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Despite the potential cost reduction and environmental friendliness of inland lock waterways, there is a noticeable lack of scientific research on their efficiency and performance. Moreover, empirical insights into the impact of waterway locks on logistics systems are insufficient. Similarly, despite extensive research on data envelopment analysis (DEA) in various logistics contexts, the efficiency of waterway locks remains underexplored. This study addresses these gaps by evaluating inland waterway transposition efficiency based on operational aspects and handling capacity. In this study, data from nine primary inland waterway locks in an emerging economy were examined, comparing their relative efficiency by input-output relationships. Efficiency indices, performance objectives, benchmarks, composite efficiency, and separability conditions were calculated and analyzed. Our results highlight external factors like vessel numbers and volume as efficiency influencers. The study uncovers strategies to enhance efficiency, mainly through operational improvements or leveraging performance indices from other units. Empirical findings present opportunities to optimize maritime logistics operations, especially in countries with expansive territories. This is a novel research that introduces efficiency analysis models for inland waterway locks and offers actionable insights for an underexplored research area. Lastly, the article offers promising research opportunities for maritime logistics systems' performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this publication, we present an overview of stakeholder concerns regarding hydrilla management, synthesizing insights gathered from the largest state-wide survey of Florida residents about invasive aquatic plant management in the state’s public waters. Our objective is to equip decision-makers, including agencies like FWC, with valuable insights. By understanding stakeholder concerns, decision-makers can formulate policies for the effective management of aquatic invasive species that garner public support.

Intelligent navigation is a crucial component of intelligent ships. This study focuses on the situational awareness of intelligent navigation in inland waterways with high vessel traffic densities and increased collision risks, which demand enhanced vessel situational awareness. To address perception data association issues in situational awareness, particularly in scenarios with winding waterways and multiple vessel encounters, a method based on trajectory characteristics is proposed to determine associations between Automatic Identification System (AIS) and radar objects, facilitating the fusion of heterogeneous data. Firstly, trajectory characteristics like speed, direction, turning rate, acceleration, and trajectory similarity were extracted from ship radar and AIS data to construct labeled trajectory datasets. Subsequently, by employing the Support Vector Machine (SVM) model, we accomplished the discernment of associations among the trajectories of vessels collected through AIS and radar, thereby achieving the association of heterogeneous data. Finally, through a series of experiments, including overtaking, encounters, and multi-target scenarios, this research substantiated the method, achieving an F1 score greater than 0.95. Consequently, this study can furnish robust support for the perception of intelligent vessel navigation in inland waterways and the elevation of maritime safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the design of a model predictive control (MPC) for the Calais canal, located in the north of France for satisfactory management of the system. To estimate the unknown inputs/outputs arising from the uncontrolled pumps, a digital twin (DT) in the framework of a Matlab- SIC2 is used to reproduce the dynamics of the canal, and the real database corresponding to a period of three days is employed to evaluate the control strategy. The canal is characterized by two operating modes due to high and low tides. As a consequence of this, time-varying constraints on the use of gates must be considered, which leads to the design of two multiobjective control problems, one for the high tide and another for the low tide. Furthermore, a moving horizon estimation (MHE) strategy is used to provide the MPC with unmeasured states. The simulation results show that the different objectives are met satisfactorily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the flourishing development of inland waterway transportation, the restricted environmental characteristics and dense ship traffic significantly increase the difficulty of ship collision avoidance maneuvers. This not only limits the application of intelligent navigation technology in inland waterways but also imposes higher demands on the safety of ship navigation. Therefore, it is necessary to construct an appropriate collision avoidance strategy to guide safe and intelligent navigation of ships. Based on the characteristics of inland waterways, a hierarchical strategy is proposed, which first determines the direction of course adjustment and then solves for the adjustment magnitude. By integrating the design of a directional intent model that considers the course danger sector and ship complexity, as well as a multi-objective decision-making model that accounts for the potential situational impact costs and maneuvering time constraints, the optimal collision avoidance direction and appropriate adjustment magnitude are obtained. The research results indicate that this strategy performs well in various scenarios, especially in dense multi-ship environments, with minimal adjustment fluctuations and a smooth trajectory change trend, while ensuring a minimum inter-ship distance of at least 0.55 n miles. It is worth mentioning that the model can potentially be further developed to enhance the safety and decision-making capabilities of intelligent ships navigating inland waterways.

