Air draft

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Air draft (or air draught) is the distance from the surface of
the water to the highest point on a vessel. This is similar to the
"deep draft" of a vessel which is measured from the surface of
the water to the deepest part of the hull below the surface, but air
draft is expressed as a height, not a depth.[1][2]

The vessel's "clearance" is the distance in excess of the air draft

which allows a vessel to pass safely under a bridge or obstacle
such as power lines, etc. A bridge's clearance is most often noted
on charts as measured from the surface of the water to the under
side of the bridge at Mean Highest High Water (MHHW) which
is the most restrictive clearance. The height of the tide at any
time below its highest point at MHHW will then increase the
clearance under the bridge.
In 2014, the United States Coast Guard reported that 1.2% of the
collisions it investigated in the recent past were due to vessels
attempting to pass underneath structures with insufficient

The deck of the Allenburg Bridge

on Canada's Welland Canal
typically rests only a few metres
above the water level. When a
ship approaches, the deck is raised
to provide sufficient air draft (or
draught) for the vessel to pass
through.

clearance.[1]

At several bridges, such as the Gerald Desmond Bridge in Long Beach, California, NOAA has
installed an "Air Gap" measuring device that accurately measures the distance from its sensor on the
bridge to the water surface and can be accessed by marine pilots and ship's masters to aid them in
making real time determination of clearance.

See also

Structural clearance
Structure gauge
Tower Bridge

References

1. "Marine Safety Alert 090-14: AIR DRAFT IS CRITICAL!" (PDF) (Press release). United States Coast
Guard Inspections and Compliance Directorate. 2014-09-09. Retrieved 2015-02-15.
2. 2104 Connecticut Boater's Guide (PDF). State of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental
Protection. p. 60. Retrieved 2015-02-15.

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Categories: Ship measurements

This page was last modified on 15 May 2016, at 18:22.

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