moving forward with a public/private partnership that will establish a Joint RIS Operations Center in Pittsburgh, PA. The Center will feature navigation safety and operational information available to all users of the system. Concurrently the USACE IMTS (Inland Marine Transportation System) Board of Directors has established an e-Navigation initiative that will be the umbrella organization for PIANC WG 125, RIS, Loma, FILS and FINDE activities. USA POC: Richard C. Lockwood, Chief Operations Division Pittsburgh District, 412-395-7140, RICHARD.C.LOCKWOOD@USACE.ARMY.MIL
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InCom 127
Fish Passage
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InCom 128
Alternate Bank Protection Methods for Inland Waterways
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InCom 129
Waterway Infrastructure Asset Maintenance Management
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InCom 137
Navigation Structures Resilience to Overloading
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InCom 138
Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Lessons Learnt from Navigation Structures
InCom Working Group 138, "Mechanical and Electrical Lessons Learned from Navigation Structures", held its 3rd meeting October 6-8, 2010, in Dublin, Ireland. The group consists of members representing Germany, the UK, Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, and the US. Areas of investigation include hydraulically operated machinery, electro mechanical operating machinery, and maintenance and general issues. The meeting concentrated on maintenance issues as well as an update on the hydraulically operated machinery section. The group also visited Spencer Lock and Buckingham Lock as well as the Samuel Beckett Swing Bridge and the East Link Bascule Lift Bridge. The group has divided responsibilities for the development of various sections among working group members. The US representative has responsibility for compiling the section covering electro mechanical operating machinery. The report is scheduled for completion in 2012. POC: Brenden McKinley, 304-399-5593, brenden.f.mckinley@usace.army.mil.
Fact Sheet

InCom 139
Values of Inland Waterways
The objective of this working group is to gain greater insight of the benefits/values of waterways for society. This will help in the process of increasing the benefit to cost ratio which would increase the attractiveness of a waterway project. InCom Working Group 139, "Values of Inland Waterways", held its 3rd meeting 23-24 September in Maastricht, Netherlands. The group consists of members representing Germany, UK, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Argentina, Egypt and the US. Report compilation continues with components addressing not only commercial cargo use of inland waterways but also restoration of canals, environmental benefits, landside redevelopment, tourism, cultural and historic components, and other elements adding to the economic and social values of waterways that are not often quantified or even recognized. Presentations included the restoration of the Gota Canal in Sweden and Rideau Canal in Canada. Chapters will be broken out by various topical areas with the US team member responsible for coordination of materials and text on commercial freight use. The report is scheduled for completion in 2011. POC: David Grier, 703-428-6438, david.v.grier@usace.army.mil.
Fact Sheet

InCom 140
Semi-Probabilistic Design Concept for inland hydraulic structures
The objective of this working group is to develop a plan for creating a Semi-Probabilistic Design Methodology for a Eurocode section on Hydraulic Structures.
Fact Sheet

InCom 141
Design Guidelines for Inland Waterways
To objective of this working group is to undertake a review of current papers, data sources, current research and experience relating to the design of inland waterways and prepare a PIANC publication.
Fact Sheet

InCom 142
Inland Navigation Safety
The objective of this working group is to identify useful safety measures and /or regulations and establish recommendations to develop technical and organizational measures to reduce accidents.
Fact Sheet

InCom 151
Impacts of Seismic Loads and Vessel Impact on Lock Gates
The main objective is to define a general methodology for the analysis and design of lock gates and approach structures considering seismic loads and vessel impact.
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InCom 154
Mitre Gate Design and Operation
The main objective of the WG is identifying “Best Practices” for the design, fabrication, and operation of lock mitre gates.
Fact Sheet

InCom 155
Ship behaviour in locks and lock approaches
The manoeuvring of ships in the approach of locks and the behaviour of the ships in the lock itself is a key factor for the hydraulic design of the locks. The design can significantly impact on the forces which act on the ship, as it approaches the lock, is being moored and moved upwards or downwards. The forces are the basis for the safety of the locking process, as they affect the ease to enter in the lock and the forces that are imposed on hawsers and bollards.
Fact Sheet

InCom 156
e-Navigation for Inland Waterways
In the first decade of the 21st century River Information Services have been developed to deal with the information services supporting traffic management and transport management. RIS has become mature and is in an implementation stage throughout the world.
Fact Sheet

