ABSTRACT
Santos Harbour Area (SHA) (Fig.1) throughputs approximately 15% of Brazilian maritime exports of more than 800 million tons per year and around 35% of Brazilian Gross National Product of US$ 2.088 trillions (2011 data). These figures put SHA as the fourth largest harbour facility in the Americas and the first in the Southern Hemisphere. In the last decade important oil and gas reserves in the deep Offshore Basin of Santos began to be developed. Santos metropolitan urban area and shoreline is one of the most frequently used, and Santos also has significant tourism from cruise lines. For the economical growth scenario it is essential to have an understanding of the main maritime hydrodynamics forcing processes in tidal levels, tidal currents and waves, induced by sea extreme events and associated hazards influencing the risks upon vessel operations. For official purposes, the current bed level of SHA Outer Channel is – 15.00 m (CD) being considered officially as a two way channel of 220 m in width for container vessels of 9,000 TEUs, which is maintained by dredging. According to the
logistic forecast, in 2025 the Access Channel will have to be deepened to – 17.00 m (CD).
