Search

The research status of operational management for research vessels is reviewed in this paper. The reviewed literature are analyzed from four topics, i.e., operation and management, evaluation of research vessel, voyage sharing and coordination, and others. By investigating four national organizations, research vessel owner, we summarized the operational management experience from five aspects, i.e., scientific survey, ship and research equipment asset, ship operation, ship and equipment safety, and the crew. Taking “ZHUHAIYUN” as an example, this paper uncovers that a ship with characteristic of research vessel and intelligent ship may face three challenges, i.e., without operational management experience for intelligent ships, lack of professional human resources, unestablished organization. To overcome these challenges, the current operational management practice of “ZHUHAIYUN” is introduced from five points, i.e., building the prototype of operational management center, establishing the ship management system, constructing professional team, and developing oceanic culture in the South China Sea. The results provide reference for operational management of both new-building research vessels and intelligent ships.

Ship retrofitting is one alternative solution to extend a ship’s life. Several component replacements were performed in the retrofitting process, remodelings to the ship’s main dimension, and state-of-the-art equipment and technology were added. As one of the ships that require regular renewal, especially in research equipment, retrofit processes are often carried out on research vessels. The current problem in the retrofit process for research vessels, especially in Indonesia, is that retrofits are not carried out with established methodology and planning. Thus, some retrofit projects are limited to major repairs and do not extend the ship’s life or performance. To solve that problem, a developed methodology for ship retrofitting was proposed, which consists of selecting the ship and the type of retrofit and its components, determining retrofit requirements, and designing the ship based on the retrofit project. In the design process, a modified spiral design is explicitly used for the retrofit process with some alterations compared with the conventional one, which is focused on analyzing the suitability and availability of space, consumable and tank requirements, analysis of power requirements, risk analysis, and project execution plan. A case study of this developed methodology has been undertaken in the concept design phase of RV Baruna Jaya 1’s retrofit, and the results show that the methodology is considered helpful as an approach for ship retrofitting. Moreover, several considerations were also obtained from the concept design stage and had to be analyzed at the following design stage to meet the retrofit design requirements.

Alongside the program, which requires research vessel operation, RV Baruna Jaya is needed to fill that requirement fully. RV Baruna Jaya reported many failures during the previous mission. Some failures need emergency maintenance. One of them is the problem with the lubricating oil system. The lubrication system of an engine supplies of lubricating oil to the various moving parts of the engine. Its main function is to form an oil film between moving parts, which reduces friction and wear. The lubricating oil is also used as a cleaner and, in some engines, as a coolant. During the survey Ina-TEWS in 2021, RV Baruna Jaya was ordered due high temperature of The Lubricating Oil System. The temperature exceeded the normal value, and due to safety considerations, the ME needed to be shut down. Because of this problem, the survey carried out by RV Baruna Jaya was delayed. So, it is important to maintain a lubricating oil system. In this analysis, to maintain the function and performance of the lubricating oil system, the FMECA is carried out. By prioritizing the lubricating oil system equipment using FMEA and Criticality Analysis, 6 pieces of equipment with 24 failure modes should be maintained. These equipment are lubricating oil cooler, lubricating oil pump, engine service oil tank, engine reserve oil tank, Engine lubricating oil standby pump, and lubricating oil transfer pump. The maintenance task is proposed to minimize the occurrence of failure mode, which could possibly happen in the equipment.

New technologies are continually being placed in the ocean, constantly collecting ocean data in real-time. As a result, Data Literacy is now a necessary learning goal for supporting students' Ocean Literacy. The newest ships in the U.S. Academic Research Fleet, the Regional Class Research Vessels (RCRVs), are being built with the aim of supporting data literacy through outreach and education, with aid from a forthcoming real-time data portal. To understand how the RCRV’s outreach and education initiatives can best support data and ocean literacy, while also facilitating intentional engagement with minoritized populations, a three-phase research strategy was conducted over three years. The objective was to determine promising practices in data literacy education and shipboard outreach that are also culturally responsive. The first phase of the research interviewed experts in the fields of teaching, data literacy, shipboard education, and community engagement in order to generate recommendations. The second phase was an assessment of a three-day data literacy high-school curriculum utilizing research vessel data. The third phase examined the success of potential culturally responsive data literacy curricular frameworks and teaching practices in an afterschool pilot program for Latinx youth. The research determined that in a world where students have never ending access to data, data literacy education must be scaffolded throughout a student's life. Data used in education must be contextual and relatable and the best tools for data literacy learning are designed for teachers and students. As new knowledge is being generated about the ocean through new technologies continually collecting data, ocean literacy can no longer exist without data literacy.

