❖ Classification of Harbours
Classification of Harbour Depending upon the Protection
Needed:
1) Natural Harbours or Natural Road steads:
Inlet protected from storms and waves by natural
configuration of the land, a deep navigable channel with
a_ protective natural bank or shoal to seaward is a good
example of a natural roadstead.
2) Semi-Natural Harbour:
Protected on sides by headlands and requires man-made
protection only at the entrance example,
Vishakhapatnam
3) Artificial Harbours or Artificial Road steads:
No natural facilities are available for the harbour. Also
known as man-made harbours. An area Protected from
the effect of waves either by breakwaters
Classification of Harbour Depending upon the Utility:
1) Harbours of Refuge:
All naval crafts small or big require refuge in emergency
modern big ships will require a lot of elbow room for
tuming and manoeuvring should provide commodious
accommodation. A large area harbours which are useful
to shelter the ships during emergency situations like
storms or any other natural calamities. Harbours of
refuge are constructed with large entrance and they are
easily accessible.
2) Commercial Harbours:
Not situated on coasts of big rivers or even on island
rivercoast. Do not have any emergency demand. The
requirements of commercial harbours are:
a) Spacious accommodation of mercantile marine.
b) Ample quays space and facilities for transporting,
loading and unloading cargo.
c) Storage sheds for cargo.
d) Good and quick repair facilities to avoid delay.
3) Fishery Harbours:
Constantly open for departure and arrival of fishing
ships. Loading and unloading facilities and quick Dispatch
facilities for the perishable fish catch. Refrigerated stores
with ample storing space for preserving the catch.
Fishery harbours are specially meant to cargos carrying
seafood or aquatic animals.
4) Military Harbours: S
hould accommodate the naval vessels. They serve as
supply depots also. Military harbours are used as naval
bases, where war ships are rested while there is no work
in the sea or during repair works. No other private ships
should not enter this without permission.
5) Marina Harbours:
Marina is a harbour providing facilities for fuel, food,
showers, for small boat owners having temporary or
permanent berths. Marina harbours are small harbours
where moorings are provided for yachts and small ships.
They are not suitable for large cargos. The boats, ship
repair works, fuelling are done in this harbour.
Classification of Harbour Depending upon the Location:
1) Canal Harbour:
Harbour located along canals for sea navigations,
Dredging is negligible.
2) Lake Harbour:
Harbour constructed along the shore of the lake. No tidal
action.
3) River Harbour:
It is also known as Estuary harbour. Harbour constructed
along the banks of the river. Sea or Ocean Harbour.
Harbour located on the coast of the sea or an ocean.
❖ Components of Harbours
1) Entrance Channel: Water area from which ships enter
in the harbour and it should have sufficient width. It is
classified as 100 for small harbour, 100 to 160 m for
medium and 160 to 260 m for large harbour.
2) Break Water: A protective barrier made up of concrete
or course rubble masonry constructed from shore
towards the Sea to enclose harbour.
3) Turning Basin: It is water area which is required for
manoeuvring the ship after entering to the harbour and
it is large enough to permit free turning.
4) Shelter Basing: It is area protected by shore and
breakwater.
5) Pier: It is a solid platform at which berthing of ships on
both the sides are possible.
6) Wharf: It is a clocking platform constructed parallel to
shoreline providing berthing facility on one side only.
7) Quay: It is also dock parallel to the shore which is solid
structure providing berthing on one side and retaining
the earth on the other.
8) Dry Dock: It is a chamber provided for maintenance,
repairs and construction of ships.It includes walls, floor
and gate.
9) Wet Dock: Due to variation in tidal level. An enclosed
basin is provided where in number of ships can be
berthed. It has an entrance which is controlled by a lock
gate.
❖ Forces Acting on Break Water
1) Shearing of Bed Joints due to Horizontal Pressure of
the Wave : This is prevented by the resistance of offered
by the adhesive force of the Mortar joint. Usually 1:3
cement mortar is used, giving a high adhesive strength of
6 to 7 tons per sq. ft.: In case of frictional resistance to
siding of concrete or stone blocks the coefficient of
friction is 7. The resistance will be 7W. But the effective
weight should be calculated after making allowance for
loss of weight due to immersion, equal to the weight of
an equal volume of water.
