The Wave Energy Concentration at the Agulhas Current off South Africa

The case of a freak wave collision with the ship in the Agulhas current is described. The explanation of the appearance of the freak wave as a result of wind-wave transformation in the Agulhas current is given. Swell is captured and intensified by the counter-current and is located in the neighbourhood of the maximum value of the current velocity, as a result of which there is a great concentration of wave-energy density. The superposition of wind and sea with swell transformed by the current promotes the formation of the freak waves. Using a simple mathematical analysis, an optimal ship track is proposed which could reduce the risk of collision with a freak wave. Copyright Kluwer Academic Publishers 1998