The analysis of European bodies and agencies in the field of maritime safety management highlights the limited capacity to respond to potential disasters in the coastal and port areas of the Romanian state. Starting from this situation, the PLATMARISC project builds an intervention strategy based on an integrated risk management system that facilitates both multidisciplinary oceanographic research and monitoring and management of potential coastal and port disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the prospects of developing outline design of Ukrainian oceanographic new generation research vessel. In particular, there are described issues of general requirements formation for the design, architecture and equipment of a new generation multifunctional oceanographic research vessel for its operation in the Azov­Black Sea basin, taking into account the set scientific and technical tasks for the oceanographic and hydrographic research of the marine environment of the Azov­Black Sea basin, as well as the specifics of creating complex of ship research laboratories (on a modular basis) for a vessel of the specified type. There is presented a list of scientific and technical tasks for oceanographic and hydrographic research of the marine environment of the Azov­Black Sea basin, the implementation of which is possible via using a universal oceanographic research vessel. There are described issues of creating a complex of vessel research laboratories of an oceanographic research vessel on a modular basis, as well as the formation of an appropriate generalized technical proposal. The general characteristics of the research vessel «Mintis» of Klaipeda University (Lithuania) are presented as an example of a modern oceanographic research vessel.

The Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) current coastal/local research vessel, the R/V Robert Gordon Sproul, is nearing the end of its service life and will soon require replacement. This study compares three potential variants for an R/V Sproul replacement vessel (SRV): a Baseline SRV consisting of a traditional diesel-electric powertrain, a Battery Hybrid SRV (battery/diesel-electric) and a Hydrogen Hybrid SRV (hydrogen fuel cell/diesel-electric). All three variants meet the science mission requirements of the SRV but with varying levels of zero-emission runtime, energy efficiency and emissions. The Battery Hybrid SRV can provide 2.5 h of zero emissions (battery only) operation, but could not complete any of the identified SRV science missions without also engaging the diesel generators. In contrast, the Hydrogen Hybrid SRV can provide 23.4 h of zero emission (hydrogen only) runtime, and can complete 74% of the SRV science missions solely with zero-emission operation. The superior performance of the Hydrogen Hybrid SRV is attributable to the higher volumetric energy storage density of the LH 2 /fuel cell combination. The capital costs of these vessels are estimated to be: ∼ $21.4 M for the diesel-electric Baseline SRV, ∼ $26.0 M for the Battery Hybrid SRV vessel and ∼ $34.4 M for the Hydrogen Hybrid SRV. The "well-to-waves" (WTW) greenhouse gas (GHG) and criteria pollutant emissions were estimated using various sourcings for the diesel fuel, electricity and hydrogen fuel. The lowest emission levels are achieved with the Hydrogen Hybrid variant using 100% renewable hydrogen. The annual WTW GHG emissions from the Hydrogen Hybrid using renewable LH 2 in combination with fossil diesel in the hybrid arrangement yields a 26.7% GHG emissions reduction from the Baseline vessel using fossil-derived diesel fuel. The Battery Hybrid vessel with 100% renewable electricity combined with diesel fuel provides a 6.9% reduction in GHG emissions. Similar results are seen for the criteria pollutant emissions. The hybrid vessels are also compared with regard to operational safety. The study reveals that hydrogen fuel-cell technology provides an effective hybrid supplement to diesel power for a coastal/local research vessel. • The Battery Hybrid design provides 2.5 h of zero emissions (battery only) operation. • The Hydrogen Hybrid SRV provides 23.4 h of zero emission (hydrogen only) runtime. • Hydrogen fuel-cell technology provides an effective hybrid supplement to diesel power for a coastal/local research vessel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the support of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of Korea, the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) promoted 'The study for the industry-university-institute cooperative use of research vessels', which was an opportunity to advance domestic ocean research to the next level, in line with the launch of the R/V Isabu in 2017. A brief history in relation to the project is described in Lee (Ocean Sci J 57(2), 2022) in this issue. Celebrating the 5th year of the project, KIOST (Marine scientists on a boat, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Busan, 2021) has published a resource book on the progress of the project excluding scientific papers. In this special issue, some of the scientific results from the project are grouped together and introduced. The joint use of research vessels started with large research vessels and gradually expanded to small research vessels. Thus, the target area of the study also included from the open ocean to the coastal waters (KIOST, in Marine scientists on a boat, KIOST Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Busan, 2021) as shown in the papers featured in this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "Shiptime Sharing Project" is a new exploration of the funding model of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). After ten years of implementation, it has achieved significant effect which guaranteed the needs of marine surveys for NSFC funded projects. It has established a marine field observation platform for both interdisciplinary research and the training of young research scientists. It has promoted the accumulation and sharing of marine survey data as well as the overall development of marine science. Facing the new trend of global technology and economic development, the national strategic demand puts forward higher requirements for the "Shiptime Sharing Project". It is urgent to further enhance the strategic positioning of the plan, optimize and innovate the management mechanism, and increase the scale of funding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