InCom 158
Masterplans for the Development of Existing Ports
Port masterplans are a truly strategical tool for the competitiveness of a port. They should ensure the technical, environmental and financial feasibility of infrastructure within a framework of possible development of a port area with time, well before the conceptual and detailed engineering design stage.
Fact Sheet

InCom 166
Inflatable Structures in Hydraulic Engineering
The objective is gathering the experiences, showing the application range of inflatable structures and developing a compendium. The main objective of the WG is to define a general methodology for the analysis and design of inflatable structures, in particular of the membrane and the anchoring system. Therefore, it is necessary to review the research presenting it in a comprehensive publication to aid designers and operators in their preliminary tasks.
Fact Sheet

Maritime Navigation Commission

MarCom 39
Monitoring of Breakwaters
Fact Sheet

MarCom 46
Maritime Freight Transshipment
Fact Sheet

MarCom 47
Criteria for the Selection of Breakwater Types and their Optimum Damage Risk Level
Fact Sheet

MarCom 48
Guidelines for Port Constructions, Related to Bowthrusters
Fact Sheet

MarCom 49
Horizontal and Vertical Dimensions of Fairways
The MarCom Working Group 49, "Horizontal and Vertical Dimensions of Fairways," purpose is to update the PIANC WG30 1997 report on Approach Channels that includes discussions on vertical and horizontal channel design and general aspects of fairway design such as aids to navigation, operational procedures, tug assistance, etc. The WG49 is planning publication of their report in 2011. They held two meetings during 2010 with a third meeting scheduled for 4-5 November in Brussels, Belgium. The WG49 consists of 18 members from 12 countries including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, The Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, United Kingdom, and the United States. Dr. Briggs is the U.S. Principal representative and leads the eight-member vertical dimensions subgroup that is responsible for sections of the report dealing with water levels and tide predictions, underkeel clearance, vessel squat, wind- and wave-induced motions, navigable depth and muddy bottoms, air draft clearance, and probabilistic design. POC: Dr. Michael Briggs, 601-634-2005, Michael.J.Briggs@usace.army.mil).
Fact Sheet

MarCom 50
General Principles for the Design of Maritime Structures
Fact Sheet

MarCom 51
Water Injection Dredging
Fact Sheet

MarCom 52
Criteria for the (Un-)Loading of Container Ships
MarCom Working Group 52, "Criteria for the (Un-)Loading of Container Ships ," held its last meeting in Delft, The Netherlands on June 23 and 24 to finalize the remaining chapters and reach consensus on the report conclusions. Final chapter drafts were submitted and the draft report was presented by the Chairman, Mr. Harry Mohns of Germany to the Maritime Commission at its meeting on September 23rd in Oostende, Belgium. MarCom accepted the results and the final document is to be submitted for publication by the end of December, 2010.
Fact Sheet

MarCom 53
Design and Construction of Maritime Structures in Tsunami Prone Areas
Fact Sheet

MarCom 54
Use of Hydro/Meteo Information to Optimize Safe Port Access
PIANC Working Group (WG) 54, "Use of Hydro/Meteo Information for Port Access and Operations", will be holding its eight meeting from the 8th through 10th of November 2010 at Flanders Hydraulics Research Institute in Antwerp, Belgium. US representative Majid Yavary will be attending. Members from Germany, Spain, England, Australia, Holland, Belgium, Japan, South Africa, and the US participate in this WG. The development of the report, which consists of seven chapters, is ongoing. The report will address measurement, prediction, and application of the hydrodynamic and metrological data in the design and operation of port facilities, with special emphasis on access channels, and will complement the work being carried out by WG 52 (Criteria for the (un)loading of containerships) and WG 49 (Horizontal and Vertical Dimensions of Fairways). The US representative is the lead author of the now completed chapter on Measurement of Hydro/Meteo parameters, with contributions from representatives from Japan and Holland. It is expected that a draft copy of this report will be presented to the MarCom for comments in mid-2011. POC: Majid Yavary, ph. +1.212.465.5448, yavary@casg.co or yavary@pbworld.com.
Fact Sheet

MarCom 55
Safety Aspects of Berthing Operations of Oil and Gas Tankers
MarCom Working Group 55, "The Safety Aspects Affecting the Berthing Operations of Tankers to Oil and Gas Terminals", held its 10th meeting September 28-29, 2010, in Hamburg, Germany. The group consists of members representing Norway, Germany, UK, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, and the US. Report compilation nears completion and covers Safety Management & Risk Assessment, Environmental Conditions, Approach from the Open Sea, Mooring & Monitoring Systems, Spacing for Safe Berthing, Calculation of Current, Wind, and Wave Forces, Acceptable MetOcean Conditions for Berthing, Operational Safety, etc. The report covers both tankers and gas carriers including transiting in port from the sea buoy to terminals, maneuvering, berthing and mooring guidelines. The report is scheduled for completion in 2011. US Rep: Larry Cunningham, 212-608-3990, cunninghamlk@halcrow.com.
Fact Sheet

