DUKC

DUKC, Dynamic Under Keel Clearance, is a port aid-to-navigation system that calculates the real-time under-keel clearance available to a transiting ship after allowing for tide, ship squat, heel, and wave-induced vertical motion. It was invented by OMC International, an Australian firm, and DUKC is a registered trademark. The system combines channel survey data, hydrodynamic and ship-motion models, and live and forecast environmental data to compute the maximum safe sailing draft and the earliest and latest safe transit times (the sailing window). Ports use it to admit deeper-drafted ships safely than a fixed static UKC allowance permits, raising throughput while controlling grounding risk.