Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/11681/26287
Title: Final Environmental Impact Statement, Port Everglades Harbor Navigation Study, Broward County, Florida : EIS Sub-Appendix H, Characterization of Essential Fish Habitats in the Port Everglades Expansion Area
Authors: United States. Army. Corps of Engineers. Jacksonville District
Keywords: Dredging
Inland navigation
Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Publisher: United States. Army. Corps of Engineers. Jacksonville District.
Abstract: The Port Everglades (Port) is a major seaport located on the southeast coast of Florida (Figure 1). The Port has immediate access to the Atlantic Ocean, and is located within parts of the cities of Hollywood, Dania Beach, and Fort Lauderdale. To the east of the Port is a barrier island that contains a U.S. Navy (USN) facility, a Nova Southeastern University (NSU) facility, a U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) facility, and John U. Lloyd Beach State Park (JUL) and its adjacent beaches. South of the Port’s Dania Cutoff Canal (DCC) is the West Lake Park (WLP) area. West of the Port is Federal Highway (U.S. 1) which is flanked by the Fort Lauderdale International Airport (FTL). North of the Port is a mixture of small-craft waterways (Intracoastal Waterway and canals) and commercial and residential development. The existing federal channel depth of 42 feet at Port Everglades does not provide an adequate, safe depth for large tankers and container ships currently visiting the harbor. Those ships must light-load or wait on tides to enter the harbor resulting in transportation inefficiencies and additional expenses. Additionally, the next generation of container ships requires significantly more channel depth to operate efficiently and safely. Specifically, the next generation of container ships comprises post-Panamax vessels, such as the MV Susan Maersk with an overall length of 1,138 feet, an extreme breadth of 141 feet, and a maximum draft of 47.6 feet. In contrast, the current largest Panamax container ships have overall lengths of 965 feet, an extreme breadth of 106 feet, and a maximum draft of 44.3 feet. Economic analyses have shown that improvements to most of the channels and basins serving the Port are required to achieve efficient transit of the existing fleet and to accommodate the future fleet. Avoiding light-loading of ships, allowing for port calls at all tides, and promoting a fewer number of calls with larger vessels (rather than more calls with smaller vessels) will improve the efficiency of port operations and mitigate the costs of products brought in through the Port. Port Everglades pilots have expressed significant concern regarding the safety of navigation to and within the existing federal channels. The entrance channel has dangerously strong cross currents which vary in strength and are unpredictable in direction. These currents generally run at right angles to the direction of the narrow entrance channel making transit hazardous, without local knowledge, for deep draft vessels. These currents have been reported to be as much as 5 knots (National Ocean Service 2010). A wider and deeper entrance channel and deeper inner entrance channel will greatly improve the safety of navigation. The primary objectives of the federal project are to provide for existing and future vessel movements, resolve navigation restriction problems (including those related to navigation safety); and present opportunities for national economic development.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/11681/26287
Appears in Collections:Environmental Documents