Storm damage assessment of a port in the Southwestern Black Sea

Abstract

This paper presents a comprehensive investigation of the storm damage at a commercial port located in the Southwestern Black Sea Region that occurred on January 18–19, 2018. One week after the event, a field survey was conducted at the port focusing on significantly damaged mound breakwaters and protection structures that failed at several sections. A numerical wave modeling study is carried out to estimate the wave characteristics at deep sea, nearshore, and inside the port to assess the observed damage during the field survey. Widely used numerical models WAVEWATCH III, SWAN, and SWASH are utilized using nested computational domains and calibrated based on satellite measurements. As a result, the significant wave height of the storm is estimated as 7.8 m with a peak period of 12.4 s near the port area, approaching mainly from the northwest direction. The damage mechanisms of the mound structures are discussed based on the field observations and the wave modeling studies. The insufficient seaside armor unit sizes and the orientation of the breakwaters are found to be the main reasons for the damage.