Search Results (58)

This study developed a model to predict ships with high deficiency risk under Port State Control (PSC) through machine learning techniques, particularly the Random Forest algorithm. The study utilized actual ship inspection data from the Port of Singapore, comprehensively considering various operational and safety indicators of ships, including but not limited to flag state, ship age, past deficiencies, and detention history. By analyzing these factors in depth, this research enhances the efficiency and accuracy of PSC inspections, provides decision support for port authorities, and offers strategic guidance for shipping companies to comply with international safety standards. During the research process, I first conducted detailed data preprocessing, including data cleaning and feature selection, to ensure the effectiveness of model training. Using the Random Forest algorithm, I identified key factors influencing the detention risk of ships and established a risk prediction model accordingly. The model validation results indicated that factors such as ship age, tonnage, company performance, and flag state significantly affect whether a ship exhibits a high deficiency rate. In addition, this study explored the potential and limitations of applying the Random Forest model in predicting high deficiency risk under PSC, and proposed future research directions, including further model optimization and the development of real-time prediction systems. By achieving these goals, I hope to provide valuable experience for other global shipping hubs, promote higher international maritime safety standards, and contribute to the sustainable development of the global shipping industry. This research not only highlights the importance of machine learning in the maritime domain but also demonstrates the potential of data-driven decision-making in improving ship safety management and port inspection efficiency. It is hoped that this study will inspire more maritime practitioners and researchers to explore advanced data analytics techniques to address the increasingly complex challenges of global shipping. Full article

High-speed railway (HSR) is a key transport mode for achieving carbon reduction targets and promoting sustainable regional economic development due to its fast, efficient, and low-carbon nature. Accurate wind speed forecasting (WSF) is vital for HSR systems, as it provides future wind conditions that are critical for ensuring safe train operations. Numerous WSF schemes based on deep learning have been proposed. However, accurately forecasting strong wind events remains challenging due to the complex and dynamic nature of wind. In this study, we propose a novel hybrid network architecture, MHSETCN-LSTM, for forecasting strong wind. The MHSETCN-LSTM integrates temporal convolutional networks (TCNs) and long short-term memory networks (LSTMs) to capture both short-term fluctuations and long-term trends in wind behavior. The multi-head squeeze-and-excitation (MHSE) attention mechanism dynamically recalibrates the importance of different aspects of the input sequence, allowing the model to focus on critical time steps, particularly when abrupt wind events occur. In addition to wind speed, we introduce wind direction (WD) to characterize wind behavior due to its impact on the aerodynamic forces acting on trains. To maintain the periodicity of WD, we employ a triangular transform to predict the sine and cosine values of WD, improving the reliability of predictions. Massive experiments are conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method based on real-world wind data collected from sensors along the Beijing–Baotou railway. Experimental results demonstrated that our model outperforms state-of-the-art solutions for WSF, achieving a mean-squared error (MSE) of 0.0393, a root-mean-squared error (RMSE) of 0.1982, and a coefficient of determination ($R^2$) of 99.59%. These experimental results validate the efficacy of our proposed model in enhancing the resilience and sustainability of railway infrastructure.Furthermore, the model can be utilized in other wind-sensitive sectors, such as highways, ports, and offshore wind operations. This will further promote the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 9. Full article

This scoping review investigates the digital transition of critical energy infrastructure (CEI) in maritime ports, which are increasingly vital as energy hubs amid global decarbonisation efforts. Recognising the growing role of ports in integrating offshore renewables, hydrogen, and LNG systems, the study examines how digital technologies (such as automation, IoT, and AI) support the resilience, efficiency, and sustainability of port-based CEI. A multifaceted search strategy was implemented to identify relevant academic and grey literature. The search was performed between January 2025 and 30 April 2025. The strategy focused on databases such as Scopus. Due to limitations encountered in retrieving sufficient, directly relevant academic papers from databases alone, the search strategy was systematically expanded to include grey literature such as reports, policy documents, and technical papers from authoritative industry, governmental, and international organisations. Employing Arksey and O’Malley’s framework and PRISMA-ScR (scoping review) guidelines, the review synthesises insights from 62 academic and grey literature sources to address five core research questions relating to the current state, challenges, importance, and future directions of digital CEI in ports. Literature distribution of articles varies across continents, with Europe contributing the highest number of publications (53%), Asia (24%) and North America (11%), while Africa and Oceania account for only 3% of the publications. Findings reveal significant regional disparities in digital maturity, fragmented governance structures, and underutilisation of digital systems. While smart port technologies offer operational gains and support predictive maintenance, their effectiveness is constrained by siloed strategies, resistance to collaboration, and skill gaps. The study highlights a need for holistic digital transformation frameworks, cross-border cooperation, and tailored approaches to address these challenges. The review provides a foundation for future empirical work and policy development aimed at securing and optimising maritime port energy infrastructure in line with global sustainability targets. Full article

The evaluation and prediction of ecological environmental quality are essential for sustainable development and environmental management, particularly in regions experiencing rapid urbanization and industrial growth like Johor in southern Peninsular Malaysia. This study evaluates the temporal and spatial changes in ecological environmental quality in Johor from 1990 to 2020 using the Remote Sensing Environmental Index (RSEI) and Cellular Automata-Markov (CA-Markov). A CA-Markov model was employed to predict ecological environmental quality for the next 12 months based on historical data. The results reveal significant changes over the 30 years, highlighting the dynamic nature of ecological conditions. The prediction results indicate that areas with excellent ecological quality are primarily focused in the central and northern regions, while the southern and eastern edges show mixed ecological conditions. The western region, characterized by intensive land use, shows significant environmental degradation. The poorest ecological points are mainly distributed in urban and semiurban areas with frequent human activities, such as cities, ports, and villages. These findings highlight the need for targeted environmental policies and management strategies to mitigate ecological degradation and promote sustainable development in Johor State of Peninsular Malaysia. Full article