The notion of an autonomous ship has led to a reconsideration of the existing concept of the ship in terms of safety, security, design, crew, equipment, regulatory and participants in the transport process and in the entire supply chain. The paper analyzes the existing regulatory frameworks on the topic of autonomous ships and regulations dealing with the safety of vessels in maritime transport and inland waterways transportation. An overview of the literature is given in which it is defined how existing regulations should be modified to adapt to autonomous ships. The main difference is the level of ship automation, which depends on the navigation sector. The regulations defined by the International Maritime Organization are applied for navigation in maritime transportation, while the regulations of the Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine have been adopted for inland waterways. In order to establish safe and unhindered navigation, it is necessary to define and adopt regulatory framework for the navigation of autonomous ships on inland waterways.

The use of maritime autonomous vessels for the inland waterway (IWW) transport can revolutionise the current logistics supply chain and enable the shifting of the cargo transportation from the less efficient road and rail transport modes. However, the lack of guidelines and requirements for the operation and testing of autonomous vessels must be addressed to enable autonomous operations. This study aims to identify the gaps of the prevailing regulatory, liability and insurance frameworks and propose viable recommendations for the operation and testing of the autonomous IWW vessels. The theoretical case study of a next-generation autonomous ship operating in European IWW along with the required key enabling technologies is considered. A systematic methodological approach is followed focusing on the existing, transition and next-generation stages for developing autonomous vessels. The existing stage deals with classifying the identified gaps considering the categories of high, moderate or low severity, whereas the anticipated new stakeholders with associated risks in the context of autonomous vessels are analysed. The transition stage discusses recommendations to mitigate the identified gaps of the analysed existing frameworks by either developing interpretations, amending existing instruments or proposing new instruments. The proposed recommendations demonstrate a pathway towards upgrading the existing frameworks based on the identified severity levels and hence are expected to be beneficial for the policymakers whilst preparing the roadmap for the design and operation of next-generation autonomous ship (NGAS). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a robust optimization method for waterborne emergency resource allocation in inland waterways that addresses the uncertainties and mismatches between supply and demand. To accomplish this, we integrate the risk evaluation of maritime with a robust optimization model and employ the Entropy Weighted Method (EWM)-Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS)- Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method to evaluate the risk of various areas. The approach enables exploration of the relationship between maritime risk and emergency resource allocation strategy. The robust optimization method is used to deal with uncertainty and derive the robust counterpart of the proposed model. We establish an emergency resource allocation model that considers both the economy and timeliness of emergency resource allocation. We construct an optimization model and transform it into an easily solvable robust counterpart model. The results demonstrate that the proposed method can adapt to real-world scenarios, and effectively optimize the configuration effect while improving rescue efficiency under reasonable resource allocation. Specifically, the proportion of rescue time saved ranges from 28.52% to 92.60%, and the proportion of total cost saved is 95.82%. Our approach has significant potential to provide a valuable reference for decision-making related to emergency resource allocation in maritime management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shipping canals have supported maritime traffic and port development for many centuries. Radical transformations of these shipping landscapes through land reclamation, diking, and canalization were celebrated as Herculean works of progress and modernity. Today, shipping canals are the sites of increasing tension between economic growth and associated infrastructural interventions focused on the quality, sustainability, and resilience of natural systems and spatial settlement patterns. Shifting approaches to land/water relations must now be understood in longer political histories in which pre-existing alliances influence changes in infrastructure planning. On the occasion of the 150th Anniversary of the New Waterway (Nieuwe Waterweg), the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus universities PortCityFutures Center hosted an international symposium in October 2022 to explore the past, present, and future of this channel that links Rotterdam to the North Sea. Symposium participants addressed issues of shipping, dredging, and planning within in the Dutch delta, and linked them to contemporary debates on the environmental, spatial, and societal conditions of shipping canals internationally. The thematic issue builds on symposium conversations, and highlights the importance of spatial, economic, and political linkages in port and urban development. These spatial approaches contribute to more dynamic, responsive strategies for shipping canals through water management and planning.

