Synergetic Approach for the Harbor Sediment Management: The Damietta Harbor (Egypt) Case Study

Abstract

Dredged material dumping is one of the most important locally generated problems to be considered in harbors’ management. The present work was carried out to assess the physical and particle size characteristics of the seabed and core sediments of the Damietta harbor basin and offshore area, with the main aim of proposing a synergetic approach to harbor sediment management. In addition tosuggestinga new offshore dumping site that will solve the problem of redispersing of the dumped sediment and re-shoaling of the harbor entrance. To achieve the study objectives, thirty-three sediment samples were collected from the harbor basin and the offshore area during the years 2007 and 2017, and the satellite image of the study area was obtained during the year 2022. Sediments were subjected to grain size analysis, total solids determination, estimation of carbonate and organic matter contents, and marine bottom communities’ analysis. Results show that the mean grain size of samples ranged between 4.75-7.99 Ø (silt). Carbonate content in samples ranged from 0.41 to 3.13% and the total organic matter in samples reached a value of 2.95%. These results would help in assessing sediments that will be dredged from this area to be dumped in the middle shelf off the Damietta promontory. Management measures proposed by the present study consider the harbor basin deepening, extension of the harbor basin and the beneficial use of the dredged sediment. Moreover, sediment bypassing supposed to mitigate scour problem and acting as a feeder to the adjacent shorelines and the littoral cell in the study area.