Risk Analysis and Management of Ship Collisions with Bridges

On June 15, 2007 a great tragedy occurred due to a ship collision with a bridge pier which resulted in nine fatalities in Guangdong Providence, China. This event greatly increased concern over the safety of bridges crossing navigable waterways. Due to the rapid expansion of highway networks in China many bridges which span rivers, lakes and crossing bays have been constructed or are under construction. At the same time, waterborne traffic has also been increasing which has caused an increased risk of ship collision with bridges (SCB). The risk analysis and management of SCB are vital to the safety of both bridges and ships. In this paper the risks of SCB are analyzed, evaluated, classified and rated according to their impact distribution, probability and loss of the accident. The risk acceptance criteria are analyzed and several kinds of ship collision protection methods are discussed. The framework of the "life-cycle cost oriented" risk reduction methodology is proposed to guide the bridge design and/or indicate the appropriate level of collision protection and management.