There are approximately 7,000 miles of inland waterways in the UK, many of them built during the 18th and 19th centuries principally to transport bulk materials. These waterways provide numerous benefits to society and the economy. However, they have untapped potential for freight transport which could be released to provide more efficient solutions compared to other modes of transport. In addition to providing solutions to reduce emissions from land or air transportation, inland waterways also bring environmental and public health benefits to local communities. Therefore, these blue-green spaces should play a central role in government and local authority planning. This article explores some of the issues which prevent full use of inland waterways transportation from being achieved from the hydrodynamics point of view. Specifically, the concepts and ideas underpinning vessel operation are reviewed and discussed in detail in this article. It is shown how hydrodynamic concepts can inform public policy to maximise the efficiency of transportation from inland waterways.

Abstract Background Shifting cargo from roads to eco-friendly inland waterway transport (IWT) is an important step towards reaching the decarbonization goals defined by the European Green Deal. The rehabilitation of nautical bottlenecks is essential to reach the fairway depth which is needed to allow a competitive transport on inland waterways. Aim The goal of this paper is to (1) identify key performance indicators (KPI) associated with nautical bottlenecks caused by insufficient maintenance, (2) understand the effects of resolving nautical bottlenecks on the identified KPIs and (3) develop a conceptual framework. Methods To develop the conceptual framework, we carried out a systematic literature review. We analysed the identified literature using qualitative content analysis and thus, derived relevant KPIs and their interdependencies. Findings Ten KPIs were identified, which could be clustered as being either IWT-related, market-related or location-related. One example for an IWT-related KPI is the vessel draft, while market-related KPIs are e.g., referring to the KPI modal share and location-related KPIs to other KPIs such as fairway depth. Contribution The conceptual framework visualizes the interdependencies between the KPIs and facilitates further research in this field, i.e., the development of a method for the evaluation of economic benefits of resolving nautical bottlenecks on inland waterways. A scientific method that allows the economic evaluation of resolving nautical bottlenecks it is essential to demonstrates the gain in quantitative net benefit if water levels are sufficient. A quantification of the net benefit serves as a motivator to intensify maintenance work on nautical bottlenecks and to facilitate decision-making regarding infrastructure projects.

Germany has a wide-meshed waterway network. Although inland navigation is one of the most efficient transportation methods, its share of transport is steadily decreasing. The research project Smart-Port-Shuttle Hildesheim aims to strengthen the waterway system both from the aspect of inland navigation and from the aspect of ports. For this purpose, a holistic approach is chosen, which includes technological innovations on the one hand and integration into a logistical concept on the other. This paper focuses on the first point: a technological approach for a (partially) automated inland vessel. It will present the hardware setup and an evaluation of the sensors at a selection of critical points, such as in a lock, at a bridge passage, or during the passing of an obstacle. Different methods, such as Galileo E5a measurements for positioning or Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) for constructing and updating the map of the branch canal, are analyzed. The data structure of the Robot Operating System (ROS) is presented, as the raw data are available to the audience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GNSS is an indispensable source of positioning, navigation and timing for many sectors, including inland waterway transport. Unfortunately, GNSS is also vulnerable to interference, including intentional jamming and spoofing. This paper evaluates the vulnerability of one of the key inland waterway systems—the automatic identification system (AIS)—to GNSS jamming and spoofing. The vulnerability is explored via a series of tests conducted in both laboratory and live-sky environments. The results clearly show the negative impact of both types of interference on AIS. The impact included denial of service and reporting of false position. Additionally, the effects on subsequent systems like river information services or nearby vessels are also showcased. The results presented provide valuable insight into the vulnerability of inland waterway transport. The need for understanding the system limitations and vulnerability rises with the increase in the implementation of autonomous systems into the inland waterway sector, as well as other critical infrastructure sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intelligent navigation is a crucial component of intelligent ships. This study focuses on the situational awareness of intelligent navigation in inland waterways with high vessel traffic densities and increased collision risks, which demand enhanced vessel situational awareness. To address perception data association issues in situational awareness, particularly in scenarios with winding waterways and multiple vessel encounters, a method based on trajectory characteristics is proposed to determine associations between Automatic Identification System (AIS) and radar objects, facilitating the fusion of heterogeneous data. Firstly, trajectory characteristics like speed, direction, turning rate, acceleration, and trajectory similarity were extracted from ship radar and AIS data to construct labeled trajectory datasets. Subsequently, by employing the Support Vector Machine (SVM) model, we accomplished the discernment of associations among the trajectories of vessels collected through AIS and radar, thereby achieving the association of heterogeneous data. Finally, through a series of experiments, including overtaking, encounters, and multi-target scenarios, this research substantiated the method, achieving an F1 score greater than 0.95. Consequently, this study can furnish robust support for the perception of intelligent vessel navigation in inland waterways and the elevation of maritime safety.