R/V EARDO, commissioned in 1992, has successfully carried out ocean research campaigns in Korean jurisdictional and adjacent waters, including continental margins and coastal zones within the Korean Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), for 29 years. However, it will soon be reaching the end of its useful service life. A replacement for R/V EARDO is urgently needed to ensure the safety of vessel itself and its crews, and efficient ship operation and maintenance, as well as to meet modern scientific mission requirements (SMRs). Basic specifications for a replacement ship have been devised and reviewed over the past nine months. A test of the proposed hull form was also performed. The total tonnage of the proposed vessel is approximately 740 tons, and the overall length and width are 62.0 and 11.6 m, respectively. The new ship will thus be 73% larger than the current R/V EARDO; in particular, the research workspace will be 4.4 times larger. The major design priorities are the propulsion system, efficiency of radiated noise and vibration control, and the dynamic positioning system. An environmentally friendly emission system, meeting International Maritime Organization (IMO) Tier III regulations, will be installed in the third exhaust pipe. Various wet and dry lab spaces as well as 32 different scientific instruments have also been considered in the ship design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yellow Sea serves as a pathway for air pollution transport from the Asian continent into Korea and is annually monitored by the Korean Meteorological Administration (KMA) research vessel during the spring season. This study investigated the spatio-temporal variation of long-range transported greenhouse gases (CO 2 and CH 4) and air pollutants (CO, NO x , SO 2 , O 3) in the Yellow Sea during the Yellow Sea Air Quality (YES-AQ) campaign. Our analysis reveals that GHGs and air pollutants exhibit a clear latitudinal distribution. Lower concentrations are observed in the range of 31.2–34.5°N, primarily influenced by air masses traversing the ocean and the western part of Korean Peninsula. In contrast, higher concentrations occur more frequently at 34.5–37.8°N, primarily affected by continental air masses. The regression slopes of CO and CO 2 vary depending on regional characteristics, particularly in air originating from Korea and China. Regression slope analysis between CO, CO 2, and CH 4 , except for high plume of CH 4 (>2.05 ppm), indicates that fossil fuel sources play a significant role. A high plume of CH 4 (>2.05 ppm) was observed on April 22nd, coinciding with the maximum O 3 concentrations during the period of highest temperatures throughout the voyage. The potential source regions were identified in the west-southern coast of Korea, using footprint analysis from Stochastic Time-Inverted Lagrangian Transport (STILT) and column-averaged dry-air mole fraction of CH 4 (XCH 4) retrieval from the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) onboard the Sentinel-5 Precursor (S5P) satellite. The high CH 4 enhancements are most likely due to biogenic emissions triggered by favorable near-surface temperatures for microbial activities in soil. Furthermore, the high CH 4 enhancements were not correlated with CO and CO 2 , indicating that the source was not related to fossil fuel combustion. On March 29–30, a high plume of NO x was detected and is likely attributed to the Bohai Sea, which is located just above the Yellow Sea and surrounded by highly industrialized and semi-enclosed areas. • Yellow Sea Air Quality campaign studies greenhouse/air pollutants distribution. • Greenhouse/air pollutants show a clear latitudinal gradient over Yellow Sea. • CO, CO 2 , CH 4 correlation suggests fossil fuel-based sources mainly from China and Korea. • Highly elevated CH 4 linked to microbial-related biogenic emissions from Korean based on STILT analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How to select the optimal formulations for building blended physics-machine learning models for ship motions is not currently clear. This work compares and contrasts two approaches to this problem: (1) A black-box deep learning approach based on a new neural network architecture that can better handle varying wave conditions, and (2) a clear-box model based on updates to linear response amplitude operators via a Gaussian process regression. Both models are trained and evaluated on a dataset consisting of more than 15,000 30-minute-long motion observation windows from two research vessels at sea in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Three different hindcast weather services are used, including two models from the EU's Copernicus system and NOAA's WAVEWATCH III. The evaluation shows that a tradeoff exists between the formulations, with the black-box formulation offering higher accuracy and the cost of less transparency. The weather hindcast used has a small impact on the results, and the ability of both models to generalize predictions between near-sister ships is also encouraging for the practical application of these techniques. • Machine learning is applied to 15,000 30-minute at-sea ship motion records. • A black-box and a clear-box machine learning approach are compared. • A custom neural network model structure allows varying wave feature lengths. • Models can generalize between near-sister ships with some accuracy loss. • Weather sources also impact accuracy but to a smaller extent than model structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes an innovative and demonstrably necessary vessel intended for the research and logistic support of scientific or non-scientific activities in the Amazon, designed in accordance with the environmental and geographical requirements and characteristics of the region (possibly applicable to other similar hydrographic basins). The study also demonstrates the existence of a demand (actual and potential) for the infrastructure proposed. This infrastructure could subsidize the efforts devoted to the expansion of knowledge about the region, since many areas of science, institutions and business segments could benefit from its implementation. The access to knowledge could attract private investments with the perspective of developing business whose origin has been a rational and sustainable exploitation of the natural potential of the region.

Fishery-dependent catch per unit effort (CPUE) data have been used as an abundance index (AI) in fish stock assessments. However, fishery-dependent CPUE data are influenced not only by changes in fish abundance but also by other factors, such as the choice or restrictions of fishing grounds to operate. Accordingly, bias may arise in AIs due to a lack of data from unfished or rarely fished areas. To improve the accuracy of AI estimates, spatially arranged CPUE datasets from both trawl fisheries and research vessel surveys in the East China Sea were concurrently analyzed in the present study using a multivariate autoregressive state-space (MARSS) model. Survey datasets complemented information on stock status in the fishing areas where fishery-dependent datasets were limited. As a result, the combined use of datasets from both sources effectively improved the accuracy of estimates of AIs and the spatial distribution of the population density of each fish species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]