The wind forecast for operating management and risk assessment of port areas

The seaport areas are generally very exposed to high wind velocities. The definition of operating strategies to identify the real risk conditions is an essential tool for planning the work in safety conditions. The present paper illustrates the research activities carried out in the framework of the European Project "Wind and Ports". The project handles the problem of the wind forecast in port areas and proposes an integrated system including the wide network of in situ monitoring, the numerical simulation of wind fields, the statistical analysis of large wind velocity databases and the implementation of algorithms for middle- and short-term wind forecast. The final results are made directly available to the port operators, and can be integrated in a global system for safety management.