The paper presents the methodology of dredging and the use of a sorting and distributing device that sorts, distributes, and stacks larger particles of the solid phase of the slurry in the side prisms and smaller particles and screening in the middle part of the backfill dams or dumps. These are the final link in the technological chain of dredging operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Shifting cargo from roads to eco-friendly inland waterway transport (IWT) is an important step towards reaching the decarbonization goals defined by the European Green Deal. The rehabilitation of nautical bottlenecks is essential to reach the fairway depth which is needed to allow a competitive transport on inland waterways. Aim: The goal of this paper is to (1) identify key performance indicators (KPI) associated with nautical bottlenecks caused by insufficient maintenance, (2) understand the effects of resolving nautical bottlenecks on the identified KPIs and (3) develop a conceptual framework. Methods: To develop the conceptual framework, we carried out a systematic literature review. We analysed the identified literature using qualitative content analysis and thus, derived relevant KPIs and their interdependencies. Findings: Ten KPIs were identified, which could be clustered as being either IWT-related, market-related or location-related. One example for an IWT-related KPI is the vessel draft, while market-related KPIs are e.g., referring to the KPI modal share and location-related KPIs to other KPIs such as fairway depth. Contribution: The conceptual framework visualizes the interdependencies between the KPIs and facilitates further research in this field, i.e., the development of a method for the evaluation of economic benefits of resolving nautical bottlenecks on inland waterways. A scientific method that allows the economic evaluation of resolving nautical bottlenecks it is essential to demonstrates the gain in quantitative net benefit if water levels are sufficient. A quantification of the net benefit serves as a motivator to intensify maintenance work on nautical bottlenecks and to facilitate decision-making regarding infrastructure projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed the safety measures and operational challenges of inland waterway transport along the Oron - Calabar route. Observation and structured questionnaires were used for the collection of data. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, while qualitative data was coded and analyzed using the 4-point Likert scale, which was converted to a relative importance index (R.I.I.) for each factor, posing a challenge to operators. The result showed that safety equipment was provided onboard boats by operators. The R.I.I. computed showed that boat and engine replacement (R.I.I. = 0.874) was the most challenging factor, while water hyacinth (R.I.I. = 0.418) was the least. Other challenges were frequent bad weather conditions, high running costs, floating logs and debris, extortion by law enforcement agents, difficulty making headway against the opposite current, high cost of safety equipment, passengers' refusal to adhere to safety measures, and poor berthing facilities in their order of impact. Proper funding and enforcement of safety measures are hereby recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the uncertainty of the navigating conditions on the Danube River, the hydrological situation on the Bulgarian leg of the river is predicted using ARIMA methods. The forecast is based on statistical daily hydrological data for a period of five years. A mathematical routing model is developed under the condition that it is not possible for a self-propelled vessel to continue its voyage due to draft limitation. Options including waiting for navigation opening, partial lightening on a barge, and a complete or partial modal shift to rail or road transport through an alternative port are considered. An acceptable option is determined, taking into account the additional costs and transit time. A routing simulation is made using SPSS software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of their reconstruction of the city following Allied bombing during World War II, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government infilled medium to small inland waterways (namely, canals and moats constructed during the 17th century) and utilised the resultant terrestrial strips for new purposes. Wartime damage reconstruction was conducted as part of the official city planning of Tokyo. During the 1940s, various waterways in Tokyo were infilled primarily