MarCom 56
Application of Geotextiles in Waterfront Protection
MarCom Working Group 56, " Application of Geotextiles in Waterfront Protection", completed final edits to the draft report this summer. The group consists of members representing Germany, UK, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, France, and the US. Presentations on the forthcoming report were made this year by Mr. Heibaum (Germany) at the 9th International Geosynthetics Conference in Brazil, and by Mr. Gaffney (US) at Ports 2010 in Jacksonville, FL. The report should be available later this year. POC: Doug Gaffney, 856-248-1200, doga@cowi.com.
Fact Sheet

MarCom 114
Stability of Pattern Placed Revetment Elements
MarCom114 replaces MarCom 57
Fact Sheet

MarCom 134
Design and Operational Guidelines for Superyacht Facilities
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MarCom 135
Design Principles for Container Terminals in Small and Medium Ports
MarCom Working Group 135, "Design principles for small and medium sized marine container terminals", held its 4th meeting in Oslo, Norway on 6-7 September. Group members coming from 7 countries including the UK, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Iceland and the US convened in the Oslo Port Authority offices to review the first draft report that was compiled. We went through the report chapter by chapter and discussed and re-arranged the contents and sections. The new structure will be included in a new draft that will be distributed amongst the active workgroup members. At the same time the workgroup members enjoyed a guided visit to the container terminals of the Port of Oslo. The next meeting is tentatively to be held in Paris/ Le Havre, France, on Thursday 5th and Friday 6th of May 2011. POC: George Steele (chairman), george-steele@scottwilson.com; Dimitris Pachakis (US representative), dpachakis@moffattnichol.com
Fact Sheet

MarCom 144
Classification of soils and rocks for the maritime dredging process
Although the objective of the report may not have to be changed, more recent views, knowledge and developments justify a revision of the report. Moreover, the booming of the dredging industry requires recommendations for the complete dredging process. MarCom Working Group 144, "Classification of Soils and Rocks for the Maritime Dredging Process", held its second meeting 21-22 September 2010 at the offices of VNF in Paris, France. The meeting was attended by the US co-representative, Mr. Gregory Sraders. Members from Belgium, Norway, Holland, France, Germany, Spain and the US participate in this WG. The development of the report, which consists of ten chapters, is ongoing. The main objectives of this WG are two folds, namely: to analyze the existing PIANC soil and rock classifications and to develop guidelines on physical, chemical, and mechanical properties of dredged materials with respect to excavation, transport, reclamation, and disposal processes. The work of this WG is expected to culminate in the preparation of a revised and updated version of existing PIANC publication titled "Classification of Soils and Rocks to be Dredged", which was published in 1984. US representatives are the lead authors of chapters 2 and 5. It is expected that the draft copy of the report will be presented to MarCom for comments in 2011. POC: Majid Yavary, Ph. +1.212.465.5448, yavary@casg.co or yavary@pbworld.com or Gregory Sraders, ph. +1.630.574.2969, GASraders@gldd.com.
Fact Sheet

MarCom 145
Berthing velocities and fender design
The objective of this Working Group will be to produce a report that provides data on actual recorded vessel approaches under a range of environmental conditions and provides clear guidelines to designers for the use of appropriate vessel design speeds.
Fact Sheet

MarCom 146
Recommendations for the design and operation of solid bulk floating marine or estuarine transshipment terminals
Recommendations for the design and operation of solid bulk floating marine or estuarine transshipment terminals
Fact Sheet

MarCom 146
Recommendations for the design and operation of solid bulk floating marine or estuarine transshipment terminals
Nowadays, people are more and more sensitive to the annoyance created by port operations towards their environment and this has yielded to a new interest for ore bulk floating transshipment terminals whether they are operated at sea or within estuaries. The actual examples are relatively scarce, but some ship owners think now in terms of such solutions or press port authorities to develop them, which justifies that PIANC gets involved into such a topic and proposes from its experience of from its members experience a guide gathering recommendations in the field of design and operation of solid bulk terminals , possibly enriched through experience collected in the field of liquid bulk floating terminals when relevant.
Fact Sheet

