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Increasingly restrictive environmental regulations for the maritime sector have led shipping companies to look for technological alternatives to reduce emissions. This article introduces a methodology to analyse emission reductions of ships in port by incorporating batteries into the ships or using an onshore power supply system. These have not yet been considered together for comparison or with a focus on ship operation. The aim is to avoid the use of auxiliary engines in ports. First, the cost calculation method to be used is specified; then, the engine's behaviour and the established basic navigation criteria are analysed; and finally, different alternatives are considered. A methodology is afterwards defined for selecting alternatives, comparing their costs with those of using auxiliary engines in port. As an example, it is applied to a Ro-Ro route between the ports of Montoir (France) and Vigo (Spain). The results indicate that incorporating batteries into the ship produces greater savings in annual costs than onshore power supply. The cost savings from onshore power supply depend on the range of prices in each port. However, the greatest emission savings are obtained by using the onshore power supply. This methodology can be extrapolated to other routes and vessels by incorporating real operating data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid increase of economic globalization, the significant expansion of shipping volume has resulted in shipping route congestion, causing the necessity of trajectory prediction for effective service and efficient management. While trajectory prediction can achieve a relatively high level of accuracy, the performance and generalization of prediction models remain critical bottlenecks. Therefore, this article proposes a dual-attention (DA) based end-to-end (E2E) neural network (DAE2ENet) for trajectory prediction. In the E2E structure, long short-term memory (LSTM) units are included for the task of pursuing sequential trajectory data from the encoder layer to the decoder layer. In DA mechanisms, global attention is introduced between the encoder and decoder layers to facilitate interactions between input and output trajectory sequences, and multi-head self-attention is utilized to extract sequential features from the input trajectory. In experiments, we use a ro-ro ship with a fixed navigation route as a case study. Compared with baseline models and benchmark neural networks, DAE2ENet can obtain higher performance on trajectory prediction, and better validation of environmental factors on ship navigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents some results on investigations concerning development of a hybrid model for assessment of performance of the ro-ro ships in damaged conditions. The model is devoted towards assessing the performance of the damaged ro-ro ships at the preliminary stage of design. The key problems associated with preparing of such the model are associated with working out a method of assessment of the damaged roro ships performance, investigating all the phenomena which associated with the flooding process of the damaged ro-ro ships and preparing the model itself. Introducing the method of assessment of the damaged roro ships performance it has been assumed that there is a dependence between the arrangement of internal spaces of a ro-ro ship and flooding process. The major phenomena which have been decided to take into account when considering flooding of the ro-ro ships are the flooding understood as the flow of external water into the data damaged compartment, impact of the flooding water on the ship structure and damaged ro-ro ship motion. Knowing the damaged ro-ro ship motion characteristics in time domain it is relatively easy to assess the damaged ro-ro ship performance according to the heeling angle and assess the ro-ro ship design according to the data arrangement of internal spaces. The last research issue is to investigate if the proposed model may be appropriate tool for assessing the performance of the ro-ro ships in damaged conditions at the preliminary stage of design. The aim of this paper is to show how to incorporate the dynamics of the damaged ro-ro ships when assessing the ship performance and safety at the preliminary stage of design. The basic information on the model for estimation of the damaged ro-ro ship behavior during the flooding process is presented. The complexity of this model is shown depending on the approach applied to consider the flooding process itself. The model is devoted towards assessment of performance of the damaged ro-ro ships and it is still under the development according to a Ph.D. research at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Gdańsk University of Technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 0.1% sulphur limit within Sulphur Emission Control Areas (SECA) has made compulsory the use of either pricier ultra-low sulphur fuel, or the installation of abatement technologies that require significant capital investments. Due to the unexpectedly low fuel prices, Ro-Ro operators have been able to cope with the new sulphur limits, but recent research has shown that if fuel prices increase some Ro-Ro services may face the risk of closure. This paper proposes three key performance indicators (KPIs) to enable the asssessment of the impact of SECAs on Ro-Ro shipping. The KPIs are used on a set of case studies for services of a leading European Ro-Ro operator, and allow benchmarking of a series of operational and policy measures that aim to reverse the negative impacts of SECAs. The operational measures consider speed reduction, new sailing frequency, fleet reconfiguration, as well as investments in abatement technologies. Policy measures include the options of either subsidizing shippers or ship operators, or alternatively introducing new taxes on landbased options. The KPIs can be useful to ship operators seeking to improve the resilience of their network, as well as to regulatory bodies designing new environmental policies and understanding any negative implications these may have on ship operators [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Japan, it is becoming difficult to move freight long distances using only trucks, owing to