Development and application of a refined port bathymetry model based on the FVCOM model

Abstract Safety is the foremost prerequisite for shipping, and refined port bathymetry services are a key factor in ensuring navigational safety. However, the issue of inconsistent and discontinuous vertical datums between different sea areas and adjacent ports has long been a critical challenge in bathymetric surveys. In this paper, a high-precision tidal model was established using the Finite Volume Coastal Ocean Model (FVCOM). We used harmonic analysis to calculate the depth datum for each grid point and combined these with nautical chart depths to construct a bathymetric model based on a continuous vertical datum. Using this refined port bathymetry model, a ship transit time window search algorithm was proposed. The results indicate that the Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of the tidal simulation using FVCOM is within approximately 20 cm, meeting the accuracy requirements for tidal predictions as specified in the Tide Tables . Based on the refined bathymetry model constructed with a continuous depth datum, the transit time window search algorithm can effectively output the nearest feasible transit window by calculating the available under-keel clearance. Therefore, this refined bathymetry service model represents a structural improvement over traditional bathymetric survey methods and ship port navigation practices.