with debris resulting from wartime bombing and, thereby, these landfills presented a model for the disposal of debris from disasters. In Japan, 115 municipalities were designated as war-damaged cities by the government, whose reconstruction was conducted as official city planning. The article examines how common the disposal of wartime debris via the in-filling of inland waterways was. The in-filling of Tokyo's inland waterways caused the loss of watery spaces that are nowadays regarded as cultural heritage assets with recreational potential. Studies have either criticised the infilling of waterways or else underscored opposition to the activity. How then was it possible for the authorities to decide on infilling and land reclamation as city planning? Was there any social support for this project? Relatedly, should the decision by the metropolitan government to infill inland waterways be regarded as inappropriate? This article considers these questions and evaluates the modification of such areas after WWII. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indian government has undertaken several initiatives to enhance maritime and international trade, including lowering the cost of freight logistics, fostering social entrepreneurship, and developing inland waterways. After the declaration under the National Waterways Act of 2016, 111 National Waterways were also considered for integrated development. 17 National Waterways are moving freight. Consequently, opportunities for social entrepreneurship are created. Cargo transportation requires development of ports and terminals. It impacts the project influence area, creating a hinterland for cargo supply and generating employment opportunities for social entrepreneurs. This research focuses on the social entrepreneurship opportunities provided by the development of National Waterways in India, mainly for its stakeholders. Developing inland waterways is expected to create an ecosystem of social entrepreneurship. Descriptive statistics were used to answer the research question of the study. The findings of the research show that there may be numerous entrepreneurship opportunities through the development of inland waterways, such as bringing more tourism, boosting labour, the technology sector, and many more. These types of projects increase sustainable social entrepreneurship, which helps individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inland waterways in India have shown positive growth over the last 10 years. The mode of transport is very promising, yet desired volumes are yet to be achieved. In 2018, India started its first domestic container shipping and the first export of container shipping through inland waterways in 2020. This research work expedites the identification of various prominent factors using the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process method. Four major factors were considered based on feedback from experts, and using the said method, factors and subfactors were ranked globally. Among the four factors we considered, infrastructure factors were found as the most critical factor, followed by economic factors, geographical factors, and, lastly, regulatory factors. Moreover, as per the weights obtained for the subfactors, inadequate river depth of rivers, container inventory, and repositioning emerged as significant factors that need to be addressed. Finally, this research paper puts forward steps necessary for boosting the growth of container shipping through inland waterways.

Germany has a wide-meshed waterway network. Although inland navigation is one of the most efficient transportation methods, its share of transport is steadily decreasing. The research project Smart-Port-Shuttle Hildesheim aims to strengthen the waterway system both from the aspect of inland navigation and from the aspect of ports. For this purpose, a holistic approach is chosen, which includes technological innovations on the one hand and integration into a logistical concept on the other. This paper focuses on the first point: a technological approach for a (partially) automated inland vessel. It will present the hardware setup and an evaluation of the sensors at a selection of critical points, such as in a lock, at a bridge passage, or during the passing of an obstacle. Different methods, such as Galileo E5a measurements for positioning or Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) for constructing and updating the map of the branch canal, are analyzed. The data structure of the Robot Operating System (ROS) is presented, as the raw data are available to the audience.

