ABSTRACT
Risk analysis of ship collision to bridges is of relevance both in relation to planning and designs of new bridges and in assessment of the safety of existing bridges over navigable waters. The steady development within bridge design towards longer spans and deeper foundations makes bridging possible at locations where the aspect of navigational safety becomes more and more critical. The issue of navigational safety in passage of a bridge involves different parties with opposite interests and is therefore prone to conflicts of political character. Four different parties have direct or indirect interest in the navigational safety of a bridge: the ship traffic, the bridge owner, the bridge users and the environment. The ship traffic shall preferably be defined with the ship length as the principal parameter. Local mariners, pilots and navigational authorities shall be inquired about the actual navigational conduct in the region.
