Ship Navigation Simulation Study, Port Jersey Channel, Bayonne, New Jersey. Volume 1. Main Text.

The Port Jersey channel, Bayonne, NJ, is part of the New York Harbor complex, the leading port on the east coast of the United States. It is one of several channels branching off to the left from the main Anchorage channel south of the Statue of Liberty. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is developing the channel for containership terminals. The existing channel is 35 ft deep below MLW and approximately 750 ft wide with a 1,200-ft turning basin at the end. The proposed improvements include deepening to 41 ft with a channel width of 300 ft The purpose of the simulation study was to determine the effect of deepening the channel and to aid in design of the dimensions and alignment of the recommended channel. The ship simulation study was conducted by local tug pilots on the simulator and used tidal current data from a mathematical model using the TABS-2 modeling system. Two containership models loaded to 35- and 38-ft draft were used in the existing and proposed channel test scenarios, respectively. Channel widths tested included the existing channel and widths of 250,300,370, and 440 ft. Test results used to evaluate the alternative channel plans included pilot ratings, composite ship track plot results, and statistical analysis of key ship navigation parameters, such as rudder angles, ship speed, ship heading, drift angles, etc.