Retention reservoirs are one of the basic elements of water management. Multifunctional, they are used for flood protection, drought prevention and other purposes. Water reservoirs can also play a fundamental role in improving navigability on the lower section of the Vistula River from the Włocławek barrage to the mouth of the Gdansk Bay. Their implementation is a determinant for the possibility of restoring the economic role of the river in question. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to determine the current navigation conditions and the state of the regulatory buildings on the Lower Vistula. The investments necessary to achieve international parameters of the waterway were also determined, together with the calculation of financial benefits related to their implementation. This was possible based on the conducted bathymetric measurements, spatial analyses, economic calculations and queries of the obtained studies. It was established that fairway depths of 1.4 m are ensured for 180 days per year on average. On the other hand, the construction of five barrages (Siarzewo, Solec Kujawski, Chełmno, Grudziądz and Gniew) will make it possible to achieve at least a navigability class IV (international) on the section of the Vistula River waterway. In addition, the barrages will enable the retention of 1.2 billion m3 of water and will be associated with financial benefits such as shipping use, flood protection and counteracting the effects of drought. On this account, annual revenues may amount to approximately PLN 3.5 billion. This shows that the construction of the reservoirs is profitable, and the proposed solutions should be implemented in the context of sustainable water management and adaptation to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issue addressed: Internationally, inland waterways are identified as leading locations for drowning. 'Nippers' programs provide coastal lifesaving and water safety knowledge and skills to children aged 5‐14 years in Australia. However, a 49% increase in Victorian inland waterway drowning compared with the 10‐year average, necessitated adapting the Nippers water safety program to inland regions: Bush Nippers. Methods: Overall, 105 participants from two age groups (under 9 and under 12) were involved across three Bush Nippers programs delivered at river and/or pool locations in regional Victoria, Australia. Surveys and observations assessed participants' water safety knowledge and competencies, and used alongside interviews to obtain program feedback from parents, instructors and communities. Costs were compared to other aquatic programs to determine feasibility of replicating the program. Results: Significant increases in knowledge from pre to immediate posttest were recorded (P <.05) and water competencies were high posttest. Communities were grateful for the regional program delivery and understood the necessity of learning lifesaving skills, particularly in open water environments. Costs were akin to other similar programs indicating program replicability and enhancing likelihood of uptake. Conclusions: Bush Nippers increased water safety knowledge in children and was well received by the community. Wider uptake of the program is encouraged to diversify aquatic education for regional Victorian children. So what?: Given the high regard and demand for the program, and importance of learning lifesaving skills, provision of a scalable lifesaving program in inland regions may address the drowning trend and improve aquatic participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inland waterways in India have shown positive growth over the last 10 years. The mode of transport is very promising, yet desired volumes are yet to be achieved. In 2018, India started its first domestic container shipping and the first export of container shipping through inland waterways in 2020. This research work expedites the identification of various prominent factors using the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process method. Four major factors were considered based on feedback from experts, and using the said method, factors and subfactors were ranked globally. Among the four factors we considered, infrastructure factors were found as the most critical factor, followed by economic factors, geographical factors, and, lastly, regulatory factors. Moreover, as per the weights obtained for the subfactors, inadequate river depth of rivers, container inventory, and repositioning emerged as significant factors that need to be addressed. Finally, this research paper puts forward steps necessary for boosting the growth of container shipping through inland waterways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Inland waterways and their connections to marine transport systems constitute a substantial resource for the establishment of green infrastructures, flood prevention, and environmental conservation. However, these developments have numerous inherent environmental hazards such as water and air pollution, a loss of habitats, increased coastal erosion, the transfer of invasive species between connected watercourses and lakes, and the transport of pollutants through watercourses to coastal areas. Climate change may aggravate these environmental problems through changing temperatures, reduced precipitation, enhancing the adverse impact of excess nutrient discharge, and the entry of invasive species. In this study, we analyse the main European inland waterway corridors and their branches to assess the ecological viability of a pan-European inland waterway network. The environmental viability of such network depends on the right assessment of ecosystem services and protection of biodiversity. A model structure for landscape conservation, green infrastructure development, water replenishment, and ecosystem reconstruction is proposed, considering a sustainable combination of multimodal inland waterway and rail transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study focuses on the impact loading phase characteristic of thin first year ice in inland waterways. We investigate metal