a shortage in truck drivers. In this context, there is a tendency to also actively utilize ferries or roll-on/roll-off (RORO) ships. Intermodal freight transport uses two or more suitable modes of transport from the origin of goods to the destination. In order to promote intermodal freight transport, it is necessary to analyze factors such as the characteristics of transported goods, transportation services and fares, and lot sizes. In this study, we focused on ferries and RORO ships in Japan, and attempted to identify cargoes transported using different modes of transport, based on the net freight flow census. In conclusion, high volumes of "agricultural and fishery products," "metal machinery," "chemical industrial," "light industrial," and "miscellaneous manufacturing products" can be transported using ferries or RORO ships. Specifically, there is a tendency that products are segregated by transportation mode such as a truck, or a ferry and a RORO ship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The RoRo ship MS UND ADRIYATIK was wrecked in February 2008 by a catastrophic fire. The causes of the accident included a combination of human, technical and organizational factors. In this study, the authors describe the accident, its chronology, and the dependencies involved. They then examine some of the erroneous series of human's operations, design and technical errors that led to the disaster and their organizational roots at the time of the accident. Risk-reduction measures can be costly, though; priorities must be set based on costs and benefits. This research suggests ways to support fire prevention efforts. Nine possible reasons were determined to perform a survey suitable for AHP technique. The purpose of this survey is to determine the order of possible explanations for this fire accident and possible provisions and precautions to be taken. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, the Eastern Star ferry accident was analyzed via 24Model. 24Model, as an accident causation model based on system thinking, holds that all causations of the accident are hazards and all hazards in the system need to be identified and comprehensively controlled in accident prevention. The result showed that five factors were the main causes of the accident. First, the direct causes: bad weather, the bad condition of the hull and the unsafe acts of the captain. Second, the indirect cause: the lack of safety awareness and safety knowledge of both the captain and the company's senior management. Third, there were loopholes in safety management system, including the training, supervision and execution of the company. Forth, the root cause: the company didn't establish a good safety culture. Last, the external causes: the severe market pressure, excessive regulatory authorities with puzzled relations and responsibilities--seriously hindered effective supervision. In order to prevent this kind of accident and to secure shipping system, the shipping companies and the relevant regulatory units should draw lessons from the five factors mentioned above, and take measures to identify and control those hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ro-pax vessels should fulfil the requirements of the current harmonised SOLAS Convention. The study analyses the effect of various ro-pax vessel subdivision arrangements on the subdivision index. A Polish ferry was chosen as a generic ship to perform the study. For illustration of damage survivability, the attained subdivision index A was calculated for a number of modified configurations. The arrangements included single and double sides above and below the car deck, with and without a double buoyant car deck. The conclusions of the study can be used in the design of new ro-pax vessels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine transport has been essential for international trade. Concern for its environmental impact was growing among regulators, classification societies, ship operators, ship owners, and other stakeholders. By applying life cycle assessment, this article aimed to assess the impact of a new-build hybrid system (i.e. an electric power system which incorporated lithium ion batteries, photovoltaic systems and cold-ironing) designed for Roll-on/Roll-off cargo ships. The study was carried out based on a bottom-up integrated system approach using the optimised operational profile and background information for manufacturing processes, mass breakdown and end of life management plans. Resources such as metallic and non-metallic materials and energy required for manufacture, operation, maintenance, dismantling and scrap handling were estimated. During operation, 1.76 × 10 8 kg of marine diesel oil was burned, releasing carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, particulate matter, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide which ranged 5–8 orders of magnitude. The operation of diesel gensets was the primary cause of impact categories that were relevant to particulate matter or respiratory inorganic health issues, photochemical ozone creation, eutrophication, acidification, global warming and human toxicity. Disposing metallic scrap was accountable for the most significant impact category, ecotoxicity potential. The environmental benefits of the hybrid power system in most impact categories were verified in comparison with a conventional power system onboard cargo ships. The estimated results for individual impact categories were verified using scenario analysis. The study concluded that the life cycle of a new-build hybrid power system would result in significant impact on the environment, human beings and natural reserves, and therefore proper management of such a system was imperative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The roll-on-roll-off passenger ferry MVESTONIA sank during the night of 28 September 1994 in the Baltic Sea. In October 2000, divers recovered two palm-sized test pieces from the front bulkhead of the wreck. The investigators analysed these specimens to determine whether there were any indications of deliberate blasting. Since the wreck had been submerged for almost six years, it was clear that chemical traces would not be present on the surfaces of the test pieces. Therefore, the investigators performed comparative