The Management of the Québec Port Authority, foreseeing docking large cruise ships at Pier 30, located in the St.-Charles River estuary, wants to determine if cruise ships at least 335 meters long and having a maximum draught of 8.7 meters, will be able to manoeuvre within the current safe limits circumscribed by the minimum required sounding lines of 9.5 meters or, how far from the dock will dredging be required to increase the manoeuvring area near Pier 30. Dredging at 9.5 meters will ensure that the ships will always have an under-keel clearance of at least 0.75 meter.

In order to assess the situation, the MPQ called on the Maritime Simulation and Resource Centre (MSRC) to undertake a series of simulated manoeuvres to and away from Pier 30 (berthing and unberthing).

The purpose of these manoeuvres was to determine if they can be carried out within the operational weather limits (determined by the Port of Québec), so as to maintain safe distances from the minimum sounding lines at their current position.

These manoeuvres also helped the proper authorities to decide how much dredging must be done if the vessel cannot maintain a safe distance from the sounding lines presently defined as minimum for such a ship.

To help assessing the situation, each manoeuvre was recorded and a print-out of the hull’s swiping area was provided along with distances measured from and perpendicular to the dock’s face.

The maneuvers were carried out by Captain Yves Pelletier, docking pilot for the Corporation des pilotes du Bas-Saint-Laurent (CPSLB), and Captain Hakan Svedung, representative of Norwegian Cruise Line.