DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A DELFT3D TWO-DIMENSIONAL HYDRODYNAMIC MODEL FOR WIND-WAVE HINDCASTING AND TIDAL CHARACTERIZATION IN THE PANTOLOAN CUSTOMS PORT WATERS

Abstract

The waters of Pantoloan Customs Port in Palu Bay feature a semi-closed, narrow, and elongated morphology with steep bathymetry. These characteristics create complex current and wave circulation patterns that influence port operations and navigation safety. This study analyzes the hydrodynamic conditions of the port basin using numerical simulations with Delft3D (FLOW and WAVE modules). Input data includes 10-year wind time series (2012–2021), 15-day tidal observations, and integrated BATNAS bathymetry. Analysis shows dominant winds from the Northwest (22.7%) with a maximum effective fetch of 106,430 km. Wave forecasting via the Sverdrup-Munk-Bretschneider (SMB) method yielded a deep-sea significant wave height ($H_s$) of 1.43 m and a significant period ($T_s$) of 5.50 s. Validation of water level elevations demonstrated high accuracy with an RMSE of 0.0230 m and an MAE of 0.0190 m. Hydrodynamic simulations reveal that current velocity is dominated by tidal fluctuations, ranging from 0.002 m/s to 0.063 m/s. Wave modeling indicates that wave energy deformation results in an average significant wave height of 0.60 m within the mooring basin. Hydrodynamically, the port basin remains within calm and safe operational limits for large ship maneuvers. However, the dock structure requires a V-type rubber fender system and an evaluation of operational standards to mitigate potential risks from extreme swell waves originating from the Northwest sector of the Makassar Strait.