SAFETY

Port Safety and Lightning Detection Networks

Inclement weather conditions undeniably have an outsized impact on uptime, safety, sustainability and overall operations—and lightning poses one of the most significant threats in and around ports and terminals.

Ports and terminals dealing with cargo, potentially explosive materials, oil and gas, or liquefied natural gas (LNG) are suspect to danger from thunderstorms because by the time lightning strikes, it’s too late. Consider explosions at terminals in Malaysia and India as harrowing examples of the danger a single flash of lightning can cause to both people and property.

Any thunderstorm- and lightningrelated delays can increase operations costs and decrease productivity. In order to maintain scheduled operations and keep workers safe, decision-makers require precise and timely lightning information. And without an adequate picture of the current and forecasted weather conditions, it’s nearly impossible to plan ahead, react quickly to changing circumstances and ultimately reduce disruptions and delays.

Storm and Lightning Detection

By its very nature, shipping port and terminal management is a complicated endeavor involving potentially explosive materials, towering cranes and human lives—and port operations are further complicated when lightning is a frequent hazard. Not only is lightning responsible for up to 24,000 global deaths per year, but it also costs ports and terminals around the world countless amounts of money in interruptions and shutdowns.

While the threat of lightning can bring all loading and unloading activities to a grinding halt, lightning strikes can also damage cargo, cranes and other assets, or worse yet, cause injury to or potentially kill workers. Clearly, lightning detection is crucial to the maritime industry.

Unfortunately, not all lightning detection technologies are created equal. Standalone lightning sensors provide some local information, but the technology and reaction time is limited. Consequently, damage may have already occurred by the time the right precautions were put in place or operations may continue to be halted when the threat has subsided, leading to unnecessary delays. Beyond the uncertainty of standalone single-sensor systems, a lack of system standardization is a problem many threat management teams face—particularly when dealing with lightning and severe weather.

Formulating an effective emergency weather plan depends on reliable and timely advanced warning of potentially dangerous storms. Without weather monitoring tools that deliver lightning detection information, determining the safety vs. risk tolerance threshold and whether weathercritical operations should continue or halt remains a guessing game.

When Lightning Strikes

Leveraging lightning data from a comprehensive global lightning detection network enables port decision-makers to accurately measure the development of approaching storms, plus overhead accumulation and dispersion. While storms that develop directly overhead are unusual, they are also much more dangerous and require instant warning of an immediate threat.

When evaluating the effectiveness of a lightning detection system, two metrics should be scrutinized more carefully than other considerations: detection efficiency and location accuracy. Combined, these measures deliver highly dependable thunderstorm information that can be utilized to develop an operational plan that effectively details when activities should be shut down for safety, notifies personnel of the threat, and explains where people should go for protection and how long to wait before safely resuming operations.

Existing global lightning detection networks can accurately detect lightning activity around and directly above ports, which provides operational staff time to stop operations and get to a safe location. Plus, such networks eliminate the requirement to own, operate and maintain your local lightning network. Global lightning network data can provide excellent threat detection while still decreasing downtime by eliminating costly false alarms and reducing the impact of unnecessary delays. This can be critical for vessels trying to recoup time lost through faster transit times.

Lightning technology should detect a lightning threat well before it reaches the port or if it develops directly overhead, and leveraging a global sensor network provides the highest accuracy in detecting and tracking lightning without needing to install on-site sensors. Weather forecast systems with global lightning data enhance the ability to react to thunderstorms so that cargo can be moved without unnecessary stoppages and ports can save costs while protecting commodities and workers onsite. From increased safety to minimized downtime and maximized efficiency of operations, a comprehensive lightning detection and warning system can help improve port safety and cargo-handling efficiency to better balance well-being and the bottom line.

MIKKO NIKKANEN Head of Maritime, Vaisala

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