Route design and automatic check in electronic chart display and information system

For an electronic chart display and information system ( ECDIS), the most important function is the route design. In this paper,a novel approach to developing ECDIS was given and then an effective method was proposed for route design and automatic check. The mathematical model and logical relationship for coordinate transformation were also provided. They were adopted in ECDIS developing, which was based on the research of the Vxworks real-time operating system. The actual system application implies that the method is practical and can held navigation verv well.     

The motion analysis of fire video images based on moment features and flicker frequency

In this paper, motion analysis methods based on the moment features and flicker frequency features for early fire flame from ordinary CCD video camera were proposed, and in order to describe the changing of flame and disturbance of non-flame phenomena further more, the average changing pixel number of the first-order moments of consecutive flames has been defined in the moment analysis as well. The first-order moments of all kinds of flames used in our experiments present irregularly flickering, and their average changing pixel numbers of first-order moments are greater than fire-like disturbances. For the analysis of flicker frequency of flame, which is extracted and calculated in spatial domain, and therefore it is computational simple and fast. The method of extracting flicker frequency from video images is not affected by the catalogues of combustion material and distance. In experiments, we adopted two kinds of flames, i.e. , fixed flame and movable flame. Many comparing and disturbing experiments were done and verified that the methods can be used as criteria for early fire detection.     

Study on J-integral with SENB specimensin a condenser material

A series of tests was performed with three-point single-edge-notched-bend (SENB) specimens in a condenser material (Titanium alloy). Results show that the J-integral values of welded joint and HAZ are obviously smaller than those of the base metal. It signifies that the welding process can result in a reduced toughness of Titanium alloy and the effect of crack orientation on toughness value is not negligible for engineering applications. Besides, the J-integral values of L-T direction specimens are much higher than those of LS ones. The J-integral values of rolled ring are: J_(C-R)>J_(C-L)>J_(L-R).     

Law enforcement in the ocean

The combating of the present great variety of criminal activities occurring at sea mainly involves measures to be taken on land, in particular in ports.However, also actual enforcement at sea will continue to play an essential (complementary) role. This article surveys the rules of international law governing law enforcement measures at sea. These rules are complex, because distinctions have to be made between the various jurisdictional zones at sea and between the positions of the flag state, the coastal state and the port state. Traditionally, ships in the high seas (all sea areas beyond a narrow band of territorial sea) were under the exclusive jurisdiction of the flag state. In an increasing number of situations, the coastal state now has law enforcement authority over foreign ships in expanded areas up to 200 nautical miles offshore. But apart from these situations, flag state jurisdiction still prevails beyond the territorial sea. This makes effective law enforcement difficult. In practice, many obstacles can be overcome by making more effective use of the authority of the port state, and by concluding new international agreements providing for specific enforcement systems.     

A comparative analysis of the European and North-American approaches to dealing with major oil spills

Background  

The question of what should be the right level of preparedness to react to a major oil spill (i.e. the EXXON VALDEZ spill, the ERIKA spill, and the PRESTIGE spill) is highly debated, especially in the aftermath of such spills. Little research, however, has been conducted with the aim to identify and compare governments’ best practices not only to fund preparedness measures but also to assess the countries’ ability to respond effectively to catastrophic oil spills. It is the author’s belief that important lessons can be learnt from a comparative analysis of countries’ best practices.     

Proficiency improvement method in maritime education

The research conducted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) shows that maritime education not always reaches its pre-established goal. One of the aspects in maritime education development process with the aim to prepare ship officers and other specialists is a thorough selection of the learning content according to real life necessities. Structuring the learning content of the subjects, both significant to profession and conforming to the requirements set by professional bodies, is one of the key issues addressed by curriculum developers. The aim of this research is to create a model for the curriculum development in scientific subjects for outcome-based maritime education. The main criterion which determines the significance/contribution level of the included topic in the curriculum is the anticipated learning outcome increasing the level of proficiency in students. Thus, the present research unveils the necessary steps for the evaluation of the proposed topics in the context of teaching/learning and gives grounds for their selection and the arrangement of topics in a logical order for further implementation in teaching/learning process. The present research is illustrated by a case study concerning the development of teaching/learning content for chemistry curriculum as a study subject in the secondary vocational maritime education programme.     

