Due to the low water levels that still affect the Cuenca del Plata and, particularly, the port facilities placed at rivers Paraná Medio, Paraná Inferior y Paraná de las Palmas, Argentine Naval Prefecture suggest paying special attention to the risks that may arise during approaching, docking, and undocking maneuvers and also considering the evolutionary phenomena related to navigation on waters restricted by draught, especially when maneuvering without tugs’ assistance.
The warning issued by Argentine Naval Prefecture states that, in order to keep enough waterflow under and all-around vessel’s hull, it is recommended to take into account the critical value of the needed maneuvering margin (MM) between the riverbed level and the lowest vessel’s bottom. This vertical MM will also affect the horizontal movements and will increase the risks, since a vessel with a reduced MM gets slower when maneuvering and, consequently, pose more risks of collision and/or deviation during its navigation.
These considerations shall be complemented with an efficient management of the bridge and machines’ resources with the aim of maximizing its effective employment, including personnel, equipment, machines, systems, and information available for safe navigation, as well as the acquaintance of the crew about the operation and maintenance of said equipment and systems in order to avoid risky situations.
