Hydraulic Engineering - Coastal Engineering and Port Development

Start next run: October 2010
Duration: 18 Months
Location: UNESCO-IHE, Delft, the Netherlands

The management of resources in coastal areas and related hydraulic engineering works has increased in importance and complexity and often requires innovative solutions.

Large coastal engineering projects undertaken in The Netherlands include major land reclamation works, the Delta Works (1958-1986) including storm surge barriers, and the Europort / Maasvlakte extension of the Port of Rotterdam. This specialisation transfers knowledge available in The Netherlands to developing countries and countries in transition.

Participant Profile

Participants typically have a BSc degree in civil engineering or a related field and a hydraulic background. He or she has worked for at least three years in professional practice or at a university or research establishment, and is eager to acquire practical skills and knowledge to solve engineering and coastal zone / port management problems.

A future career may be in government services, consultancy, or education and research institutes.

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of Hydraulic Engineering – Coastal Engineering and Port Development, graduates will be able to:

• Define and analyse coastal problems and conceive alternative solutions.
• Apply latest developments in planning, design and management to coastal engineering and port development.
• Understand and quantify the interactions between a coastal or port project and the environment.
• Organise and co-operate in a multi-disciplinary group to plan and implement an integrated coastal zone management plan (coastal specialisation).
• Understand developments in maritime transport, the role of a port in the logistic chain, and aspects of containerisation and port management (port specialisation).

Course Contents

Hydraulic Engineering - Coastal Engineering and Port Development offers the opportunity to specialise in either Coastal Engineering or Port Development. The taught part of the programme is largely common for all participants, specialised specialisations, the specialisation phase being during the six month thesis research period. During the common part the understanding of basic coastal processes, the design of coastal and port structures, the concepts of port development and the environmental aspects related to coastal engineering and port development are discussed in depth.

The specialisation programme contains the following modules:

• Introduction to Coastal Engineering covere the basic principles of coastal hydrodynamics, waves and tides.
• Coastal Systems focuses on the processes in coastal hydrodynamics, coastal morphology and coastal ecosystems.
• Coastal and Port Structures deals with the design of various types of breakwaters, behaviour and design of offshore and nearshore structures (berthing structures), port planning and design aspects of port construction.
• Management of Coasts and Ports covers management issues such as coastline management and management of environmental issues in coastal and port planning, and participants will attend either the seminar on coastal zone management or the seminar on port management (with a special focus on engineering aspects).
• Geotechnical Engineering and Dredging includes geo-engineering, foundation engineering and structure stability, marine geotechnical investigations and attendance of the seminar on dredging and reclamation.
• Flood Risk and Flood Protection deals with flood risk management, the principles of probabilistic design and the design of dikes and closure dams and their revetments.

During the specialisation ample attention is given to the principles and application of numerical modelling methods; and issues such as physical modelling, ocean waves, salt intrusion and density currents are discussed.

The list below shows all course modules of the specialisation within the framework of the International Master Programme in Water Science and Engineering (participants can choose between modules that have the same module-number). This is followed by a six month research and thesis phase. In total, the programme covers a period of 18 months and graduates will be awarded 106 ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) credits.