MS Plan B Defense: A wave-flume study of the dispersion of tsunami-induced debris: Freight containers on a moored container ship

John Melve
Master’s Student
Department of Ocean and Resources Engineering
University of Hawai’i at Mānoa

Holmes Hall 247

Having a substantial understanding of the hazards from tsunamis is very crucial to minimize the casualties and losses in coastal communities. The impacts of tsunamis on the pacific island nations can cause a huge devastating impact on road infrastructure, ports and harbor facilities, airports, and hotels close to the ocean. This will reciprocate to the tourism industry as a source of economic revenue for the islands. This experimental study specifically focused on the dispersion of the freight containers that are on a container ship during a tsunami event. Factors considered include distinctive container sizes at full and empty capacity, water depths, transverse position in respect to wave propagation direction, layouts of containers. The experimental design parameters were chosen predominantly to simulate a tsunami event at Vanuatu’s semidiurnal tides and utilizing varied weights of containers from the container ships entering Vanuatu.