MarCom 152
GUIDELINES FOR CRUISE TERMINALS
Cruise tourism has been one of the fastest growing sector of the tourist industry for the past 25 years. Since 1980, the industry has had an average annual passenger growth rate of some 8% per year. This growth is expected to continue in the future. The rapid growth is shown by the large number of cruise ships, cruise lines and cruise corporations. As well as the increase of the number of small ships, which offer a high degree of services, there is a huge growth in the number of large ships being built and the average size is growing too.
Fact Sheet

MarCom 153
Recommendations for the Design of Marine Oil Terminals
In 2005, the State of California, USA completed a set of comprehensive engineering standards for the design of hydrocarbon-based liquid bulk terminals, otherwise known as marine oil terminals (MOTs). These standards, applicable for rehabilitation of existing terminals as well as the design of new terminals, set minimum engineering design standards that all terminal operators must follow. Promulgated by the California State Lands Commission, Marine Facilities Division, the standards require that all MOTs be audited against the standards to determine level of compliance. The standards focus on avoiding and limiting oil or refined hydrocarbon product spills and cover all technical aspects.
Fact Sheet

MarCom 161
Interaction between Offshore Wind Farms and Maritime Navigation
The final report of the Working Group will provide an approach, guidelines and recommendations to assess the required manoeuvring space in the vicinity of offshore windfarms and the minimal distance between shipping lanes and sea areas for offshore windfarms, in order to ensure a minimal risk level for navigation.
Fact Sheet

MarCom 162
Recommendations for increased durability and service life of marine concrete infrastructure
In many countries, deterioration and repair of important marine concrete infrastructure has emerged as a most severe and demanding challenge for the owners of structures. Although a number of deteriorating processes may represent potential problems, extensive experience demonstrates that electrochemical corrosion of the embedded steel poses the most critical and greatest threat to the durability and long-term performance of the structures. Although current standards have been improved in recent years, still an uncontrolled penetration of salt with subsequent steel corrosion can take place on relatively new important marine concrete structures. As soon as the corrosion starts, the owner has a problem, which in the beginning only represents a cost problem but later on also develops into a more difficult safety problem.
Fact Sheet

MarCom 164
Upgrade of Port Terminals by Increasing Dredged Depth
Existing Port Infrastructure often needs to be adapted to new operational requirements owed to changes in use of terminals or improvements in ship size and capacity. Environmental and cost concerns require that upgrade of existing port structures needs to be considered as a preferred option when compared to Port extensions.
Fact Sheet

MarCom 165
Design and Maintenance of Container Terminal Pavements
Container terminals require special types of pavement to resist the heavy and continuous loads of container handling equipment including straddle carriers, reach stackers, top picks, rubber tire gantries and automatic guided vehicles (AGV). Typically, container terminals use either asphalt or concrete block pavement systems. The design of these “structures” has been largely based on highway pavement technology. Load repetitions associated with port pavement, however, can be much slower, much heavier and more confined to single wheel paths than roadway conditions. Under such conditions, port pavements can be subject to rutting and other distresses that require repair, maintenance. In some cases, traditional asphalt/block pavements are not optimal for container terminals. Designers do not always know how to design pavements properly. Terminal operators do not always recognize the need for maintenance and do not plan for same. This can give rise to problems.
Fact Sheet

MarCom 167
Design of terminals for RoRo and RoPax vessels
RoRo and RoPax ships are widely used and are sailing on every ocean. Although these ships exist in many sizes, the trend continues for larger ships with more options for faster loading and unloading.
Fact Sheet

Recreational Navigation Commission

RecCom 15
The use of Alternative Materials in Marina Construction
Fact Sheet

RecCom 17
Guidelines for Marina design
Fact Sheet

RecCom 130
Anti-sedimentation Systems for Marinas and Yacht Harbors
Fact Sheet

RecCom 131
Catalogue of Marina Construction Elements
Fact Sheet

RecCom 132
Dry Stack Storage
Fact Sheet

RecCom 133
Economic Aspects of Recreactional Navigation
Fact Sheet

RecCom 134
Design and Operational Guidelines for Superyacht facilities
Fact Sheet

RecCom 147
Guidelines for Facilitation and Integration among Recreational, Fishery and Commercial Navigation
The study will identify and investigate demand characteristics, needs and relationship between different kind of traffics and navigations.
Fact Sheet

RecCom 149
Guidelines for Marina Design
This working group will produce the PIANC guidelines for marina design.
Fact Sheet