This page contain information copyrighted by other individuals and entities. Copyrighted material displayed in this page is done so for archival purposes only and is not intended to infringe upon the ownership rights of the original owners.
Port of Palermo (Italy) - Port Information (ID: 35547)
Page 1 of 1 [Back to companies list]
PALERMO.htm Palermo Italy Italy Palermo Port Information Selections Port Map Geographic Location Harbor as Haven Currents and Tides Visibility Hazardous Conditions Spring Summer Autumn Winter Protective or Mitigating Measures Moving to a new Anchorage Sortie or Remain in Port Scheduling Harbor Protection Local Hazardous Weather Conditions Wind Chill Table Heat Index Table Return To Ports List Untitled Document Geographic Location Geographic Location Coordinates: 38deg/08min N 13deg/22min E Location: On the north coast of the Italian island of Sicily, betweenPunta del Corsaro and Punta Arenella. Steeply rising terrain lies close to Palermo on the south, west andnorthwest sides. A valley extends a few miles southwestward fromPalermo, but quickly loses its identity in the rising terrain. Elevations commonly exceed 1,640 ft (500 m) within 5 miles of the portwith some peaks extending well above 2,800 ft (853 m). Harbor as Haven Harbor as Haven The main harbor at the Port of Palermo is entered through an 840 ft(256 m) wide entrance which passes between Diga Foranea and the northend of Molo Sud. The harbor is formed and protected by Diga Foranea,Molo Martello, Molo Nord and Molo Sud. Palermo Port is considered to be a deep draft port and has berthscapable of accommodating aircraft carriers. About 10 large ships can behandled by the harbor at any one time. Due to limited berthing space,normal pier side visits are limited to 3 days, but visits can be extendedif space allows. According to local authorities, smaller ships moor atBanchina Quattroventi or Pontile Vittorio Veneto, but other berths canbe used in needed. The FICEURLANT port directory, however, states thatonce inside the inner breakwater, Med mooring to north mole is requiredand depths at north mole are sufficient to moor stern first for mostdestroyer type ships. Anchorages are assigned by port authorities and are not indicated oncharts. Holding ground within the harbor is poor but good holding groundcan be found outside the harbor in depths of 54 to 60 ft (16.5 to 18.3 m)about 3 to 6 n mi east of the port along the coast. Most of the inner harbor offers excellent protection from heavy weatherbecause of the orientation of the breakwater system. The harbor isexposed to winds from the northeast quadrant, but waves from the samequadrant have little effect on inner harbor operations. Doubling ofmooring lines and/or other such precautions will allow ships to remainin port during strong winds. Entering/departing is difficult during highwave conditions. Strong Sirocco event generates a 2-3 kt current which enters harbor andimpacts ships on beam at Banchina Quattroventi. Pounding can beeliminated by proper use of an anchor. Anchorages outside harbor are exposed to weather from northeast quadrant and to southeasterly Sirocco winds. Currents and Tides Currents and Tides Except for a 2-3 kt current which enters the harbor toward BachinaQuattroventi (see 'Harbor as Haven'), currents are negligible. Tidal range inside harbor is less than 1 ft (0.3 m). Visibility Visibility Visibility at Palermo is generally good, reducing to less than 2 n mionly 2 to 4 days per month. Thick fog will reduce visibility to nearzero 2 or 3 times per year, usually in May. Lowest visibility normallyoccurs in early morning and is of short duration. Hazardous Conditions: Spring Hazardous Conditions: Spring Early spring weather at Palermo is similar to that of winter but quicklymoderates as the season progresses. Gale frequency is highest of year inMarch but drops to zero in May. Most Sirocco events are over by mid-May. Early morning visibility may be reduced to near zero on 2 or 3 days eachyear, usually in May. Hazardous Conditions: Summer Hazardous Conditions: Summer Strong winds are rare at Palermo during the summer season. During one5-year period of record no gale force winds were recorded for Junethrough August. Gales did occur in September but were from the southto southeast, having minimal effect on port. Hazardous Conditions: Autumn Hazardous Conditions: Autumn Autumn usually lasts only for the month of October and is characterizedby an abrupt change from settled summer-type weather to stormy winter-type weather by month's end. Sirocco events occur with increasing frequency as winter approaches asdoes the incidence of strong east and northeasterly winds. Hazardous Conditions: Winter Hazardous Conditions: Winter The most adverse weather conditions at Palermo are caused by east(Levante) to northeast (Gregale) winds. During a strong event, expectwinds 35 to 40 kt with max about 50 kt. Waves generated are about 6 ft(2 m) with max near 13 ft (4 m). Waves from northeast to east are onlyones affecting port operations, making entering/departing difficult.Winds 45 kt or more make it difficult to enter, but still possible todepart. East to northeast winds result from high pressure over central Europeor Balkans and low pressure over North Africa near Libya or with thepassage of a low pressure system as it moves eastward south of Sicily.These winds also occur in advance of encroaching high pressurefollowing a cold front. If from a transient low, high winds may persist for 24 hours or up tofive days in other situations. Southeasterly Sirocco winds have little effect in Palermo except forthe current problem at Banchina Quattroventi (see 'Harbor as Haven'section). Sirocco events may occur during any month and usually last about 3 days. Sirocco normally caused by a well developed low over North Africa orwinds within the warm sector of a low. Due to foehn effect, hightemps/low humidity occur on Sicily's north coast. Temps during winter are mild. Lowest temp recorded in one 30-year periodof record was 29degF (-2degC). Snowfall is uncommon. Protective/Mitigating Measures: Moving to a New Anchorage Protective/Mitigating Measures: Moving to a New Anchorage Unless a strong event with high waves is forecast, ships anchoredoutside the harbor should be able to remain. A second anchor may beadvisable or, if necessary, weigh anchor and move to an inner harborberth or protect at sea. Protective/Mitigating Measures: Sortie/Remain in Port Protective/Mitigating Measures: Sortie/Remain in Port Ships moored in the inner harbor should find no need to sortie ifstrong winds are forecast. Mooring lines should be doubled. Protective/Mitigating Measures: Scheduling Protective/Mitigating Measures: Scheduling There is no available scheduling for this port. Harbor Protection Harbor Protection Wind and Weather The Port of Palermo is exposed to winds from northeast quadrant, butwind alone causes few problems at the port. Ships berthed in the innerharbor can double mooring lines and remain alongside. Ships moored toBanchina Quattroventi may need to deploy an anchor to reduce poundingcaused by a current if strong wind is from southeast (Scirocco).Inbound or outbound ships may experience problems. It is possible todepart the harbor during high winds, but entering is very difficult. Ships anchored outside the breakwaters may experience wind relatedproblems such as anchor dragging. Additional anchor on the good holdingbottom would most likely solve problem. Waves Vessels moored in the inner harbor should experience no problems fromwaves. North and northeast waves are the only waves affecting portoperations; entering and leaving the port is made difficult because ofhigh waves. Similarly, high waves from north or northeast may placeships, anchored outside the breakwaters, in a hazardous position as thewind and wave forces would tend to force vessels toward the coast ifanchor dragging occurs. Local Hazardous Weather Conditions Local Hazardous Weather Conditions Northeast (Gregale) to East (Levante) Winds:Low clouds on Mt. Pellegrino indicates north/northeast winds will occurwithin 24 hours. Mt. Pellegrino is 1,968 ft (600 m) steep, barrenmountain with a dark red color located just north of port. Southeasterly Sirocco Winds:Low clouds in thin bands to east or south of Palermo indicate start ofSirocco within 12 to 24 hours. Increasing southerly winds at coastalstations along the northeast coast of Libya indicate start of Sirocco. Forecast a strong Sirocco if these two conditions are met: 1) An uppertrough is present over the Balkans with a strong jet stream along itssouthern boundary, and 2) Large pressure falls (non-diurnal) areobserved at stations along Tunisia's east coast. Sirocco conditions crossing Sicily produce strong and gusty foehn-typewinds on the north and east sides of the island. High temps/low humiditycan be expected even during general fog and low stratus conditions. Seaconditions are better north of Sicily due to limited fetch. Weatherconditions, however may be better south of Sicily. Dense belts of altocumulus castellanus approaching from the southwest,probably associated with upper level trough, are often indicators ofradical and sudden changes in direction and speed of Sirocco winds. The surface inversion that occurs over the relatively cool water during a spring Sirocco causes extremely anomalous radar and radio propagationin dust-laden atmosphere below the inversion; helicopters may be out ofradio contact at a range of 1 to 2 n mi. Location: On the north coast of the Italian island of Sicily, between Punta del Corsaro and Punta Arenella. Port of Palermo (Italy) - Port Information