Segmentation of complex objects’ sonar images using parameter-fixed MRF model

1 Introduction1 Imaging sonar has been widely used in the case of mine finding, underwater seeking and sound vision system of AUV as an important method. Therefore the object recognition based on sonar image, especially complex object, is one of the impor…     

Numerical modeling of breaking waves generated by a ship’s hull

A new model for the simulation of spilling breaking waves in naval flows is presented. The hydrostatic pressure is used in order to mimic the weight of the breaker on the underlying flow, as in the model of Cointe and Tulin, whereas the algorithm for detecting the breaking inception and the definition of its geometry are completely new and are suitable for the simulation of three–dimensional flows around ships hulls. The model has been implemented in a finite-volume code developed for naval flows, and its performances have been validated against experimental data for a submerged profile, an S60 hull in drift motion, and the US Combatant DTMB 5415 model on a straight course.     

Measuring the technology gap and logistics performance of individual countries by using a meta-DEA–AR model

This study presents an alternative approach to evaluate the efficiency of the logistics performance index (LPI) of individual countries. This study considers the differences among technology groups by classifying and comparing the countries as high-income Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), high-income non-OECD, upper-middle-income, lower-middle-income, and low-income countries. The meta-frontier data envelopment analysis with assurance regions (Meta-DEA–AR) model is proposed to evaluate LPI scores and differences accurately among groups. For conformity with the ranking of original World Bank LPI, the assurance region of each logistics indicator is obtained by a regression model. The results show that the LPI rankings obtained by the proposed model are very comparable to those of World Bank LPI. Without distorting the rankings, the results offer several managerial suggestions for those countries with inefficiency in their LPIs.     

Parametric dependencies of the post-ultimate strength behavior of a ship’s hull girder in waves

To rationally assess the consequence of a ship’s hull girder collapse, it is necessary to know the post-ultimate strength behavior of the hull girder including the global deformation and motions under extreme wave-induced loads. In the foregoing research, the authors proposed a numerical analysis system to predict the collapse behavior in waves including the post-ultimate strength behavior. The primary objective of the present paper is to clarify the parametric dependencies of the severity of the collapse in a rational manner. The parameters may include those related to load-carrying capacity and the extreme loads. To this end, an analytical solution to describe the post-ultimate strength behavior is derived. Assuming that a plastic hinge is formed at the midship during the collapse procedure, the whole ship is modeled as a two-rigid-bodies system connected to each other amidship via a nonlinear rotational spring, which represents the nonlinear relationship between the bending moment and the rotational angle. The relationship may be modeled as piece-wise linear curves. It is further assumed that large motions and elastic/plastic deformations of the hull girder may not affect the load evaluations, and that the hull girder is subjected to a large single wave. Some important parameters to predict the severity of the collapse are specified based on the analytical solution.     

Evaluating the impact of PSC inspectors’ professional profile: a case study of the Spanish Maritime Administration

Full-scale globalisation of trade has been accompanied by a progressive liberalisation of maritime transport. The proliferation of open registries has created a situation in which Port State Control (PSC) has become much more effective than the feeble or non-existent control exercised by those States. This study has been conducted on the influence of the professional profile of inspectors on inspection results. The objective of our paper was to evaluate the impact of PSC inspectors’ professional profile by conducting a case study of the Spanish Maritime Administration. The paper concludes with a discussion of the correlation between deficiencies detected and professional profiles.     

A sensitivity analysis of a hull’s local characteristic parameters on ship resistance performance

Simulation-based design hull form optimization has become one of the most effective ways to develop energy-saving ships. However, the traditional method is time consuming and inefficient, so it is difficult to apply it to practical engineering. One of the reasons for this difficulty is that there are numerous parameters for expressing the hull form, making it difficult to find the optimal solution within a short amount of time. Therefore, this paper presents a sensitivity analysis method based on radial basis function and partial least squares regression neural network with uniform design for sampling, to study the sensitivity of local hull parameters of a class of container ships on wave-making resistance performance, and to reduce the number of dimensions in the design space. According to the results of sensitivity analysis, the parameters that are of negligible influence on the objective function can be removed from the optimization model. Comparison of results of the original model and the simplified model shows that the presented sensitivity analysis method can effectively reduce the dimension of the design space so that the time consumed to achieve the optimum is decreased.     

