Shore ramp is an important part of ro-ro terminal structure,which connects the ro-ro ship with the quay.Aiming at the problem of the shore ramp design method for short springboard ro-ro ship(generally less than 5 m),we analyze relevant provisions in Chinese and foreign specifications,and contrast the berthing results of ro-ro ship with springboard in different lengths combining one project in Africa.The results show that when the design water level variation is less than 1.5 m,fixed shore ramp can be adopted according to the codes,but springboard may break away from the ramp or elevation angle exceeds the allowable value.Before design of shore ramp,it is advisable to judge whether the adjustable vertical height variation at the springboard end is bigger than design water level variation+draft variation between full load and empty load condition.If the former is less than the latter,some multilevel fixed ramps with different top elevations can be adopted to solve the berthing problem when the adjustable ramp is not available.