2) Overturning: It is another aspect of the horizontal
pressure and the design should Provide for this, like
ordinary walls, to keep the resultant of the weight and
the horizontal Pressure within the middle third of the
base, to avoid tensional stress in the foundation courses.
The maximum permissible compressive stress is taken as
12 tons/sq. ft. with concrete on rock base.
The horizontal force causing shear of the joints and the
overturning has been experimentally determined in
many cases and the maximum value has been found to
be about 2.8 tons/sq. ft. at mean sea level, taking the
average wave size as 26'
3) Uplifting: It is due to wave action or wave force
underneath a mass. The only opposing force to eliminate
this is the weight of the masonry. which thus is a simple
case of equal and opposite forces.
4) Fracture: This does not result directly from wave
action. It may be Caused by the dislocated blocks,
knocking against each other. And breaking loose the
joints and such failures are usually avoided by proper
bonding in the masonry,by juggles etc.This type of break
water construction is suited to sheltered sites and not
reliable forvery heavy seas.When depth is not great and
the bottom is firm upright wall break water could be
built.
 ❖ Wet Dock & Dry Dock WHARVES: The landing places or platforms in the form
of walls built near shore for vessels to berth are known
Dry Dock as wharves. Open or framed structure of piles or posts
The meaning of dry dock is a structured area wherein with bracings, abutting from the shore towards the sea.
Adopted at places where sufficient depth of water is
construction, repairs and maintenance of merchant
available for ships to berth, 10m to 12m. Level of wharf
vessels and boats are carried out. This unique
should be above the high water level
construction or arrangement allows the water to be filled
up in an area, also known as a lock so that vessels can be QUAYS: Wharves along or parallel to the shore, solid in
manoeuvred in and out of the area.Once the vessel construction Usually made of concrete, stone etc .Their
enters the dry dock, the gates are closed and the protection walls are called quay walls Landing platform
seawater is drained out so that the hull and other parts beside a navigable waterway Provides berthing and
of the ship, which have been exposed to seawater for a cargo-handling facilities
long time are exposed for carrying out maintenance and
repair works. Moori: Mooring in the Harbour is limited to a small
number of areas and priced according to the zone. About
600 boats are kept on swinging moorings within the
1) Graving Dry Dock: This type of dry dock is normally
harbour. Deep water mooring zones are relative to the
constructed on land near the coastal waters with a
pontoons at Eastney Point and Ferry point with zone 1
rectangular solid concrete construction with blocks,
less than half a mile from the pontoons, zone 2 between
walls, and gates. The vessel is shifted inside the dry dock
half a mile and one mile and zone 3 more than a mile
and rested on the blocks. After the ship is in the required
from the pontoons.
position, the gate is closed and water is removed. In the
earlier days, the graving dry docks were constructed
using stones and timber. Now, steel and concrete
structure is used to make the enclosure and a heavy steel
gate is used to seal the dock to stop the ingress of water
once the ship is standing on the blocks.

2) Floating Dry Dock: A floating dock is in the form of a

“U” structure which is mainly used in salvage, to carry
ships that have met with an accident and are damaged
to an extent that has made them unable to sail further to
a coastal dock. However, now many regular sea-going,
small and mid-size vessels are also dry docking in a
floating dock. Several “U” type floating docks can be
joined to carry a large vessel. The ship is brought near the
channel where the floating dry dock will partly submerge
itself and the ship slides inside the dock.
Wet Dock:
A wet dock or impounded dock is a variant in which the
water is impounded either by dock gates or by a lock,
thus allowing ships to remain afloat at low tide in places
with high tidal ranges. The level of water in the dock is
maintained despite the raising and lowering of the tide
In wet docks, maintenance work cannot be done. As it is
basically located at high flood region, routine wise
cleaning is difficult.