Analyzing the dispersion of cargo vapors around a ship’s superstructure by means of wind tunnel experiments

In a previous study, it was found that cargo tank operations like cleaning and venting, lead to higher cargo vapor concentrations around the ship’s superstructure. Can wind tunnel experiments confirm these findings? Is there an improvement when using higher outlets at high velocities compared to lower outlets with a low outlet velocity? Is there a relation between relative wind speed and measured concentration? These questions were investigated in the Peutz wind tunnel. By using a tracer gas for the wind tunnel experiments, concentration coefficients have been calculated for various settings. The study shows that using high-velocity outlets is an efficient way to keep concentrations as low as possible. The only exception is for relative wind directions from the bow. In this last case using a manhole as ventilation outlet leads to lower concentrations. With increasing wind speeds the building downwash effect resulted in higher concentration coefficients near the main deck. This study confirms our on-board measurements and suggests the lowering of the ventilation inlet of the accommodation, so that the high-velocity outlet can be used safely at all times.     

Analysis of S–N data for new and corroded mooring chains at varying mean load levels using a hierarchical linear model

Results from full scale fatigue tests of offshore mooring chains are analyzed. The data set includes new and used chains, tested at a variety of mean load levels. The used chains have been retrieved after operation offshore and include samples with varying surface conditions, ranging from as-new to heavily corroded. Based on a parameterized S–N curve intercept parameter, the effects of mean load and chain condition are estimated empirically by regression analysis. A hierarchical linear model is used, to account for and quantify correlations within subsets of the data. The choice of grouping criterion for the hierarchical model is discussed, and assessed based on the current data. Results show that the mean load and corrosion effects are both significant. Differences in the fatigue performance of new versus used chains are quantified and discussed.     

Hydroelasto-plasticity approach to predicting the post-ultimate strength behavior of a ship’s hull girder in waves

Dynamic collapse behavior of a ship’s hull girder in waves is investigated; post-ultimate strength behavior is the focus. Firstly, a simulation method is proposed. Assuming that a plastic hinge is formed during the collapse of the hull girder, the whole ship is modeled as two rigid bodies connected amidship via a nonlinear rotational spring. The post-ultimate strength behavior, such as the reduction of load carrying capacity due to buckling and yielding, is reflected in the model. Hydrodynamic loads are evaluated by using nonlinear strip theory to account for the effect of large plastic deformations on the loads. A scaled model for validation of the simulation is designed and fabricated. Then a series of tank tests is conducted using the scaled model to validate the simulation results. Post-ultimate strength behavior characteristics in waves are clarified by using the numerical and tank test results. It is shown that the hull girder collapses rapidly after reaching ultimate strength, and then the plastic deformation grows until unloading starts at the collapsed section. Finally, several parametric dependencies of the extent of the collapse behavior are discussed based on a series of the simulations.     

The interaction of oblique flexural gravity waves with a small bottom deformation on a porous ocean-bed: Green’s function approach

The interaction of oblique incident water waves with a small bottom deformation on a porous ocean-bed is examined analytically here within the framework of linear water wave theory. The upper surface of the ocean is assumed to be covered by an infinitely extended thin uniform elastic plate, while the lower surface is bounded by a porous bottom surface having a small deformation. By employing a simplified perturbation analysis, involving a small parameter δ(=1), which measures the smallness of the deformation, the governing Boundary Value Problem (BVP) is reduced to a simpler BVP for the first-order correction of the potential function. This BVP is solved using a method based on Green’s integral theorem with the introduction of suitable Green’s function to obtain the first-order potential, and this potential function is then utilized to calculate the first-order reflection and transmission coefficients in terms of integrals involving the shape function c(x) representing the bottom deformation. Consideration of a patch of sinusoidal ripples shows that when the quotient of twice the component of the incident field wave number propagating just below the elastic plate and the ripple wave number approaches one, the theory predicts a resonant interaction between the bed and the surface below the elastic plate. Again, for small angles of incidence, the reflected wave energy is more as compared to the other angles of incidence. It is also observed that the reflected wave energy is somewhat sensitive to the changes in the flexural rigidity of the elastic plate, the porosity of the bed and the ripple wave numbers. The main advantage of the present study is that the results for the values of reflection and transmission coefficients obtained are found to satisfy the energy-balance relation almost accurately.     