tests on shipbuilding steel to find a microstructural criterion that exclusively characterises a blast. The shipyard Jos. L. Meyer, Germany, had built the ESTONIA and supplied shipbuilding steel plates similar to that used for building the vessel in 1979/1980. The comparative tests comprised mechanical tests, shot peening tests and blasting tests using different explosives. Testing demonstrated that blasting always formed twinned ferrite grains in the microstructure over the whole cross-section of each of the 8mm thick comparative plates. Although one of the original test pieces of the ESTONIA showed deformation twins, this was only confined up to 0.4mm underneath the surfaces and not spread over the whole cross-section. Comparative shot peening tests produced the very same pattern of subsurface deformation twins. Therefore, the twins detected in the microsection of the test pieces of the ESTONIA wreck traced back to the shot peening process performed by the shipyard in 1979/1980 and not to a deliberate blast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the strength analysis of structural devices (platform bridges) that fasten cars to a car carrier frame. The loads of all bridges are evaluated along with the indication of the areas of load concentration. The paper presents a brief structural description of platform bridges, including their drawings performed with the help of SolidWorks software. The bridge loads have been analyzed applying Ansys software. According to the results of computer simulation of the loads, dangerous structural areas of the bridges have been identified. While making attempts to solve the established structural problems of such car carriers, suggestions for their structural improvement have been put forward, and computer simulation of loads and stress spread have been performed. The paper ends with conclusions and suggestions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The marine Diesel engines cooling systems and its elements were changing similarly to engines construction. Evolution of the cooling systems tends to reduce sea water pipelines inside engine room. Application of a central cooling system with box coolers completely eliminates sea water pipelines from engine room. Now that solution is rarely used on ships. It can be met on smaller ships, whose power output usually does not exceed 5000 kW, for example: tugs, dredgers, barges, supply vessels, fishing vessels, ferries, cargo freighters, reefers, ice breakers, carriers, etc. - operating inland, as well as in open sea navigation. The article presents an example of practical application of the central cooling system with box coolers on the tug running in Gdynia harbour. In author's opinion, central cooling system with box coolers has a chance to spread out on bigger ships in the future. It will mainly depend on efficiency and reliability of box coolers secure systems. These systems ought to ensure correct operation of a cooling system between ship class dry-dockings. The box coolers used on the presented harbour tug are secured by ICAF system. The article presents also a proposition of solution to the cooling system with box coolers for merchant ship with power output higher up 5000 kW and advantages (disadvantages) of that solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given multiple widespread stationary data sources such as ground-based sensors, an unmanned aircraft can fly over the sensors and gather the data via a wireless link. Performance criteria for such a network may incorporate costs such as trajectory length for the aircraft or the energy required by the sensors for radio transmission. Planning is hampered by the complex vehicle and communication dynamics and by uncertainty in the locations of sensors, so we develop a technique based on model-free learning. We present a stochastic optimisation method that allows the data-ferrying aircraft to optimise data collection trajectories through an unknown environment in situ, obviating the need for system identification. We compare two trajectory representations, one that learns near-optimal trajectories at low data requirements but that fails at high requirements, and one that gives up some performance in exchange for a data collection guarantee. With either encoding the ferry is able to learn significantly improved trajectories compared with alternative heuristics. To demonstrate the versatility of the model-free learning approach, we also learn a policy to minimise the radio transmission energy required by the sensor nodes, allowing prolonged network lifetime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ro-ro vessels use shipside and shore ramps as roll-on/roll-off loading facilities. Baltic Sea has not tidal effects and water level did not change very much. In same time water level fluctuations in ports areas make difficulties to establish proper access to shore for ro-ro vessels during loading and unloading operations. Flexibility of ro-ro vessel-to-shore links pan is one of the key elements for optimization of ro-ro operations in ports. Feasibility outline of pontoon ramp potential, calculation methods and practical usage is studded and presented further in the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the port logistics market is rapidly expanding, along with the active maritime trade. To adjust to this trend and gain a competitive advantage, competition among shipping companies at home and abroad has intensified, and many efforts are being made for the improvement of customer services and cost saving. In particular, car carriers transporting more than 80% of total car import/export volume must quickly make efforts to reduce transportation costs. Much research has been conducted to improve the efficiency of maritime transportation, but studies on car carriers, which are given relatively less importance, have been lacking. The car carrier's transportation planning is similar to the vehicle routing problem, but it is much more complicated in that cars and cargo are prepared at different points in time, and cargo can be loaded not only at the departing port but also at other ports. Therefore, in an effort to solve the problem, this study has developed a meta-heuristic algorithm based on a genetic algorithm, and we have succeeded in developing a maritime transportation planning support system with the algorithm, thus making it possible to prepare various alternatives, evaluate them, and consequently support user's decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From yachts to ferries, car carriers to submarines, a diverse fleet of ecoboats utilize fuel cell technology, with more applications on the near horizon. In this article we look at the wide variety of fuel cell projects both above and below the waves, and at some of the concept and demonstration vessels being planned. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The paper presents a design of the ro-pax ship for service between Marseille and Bastia on Corsica. The ship will be built by Brodosplit Shipyard for the French company CMN, and the ship delivery is scheduled for 2011. With 2484 lane metres on three trailer decks and a deck for 200 passenger cars, the vessel will have a higher cargo capacity than the existing ro-pax ships on the same route. The superstructure for the accommodation of 750 passengers will have the comfort level increased to the cruise-ferry style. The vessel will have a high operational speed and will be in compliance with the latest safety standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method is presented for the evaluation of the exhaust emissions of marine traffic, based on the messages provided by the Automatic Identification System (AIS), which enable the identification and location determination of ships. The use of the AIS data facilitates the positioning of ship emissions with a high spatial resolution, which is limited only by the inaccuracies of the Global Positioning System (typically a few metres) that is used in vessel navigation. The emissions are computed based on the relationship of the instantaneous speed to the design speed, and the detailed technical information of the engines of the ships. The modelling of emissions is also based on a few basic principles of ship design, including the modelling of the propelling power of each vessel in terms of its speed. We have investigated the effect of waves on the consumption of fuel, and on the emissions to the atmosphere. The predictions of fuel consumption were compared with the actual values obtained from the shipowners. For a Roll on - Roll off cargo/passenger ship (RoPax), the predicted and reported values of annual fuel consumption agreed within an accuracy of 6%. According to the data analysis and model computations, the emissions of NOx, SOx and CO2 originating from ships in the Baltic Sea during the full calendar year of 2007 were in total 400 kt, 138 kt and 19 Mt, respectively. A breakdown of emissions by flag state, the type of ship and the year of construction is also presented. The modelling system can be used as a decision support tool in the case of issues concerning, e.g., the health effects caused by shipping emissions or the construction of emission-based fairway dues systems or emissions trading. The computation of emissions can be automated, which will save resources in constructing emission inventories. Both the methodologies and the emission computation program can be applied in any sea region in the world, provided that the AIS data from that specific region are available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Common effect of wave and slip of internal vehicles will make rolling of the roll-on ship serious. This is one of the important reasons for overturn of ro-ro ships. The multibody system with a floating base is composed of ro-ro ship and slipping vehicles. Takes the rolling angle of the ship and the transverse displacements of the slipping vehicles on desk as freedoms. Making use of the analysis of apparent gravitation and apparent buoyancy, the wave rolling moment is derived. By means of dynamic method of multibody system, dynamic equations of the system are established. Taking a certain channel ferry as an example, a set of numerical calculation have been carried out for rolling response of the multibody system with a floating base of a ro-ro ship and displacements response of the slipping vehicles under common effect of free slipping vehicles and wave, and a conclusion has been drawn that the motion of the numerous free slipping heavy loads will trend to be synchronous under restraining of the side-wall bulkhead with time because of repeated collision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the delivery of the Grande Benin by Croatia-based Uljanik Shipyard to Grimaldi, a company based in Italy on August 27, 2009. Grande Benin serves as the third roll-on/roll-off (Ro/Ro) car container carrier delivery made by the shipyard for the year. The ship is designed to accommodate about 3,890 cars and 1,360 containers. The ship, part of a series of seven Ro/Ro carriers, is intended for the transportation of goods between North Europe and West Africa.

Japanese shipping company Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Tokyo-based e5 Lab Co Ltd, to conduct a joint study for a hybrid powered 'pure car carrier' (PCC) vessel equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell system and large-capacity batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the launch of the Hrvat, a roll-on/roll-off (RO-RO)/passenger ferry on March 27, 2007. It states that the ship was built for the Croatian client Jadrolinija in Rijeka. The ship is designed for transport of passengers, vehicles and cargoes loaded on vehicles. It is said to be equipped with bow and stern ramp. Features of the ship are presented.

Finnish-based Wärtsilä has installed a WFC20 solid oxide fuel cell unit onboard the Undine, a car-carrier owned by Swedish Wallenius Lines and managed by Wallenius Marine. The power unit is the first of its kind in the world, and during the test period will provide auxiliary power to the vessel. The project is an important step towards more environmentally sound shipping and cleaner seaborne transportation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article reports on the delivery of a 4900 Car Carrier known as Adria Ace to Ray Car Carriers by Uljanik Shipyard on May 26, 2009. The delivery is the second for the year and the last ship under the contract. The ship is 176 meters long, has breadth of 31.2 meters and depth of 30 meters. It has a maximum speed of 20.8 knots.