Sustainable procurement and environmental life-cycle costing in maritime transport

Transportation sector, including maritime transport, exerts significant environmental impact. Public procurement as a policy strategy instrument which applies to the purchase of transport means, construction of infrastructure and the provision logistic services in supplying the goods, services and executing of works must integrate environmental considerations in the contract award procedures. While conventional life-cycle costing (LCC) is based on four categories to be assessed e.g. investment, operation, maintenance and end-of-life disposal expenses, the environmental LCC method also takes into account the external environmental costs. The paper is focused on sustainable public procurement and environmental life-cycle costing aspects of EU 2014 Directive. Analysis is made of the real cost of procurement, the externalities and the impact of maritime transport sector on the environment. The purpose of this research is to propose the framework for assessment of integral impact on the environment which combines environmental LCC approach with TBL concept using non-monetary units for measuring externalities. The authors advocate clean and energy-efficient maritime transport ensuring effective implementation of environmental policy objectives and targets and emphasize the role of public authorities and entities in fostering the inclusion of environmental externalities in calculation of LCC.     

Developing a marine engineering centre of excellence for competency-based training

Institutes imparting training in marine engineering require replication of shipboard ambience for strengthening the competencies. For building an engineering centre for training, five options at different physical levels were considered based on a model of a new liquefied natural gas tanker ship build. A mock-up facility, simulator, full-scale engine room, scaled down version and a combination arrangement with live and dummy equipment were the options. Analytic hierarchy process was applied for selecting a suitable option based on criteria of cost, effectiveness in attaining competencies, practicability and environmental conduciveness. Analyses were carried out on the eigenvalues based on eight subselection criteria. The combination of live equipment (boilers and turbo alternator) and non-live shipboard equipment (auxiliaries) was chosen based on the global weightages obtained from the pairwise comparison matrix computations. The reliability was ascertained from the consistency index which was less than 0.1. For selection of the learning modes and the equipment, a constructivist approach of learners reflecting and choosing the learning mode was adopted. Industry practitioners were made into learner groups composed of trainers, shipboard personnel and company personnel. Established competencies were assigned as scores to the different learning modes. ANOVA application and statistical methods were used to analyse the scores to verify if there were too much variation in the choices. The calculated F ratio values were low (0.14 to 0.40) compared to the reference values indicating that the choices were even. The chi-squared test indicated that the group composition did have an influence on choosing the learning mode and equipment for training. The objective of identifying the learning mode and equipment for the training centre was achieved.     

Piracy off West Africa from 2010 to 2014: an analysis

Piracy is one of the most frequent maritime threats. However, despite the importance of how maritime piracy is to be reduced, it is substantially less investigated than maritime safety. Piracy off Somalia is the most investigated case of piracy, but those results are not necessarily generalizable. Piracy off West Africa has been shown to be more diverse, successful and dangerous. This study investigates and analyses piracy off West Africa with the aim to understand how different operations and security measures affect the consequences of piracy. This study has identified several different intents and shows that most attacks are relatively close to shore and correspond to areas of high ship density. Attacks with the intent of theft at night-time are generally performed close to shore, and more complicated attacks against ships under way are more common during daytime and farther from shore. Five types of measures are found to have high effectiveness if the attack is detected during approach; after boarding, only two measures have high effectiveness. Of the effective measures, it can be concluded that all but one are dependent on detecting the attack. Therefore, detecting the pirates is key but must be accompanied by a set of measures because no measure alone can protect a ship given the operational conditions off West Africa. The risks associated with piracy off West Africa are estimated to be of the same magnitude as the risks posed by Somali piracy at its peak.     

Propeller torque load and propeller shaft torque response correlation during ice-propeller interaction

Ships use propulsion machinery systems to create directional thrust. Sailing in ice-covered waters involves the breaking of ice pieces and their submergence as the ship hull advances. Sometimes, submerged ice pieces interact with the propeller and cause irregular fluctuations of the torque load. As a result, the propeller and engine dynamics become imbalanced, and energy propagates through the propulsion machinery system until equilibrium is reached. In such imbalanced situations, the measured propeller shaft torque response is not equal to the propeller torque. Therefore, in this work, the overall system response is simulated under the ice-related torque load using the Bond graph model. The energy difference between the propeller and propeller shaft is estimated and related to their corresponding mechanical energy. Additionally, the mechanical energy is distributed among modes. Based on the distribution, kinetic and potential energy are important for the correlation between propeller torque and propeller shaft response.