Research on techniques to improve accuracy in SBL locating systems

Short baseline system （SBL）, which is a kind of underwater acoustic locating technology, has widely applicable value. In order to examine the capability of ship model design, the ship model experimentation should have high accuracy. This paper focuses on the key techniques of high accuracy locating system, including high accuracy sub-array position emendation, divisional locating, anti multi-path interference measure, etc. Experiments show that the SBL locating systems has received the satisfying effect owing to these key techniques proposed in this paper.     

SPSM and its application in cylindrical shells

In naval architectures, the structure of prismatic shell is used widely. But there is no suitable method to analyze this kind of structure. Stiffened prismatic shell method (SPSM) presented in this paper, is one of the harmonic semi-analytic methods. Theoretically, strong stiffened structure can be analyzed economically and accurately. SPSM is based on the analytical solution of the governing differential equations for orthotropic cylindrical shells. In these differential equations, the torsional stiffness, bending stiffness and the exact position of each stiffener are taken into account with the Heaviside singular function. An algorithm is introduced, in which the actions of stiffeners on shells are replaced by external loads at each stiffener position. Stiffened shells can be computed as non-stiffened shells. Eventually, the displacement solution of the equations is acquired by the introduction of Green function. The stresses in a corrugated transverse bulkhead without pier base of an oil tanker are computed by using SPSM.     

Time-domain simulation for water wave radiation by floating structures （Part A）

Direct time-domain simulation of floating structures has advantages： it can calculate wave pressure fields and forces directly; and it is useful for coupled analysis of floating structures with a mooring system. A time-domain boundary integral equation method is presented to simulate three-dimensional water wave radiation problems. A stable form of the integration free-surface boundary condition （IFBC） is used to update velocity potentials on the free surface. A multi-transmitting formula （MTF） method with an artificial speed is introduced to the artificial radiation boundary （ARB）. The method was applied to simulate a semi-spherical liquefied natural gas （LNG） carrier and a semi-submersible undergoing specified harmonic motion. Numerical parameters such as the form of the ARB, and the time and space discretization related to this method are discussed. It was found that a good agreement can be obtained when artificial speed is between 0.6 and 1.6 times the phase velocity of water waves in the MTF method. A simulation can be done for a long period of time by this method without problems of instability, and the method is also accurate and computationally efficient.     

Automatically finding the number of clusters based on simulated annealing

Based on simulated annealing (SA), automatically finding the number of clusters (AFNC) is proposed in this paper to determine the number of clusters and their initial centers. It is a simple and automatic method that combines local search with two widely-accepted global analysis techniques, namely careful-seeding (CS) and distance-histogram (DH). The procedure for finding a cluster is formulated as mountain-climbing, and the mountain is defined as the convergent domain of SA.When arriving at the peak of one mountain, AFNC has found one of the clusters in the dataset, and its initial center is the peak. Then, AFNC continues to climb up another mountain from a new starting point found by CS till the termination condition is satisfied. In the procedure of climbing-up mountain, the local dense region for searching the next state of SA is found by analyzing the distance histogram. Experimental results show that AFNC can achieve consistent performance for a wide range of datasets.     

Helical wire stress analysis of unbonded flexible riser under irregular response

A helical wire is a critical component of an unbonded flexible riser prone to fatigue failure. The helical wire has been the focus of much research work in recent years because of the complex multilayer construction of the flexible riser. The present study establishes an analytical model for the axisymmetric and bending analyses of an unbonded flexible riser. The interlayer contact under axisymmetric loads in this model is modeled by setting radial dummy springs between adjacent layers. The contact pressure is constant during the bending response and applied to determine the slipping friction force per unit helical wire. The model tracks the axial stress around the angular position at each time step to calculate the axial force gradient, then compares the axial force gradient with the slipping friction force to judge the helical wire slipping region, which would be applied to determine the bending stiffness for the next time step. The proposed model is verified against the experimental data in the literature. The bending moment–curvature relationship under irregular response is also qualitatively discussed. The stress at the critical point of the helical wire is investigated based on the model by considering the local flexure. The results indicate that the present model can well simulate the bending stiffness variation during irregular response, which has significant effect on the stress of helical wire.     

