Numerical and field study of ship-induced waves along the St. Lawrence Waterway,Canada

Coastal and bank erosion along the St. Lawrence River Waterway in Quebec, Canada, represents a hazard to local communities living along the river banks, as well as to the local fauna habitat. The purpose of this study is to assess the potential impact of the waves generated by long containerships on riverbank erosion and recession at critical sites along the St. Lawrence River Waterway, which have already experienced significant damage. A field study was carried out to investigate the ship-generated hydrodynamics and the various driving mechanisms of the erosion process induced by ship waves. The field measurements provided an assessment of the influence of the length of large vessels by comparing the characteristics of the hydrodynamics fields induced by the passage of two containerships of different lengths. The potential for bank erosion and recession is assessed in terms of the wake erosive energy incident to the shoreline. The field data are compared against analytical results predicted by an empirical model, as well as against a ship-generated hydrodynamics model. Several numerical simulations for quantifying the ship’s drawdown and its effects are also presented.