An investigation of forecast horizon and observation fit’s influence on an econometric rate forecast model in the liner shipping industry

This paper evaluates the influence of forecast horizon and observation fit on the robustness and performance of a specific freight rate forecast model used in the liner shipping industry. In the first stage of the research, a forecast model used to predict container freight rate development is presented by exploring the relationship between individual company’s rates and aggregated market rates, and thus assists in dealing with uncertainty and market volatility for a given business situation. In the second stage, a design of experiment approach is applied to highlight the influence of the forecast horizon and observation fit and their interactions on the forecast model’s performance. The results underline the complicated nature of creating a suitable forecast model by balancing business needs, a desire to fit a good model and achieve high accuracy. There is strong empirical evidence from this study; that a robust model is preferable, that overfitting is a true danger, and that a balance must be achieved between forecast horizon and the number of observations used to fit the model. In addition, methodological guidance has also been provided on how to test, design, and choose the superior model for business needs.     

Application of analytical model in the prediction of dynamic responses and fatigue damage of flexible risers: Part II – Dynamic analysis of flexible risers in large-scale domain using a direct moment correction method

In recent years, the dynamic responses of flexible risers have been the focus of many researchers. Most flexible risers undergo a substantial level of irregular motion from environmental loadings, which involves a continuous slip of helical wires. The slip of helical wires especially leads to a hysteretic effect by reducing the bending stiffness, making it hard to predict the dynamic responses of flexible risers. The current study, as an extension to Part I, presents a new large-scale dynamic analysis method for flexible risers. The suggested method creates a large-scale model for the dynamic analysis that considers a geometric and bending nonlinearity of flexible risers. The kinematics of each beam element is formulated based on a Green-Lagrangian strain and the interaction with the seabed, providing a realistic analysis of flexible risers. In particular, the current study introduces a direct moment correction method that modifies the internal force vector using an improved analytical model. The improved analytical model is assigned at each node of the large-scale model and estimates an accurate bending hysteresis curve considering the effect of shear deformation and varying tension. The suggested method corrects the bending moment and shear force of all beam elements based on the bending hysteresis curves obtained from the improved analytical model, by which a complex bending behavior of flexible risers is reflected in a large-scale domain. As a result, this study achieves a more accurate prediction of the dynamic responses and fatigue damage of flexible risers. A new dynamic analysis program, called OPFLEX, is developed herein based on the suggested analysis method. Using the developed program, the current study conducts several numerical investigations to identify the effect of the shear deformation and varying tension. Consequently, it is confirmed that the shear deformation of internal layers reduces the fatigue damage of helical wires by delaying the increase of internal stress. It is also identified that the effect of varying tension deteriorates the fatigue life of flexible risers through a continuous change of contact pressure during bending.     

The UN’s 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and the maritime transport domain: the role and challenges of IMO and its stakeholders through a grounded theory perspective

In September 2015, the United Nations (UN) officially adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development together with 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) (UN, 2016). The attainment of the SDGs requires a strong commitment by all UN Member States, not least by the Member States at the International Maritime Organization (IMO). This empirical research aims to identify the role and challenges of stakeholders at IMO, when implementing the UN’s 2030 Agenda in the international maritime transport domain using a grounded theory approach. This paper describes the methodology and the analytical process undertaken and presents the main findings based on empirical data. The results are presented as a set of six propositions. The first proposition presents the phenomena engulfing Member States at IMO stemming out from lack of knowledge and policy incoherency on the 2030 Agenda at national level. The other five propositions suggest how these challenges could potentially be best alleviated through an IMO-led strategy on sustainable development within the context of the 2030 Agenda, supported by an appropriate governance structure that sees the introduction of strategic actors for coordinating the implementation of the SDGs at national level. With the support of a Task Force, and by also making use of the IMO Member State Audit Scheme (IMSAS), to create more awareness and ownership, the strategic actors could work towards balancing the three dimensions of sustainable development—the economic, the environmental, and the social dimensions—which were found to be imbalanced in the international maritime transport domain.