Abstract:
The disruption of port operations, whether due to technical issues or external factors, can have a
significant impact on the port’s overall competitiveness and economic viability. The HIDRALERTA Early
Warning System is operational on a daily basis, issuing emergency alerts concerning wave overtopping, ship
navigation, and operational constraints for seven ports and coastal zones in mainland Portugal, as well as three
additional ports in the Azores Islands. The system is designed to enhance port resilience by mitigating potential
risks through improved planning and swift emergency responses. The system employs a suite of numerical
models that utilise forecasts of regional wind and sea-wave characteristics offshore, along with astronomical
tidal data, as inputs. These numerical models generate estimates of wave and wind characteristics at both
regional and local scales. Furthermore, the system computes the ship’s response to these wave and wind forces
using a hydrodynamic 3D model and a motion equation solver. Currently. the HIDRALERTA system is being
extended to incorporate new methodologies. This paper presents a case study to demonstrate the aforementioned
developments at the port of Praia da Vitória, situated on Terceira Island, and its adjacent coastal bay. A notable
advancement is the use of artificial neural network tools to enhance wave predictions at certain locations where
extensive historical data are available.