Deterring the dauntless—appraising the effects of naval deterrence against the Somali piracy

This article considers whether the Somali pirates were deterred by the naval task forces between the years 2009 and 2013. By disaggregating data and using previously unpublished records regarding the naval operations, two areas of operations are identified as potential periods of deterrence. The article uses a model of asymmetric deterrence to study the outcomes and equilibria of the navy-pirate interaction. It is found that the naval operations eventually did deter the Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden, but that this objective was not met in the Somali Basin. It is concluded that the operational focus on the Gulf of Aden coupled with the fact that the area is relatively smaller than the Somali Basin enabled the naval credibility, thus effectively denying the pirates access to the sea. Conversely, limited attention by the naval units and the long Somali southern coast with its open waters impeded naval control in the Somali Basin. In connection to these findings some conclusions regarding naval deterrence are discussed.     

ISM Code implementation: an investigation of safety issues in the shipping industry

Acknowledging that shipping safety continues to be a major topic of interest in the maritime community, the present study attempts to identify the critical factors of International Safety Management (ISM) Code implementation, to identify the dimensions that describe whether the ISM Code has fulfilled its intended purpose as well as to assess their interrelationships. Moreover, the present study aims to explore whether the fulfillment of the Code’s intended purpose is associated with accident reduction. Evidence was drawn from a sample of 63 masters and chief officers who have hands-on onboard experience on ISM Code implementation and data were analyzed through the use of Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), correlation analysis, and binomial logistic regression. Findings indicate that the critical factors of ISM Code implementation can be categorized in the crew-related and the company-related dimensions. Also, the fulfillment of the intended purpose of the ISM Code consists of the factors of safety management system efficiency and increased safety, which were also found to be significantly associated with the crew-related dimension of ISM Code implementation. Finally, results showed that both safety management system efficiency and increased safety increase the probability of accident reduction at the highest level.     

Trip misreporting forecast using count data model in a GPS enhanced travel survey

As Global Positioning System (GPS) technology advances, it has been increasingly used to supplement traditional self-reported travel surveys due to its promising features in capturing travel data with better accuracy and reliability. Realizing the limitations of diary-based surveys, this paper presents a study that directly accounts for trip misreporting behavior in trip generation models. Travel data were obtained from prompted-recall assisted GPS survey along with a diary-based survey. Negative Binomial models for count data were developed to accommodate misreporting behavior by introducing interaction effects of the sample-indicator variable with various personal and household variables. The interaction effects indicate how the impacts of the socioeconomic and demographic variables on trip-making vary across the two samples. Assuming that the GPS sample represents the ground truth, the interaction effects actually capture the likelihood and the extent of trip misreporting by detailed personal and household characteristics. The model results reveal significant interaction effects of several personal and household variables, indicating misreporting behavior associated with these attributes. The addition of interaction coefficients to the main effect model represents the real impacts of the independent variables, after compensating for trip misreporting behavior, if any.     

Dolphin Liberation in Korea: Is it Beneficial for Conservation?

The release of captive dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) from South Korean marine parks, which occurred in 2013, 2015, and 2017, is described and evaluated for its usefulness for conservation of coastal ecosystems. The campaign to free the dolphins created a flagship species, uniting the efforts of national government agencies, local government, and NGOs. However, the Korean management agencies framed the release as a species-specific conservation intervention, while the NGOs brought forward welfare-based demands for the curtailment of cetacean captivity. We argue that the release of the Korean dolphins changed the policy climate, to facilitate two major policy changes: revision of anti-whaling regulations to prohibit capture of cetaceans for exhibit, and improvement of regulations for rescue, rehabilitation, and release of stranded marine animals. Tradeoffs between welfare and conservation concerns are described in terms of risk for the management agency, welfare for the animals, and feasibility of a continued commitment to maintain the viability of the dolphin stock in the wild. The release of captive animals to their native range relies on a single-species conservation focus which poses little risk for management agencies but does not guarantee their continued commitment.     

Maritime law issues related to the operation of unmanned autonomous cargo ships

The paper analyses the issue of unmanned autonomous ships from the perspective of international maritime law with a particular focus on crew related conventions and specifically SOLAS, STCW, and MLC. Our primary aim is to identify potential operational difficulties that could deter shipowners from investing or adopting the new technology. Our analysis indicates that there are several areas of ambiguity that would create impediments to a positive investment decision and deter shipowners from adopting the autonomous ship design. With these findings in mind, suggestions are put forward that could alleviate the problems identified.