grillages, fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) composites and nature-inspired composites using LS Dyna. The impact mode is modelled as (a) simplified impact model with a rigid-body impactor and (b) an experimentally validated ice model represented by cohesive zone elements. The structural concepts are investigated parametrically for strength and stiffness using the simplified model, and an aluminium alloy grillage is analysed with the ice model. The metal–FRP composite was found to be the most favourable concept that offered impact protection as well as being light weight. By weight, FRP composites with a Bouligand ply arrangement were the most favourable but prone to impact damage. Further, aluminium grillage was found to be a significant contender for a range of ice impact velocities. While the ice model is experimentally validated, a drawback of the simplified model is the lack of experimental data. We overcame this by limiting the scope to low velocity impact and investigating only relative structural performance. By doing so, the study identifies significant parameters and parametric trends along with material differences for all structural concepts. The outcomes result in the creation of a viable pool of lightweight variants that fulfil the impact loading phase. Together with outcomes from quasi-static loading phase, it is possible to develop a lightweight ice-going hull concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recognition of the contribution of navigation activities to greenhouse gas emissions, there are ongoing efforts in Europe to deploy zero- and low-emission vessel technologies. The main objective of this paper is to present an assessment of waterborne transport decarbonization in Europe by analyzing key policies and trends. In particular, the policy actions put forward by the European Union Member States and the United Kingdom between 2016 and 2018, including refueling infrastructure, the market evolution of alternatively-powered vessels and their techno-economic barriers are investigated. Our work focuses on electricity, hydrogen and natural gas. Our findings suggest that the policy and market responses to promote alternative fuel and electric vessels in Europe so far have been rather weak and lag behind the efforts exerted on road transport. Our conclusion is that, besides further research and development, more ambitious policy measures are needed to keep the prospect of waterborne transport decarbonization within reach in Europe.

Lightweight ice-class vessels offer the possibility of increasing the payload capacity while making them comparable in energy consumption with non-ice-class vessels during ice-free periods. We approach the development of a lightweight hull by dividing ice–hull interactions into quasi-static loading and impact loading phases. Then, investigative outcomes of lightweight concepts for each loading phase may be combined to develop a lightweight ice-going hull. In this study, we focus on the quasi-static loading phase characteristic of thin first-year ice in inland waterways. We investigate metal grillages, sandwich structures and stiffened sandwich structures parametrically using the finite element method. The model is validated using previous experimental studies. In total over 2000 cases are investigated for strength and stiffness with respect to mass. The stiffened sandwich was found to be the most favorable concept that offered both a light weight as well as high gross tonnage. Further, significant parameters and their interactions and material differences for the three structural concepts were investigated and their trends discussed. The outcomes result in the creation of a viable pool of lightweight variants that fulfill the quasi-static loading phase. Together with outcomes from the impact loading phase, a lightweight ice-going hull may be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present stage of development of society is characterized by extremely high rates of reproducing processes, dynamics of business relations and high level of requirements for the efficiency of solving current problems. The article examines the composition and prospects of the logistics system in Ukraine, analyzes the strategic directions of its development. The potential of river transportation in Ukraine, its present-time status and role in the transport and logistics system are covered. Some programs for the development of the transport system and its integration into the international space, their prospects and the reality of implementation are analyzed. The main risks for sustainable development and ways of their leveling with the help of infrastructural elements are defined. The focus is set on the main problems of both the entire logistics complex and the river transportation segment, the directions of their overcoming are singled out. For the purposes of the research, with the river routes are included the immediate shipping routes (i.e. rivers and canals), infrastructure objects (ports, gateways, docks, ship repair plants, etc.) and fleet (river vessels, tugs, barges and vessels of the river-sea type). The groups of measures for the development of river transport are singled out on the basis of potential sources of their financing. The components of economic efficiency of river transport development and ways of achieving such efficiency are substantiated. The river transport of Ukraine is the most environmentally friendly, energy efficient and can provide low self-cost of transportation. In the context of perspective increase in prices for both road and rail transportation, river transport can become the reserve that can keep the cost of transportation within the country at the current level. Particular attention is paid to the development of river ports of Ukraine as promising logistics centers. Specific instruments and measures to develop the relevant segment of river logistics and ensure their efficiency have been formulated. One of these key instruments, according to the author, be the automation of the processes of management and organization of river transportation, which will help maximize their efficiency.