The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) has asked HR Wallingford for support in its continual quest to maximise the potential of this crucial maritime route.
HR Wallingford is to supply numerical and physical modelling systems to the SCA, which will help it to further develop the canal, ports and coastline, keeping it abreast with the evolution of vessels and maintaining a competitive edge.
The company will establish a suite of numerical hydraulic models for the entire canal system, as well the port approaches in the Mediterranean Sea and Gulf of Suez.
The canal is one of the world’s most heavily used shipping lanes, transited by 18,000 vessels in 2019.
HR Wallingford will also supply a bespoke state-of-the-art wave generation system for the flume in SCA’s research centre, which will be used for studies requiring a physical model.
The model will be the most comprehensive that has ever been created of the canal.
It will incorporate current flows, waves, and sediment transport, and cover neighbouring coastal areas and ports, as well as the canal itself.