A new shipyard is to be constructed on the southern coast of Culu Island in Min Estuary in Fujian Province, China. For the reasonable layout of wharfs and docks of the shipyard and the understanding of its influence on the nearby navigation channel, a physical model is set up to simulate and analyze the characteristics of tidal current field. Six cases with respect to different project schemes are carried out. Based on the measured results, a comprehensive analysis is performed on the flow regime and flow velocity behaviors. The optimum project scheme is recommended.
Mawei Shipyard, constructed in 1866, is the beginning of modern shipbuilding industry in Fujian Province, China. It not only has a long history, but also an advantageous geographical condition for shipbuilding industry. The coastline in Fujian province is 3102 km long, ranked second in China (Zhang et al., 2004), Minjiang River is located in the east of Fujian province, with a second largest runoff discharge in China (The Compilation Committee of China's Bay., 1998). At the same time, the local economic development further promotes the rapid development of the shipbuilding industry. A series of important projects are being planned and will be implemented in five years, among which a shipyard is going to be constructed in the south part of Culu Island. Before the construction, an accurate understanding of the possible effects on the hydrodynamic conditions is required (Zheng et al., 2010; Zheng et al., 2011). An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of water that is either permanently or periodically open to the sea and which receives at least periodic discharge from a river, while its salinity is typically less than that of natural sea water and varies temporally (Potter et al., 2010). Estuaries are the most active regions based on the interaction of the river-flow and the sea (Qiu et al., 2003).