Ningbo Zhoushan Port and Shanghai Port, as the top two ports in China in terms of port cargo throughput, play a crucial role in facilitating international trade and shipping. The accurate forecasting of the cargo throughput at these ports is essential for the government planning of port infrastructure and for the efficient allocation of resources by shipping enterprises. This study proposes a novel combined forecasting method for port cargo throughput, integrating the Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model with the zonotopic Kalman filter (ZKF) to address the limitations of traditional forecasting models in terms of accuracy and timeliness. First, an ARIMA model is established to perform the preliminary forecasting of the cargo throughput time series, generating a state–space representation that captures the underlying patterns in the data. Subsequently, the ZKF is applied to filter the ARIMA predictions, dynamically adjusting the forecast intervals based on the hypercube feasible set to optimize the estimation of port throughput. The results indicate that the ARIMA–ZKF combined model significantly mitigates the effects of asynchrony and lag, achieving a high prediction accuracy and robustness. This innovative approach offers an effective new method for forecasting port throughput, providing valuable practical guidance for port development and resource management. Full article

This study investigates the application of different neural network (NN) models in assessing the risk of the detention of offshore vessels during port state control (PSC) inspections. The focus is on the use of different NN models (“nnet”, “mlp”, “neuralnet”, “rsnns”) to identify the main risk factors based on historical data on vessels and their inspections. The main objective of this research is to improve maritime safety and the efficiency of inspection procedures by applying techniques that can more accurately predict the probability of detention of the offshore vessels. These models make it possible to analyse complex patterns in the data, such as the relationships between the country of inspection, flag, memorandum, age, tonnage and previous deficiencies, and the risk of detention. Understanding these patterns is crucial for inspection teams’ proactive action as it helps direct resources to potentially high-risk vessels. Implementing these models into PSC processes helps to optimise resource allocation, reduce unnecessary costs, and increase the reliability of decision-making processes. NN models significantly help in recognising non-linear patterns and provide high accuracy in risk prediction. The study also includes a comparative analysis of the elements that determine the accuracy, sensitivity, and other performance aspects of the models to determine the most appropriate approach for practical implementation. The results emphasise the importance of applying artificial intelligence (AI) in various aspects of modern maritime safety management. This research opens up new opportunities for the development of intelligent support systems that not only increase safety but also improve the efficiency of inspection processes on a global scale. Full article

The Port State Control (PSC) inspection of liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers is crucial in maritime transportation. PSC inspection requires rapid and accurate identification of defects with limited resources, necessitating professional knowledge and efficient technical methods. Knowledge distillation, as a model lightweighting approach in the field of artificial intelligence, offers the possibility of enhancing the responsiveness of LNG carrier PSC inspections. In this study, a knowledge distillation method is introduced, namely, the multilayer dynamic multi-teacher weighted knowledge distillation (MDMD) model. This model fuses multilayer soft labels from multi-teacher models by extracting intermediate feature soft labels and minimizing intermediate feature knowledge fusion. It also employs a comprehensive dynamic weight allocation scheme that combines global loss weight allocation with label weight allocation based on the inner product, enabling dynamic weight allocation across multiple teachers. The experimental results show that the MDMD model achieves a 90.6% accuracy rate in named entity recognition, which is 6.3% greater than that of the direct training method. In addition, under the same experimental conditions, the proposed model achieves a prediction speed that is approximately 64% faster than that of traditional models while reducing the number of model parameters by approximately 55%. To efficiently assist in PSC inspections, an LNG carrier PSC inspection knowledge graph is constructed on the basis of the recognition results to quickly and effectively support knowledge queries and assist PSC personnel in making decisions at inspection sites. Full article

In smart ports, accurately perceiving the motion state of a ship during berthing and unberthing is essential for the safety and efficiency of the ship and port. However, in actual scenarios, the obtained data are not always complete, which impacts the accuracy of the ship’s motion state. This paper proposes a spatial visualization method to analyze a ship’s motion state in the incomplete data by introducing the GIS spatial theory. First, for the complete part under incomplete data, this method proposes a new technique named LGFCT to extract the key points of this part. Then, for the missing part under the incomplete data, this method applies the key point prediction technique based on the line features to extract the key points of this part. Note that the key points will be used to calculate the key parameters. Finally, spatial visualization and spatial-temporal tracking techniques are employed to spatially analyze the ship’s motion state. In summary, the proposed method not only spatially identifies a ship’s motion state for the incomplete data but also provides an intuitive visualization of a ship’s spatial motion state. The accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed method are verified through experimental data collected from a ship in Dalian Port, China. Full article

With the vast majority of global trade volume and value reliant on maritime transport, accurate prediction of vessel estimated time of arrival (ETA) is crucial for optimizing supply chain efficiency and managing logistical complexities in port operations. This review paper systematically examines the current state of research and practices in the field of vessel ETA prediction, highlighting significant trends, methodologies, and technologies. It explores various approaches, including classical methods, machine learning and deep learning algorithms, and hybrid methods, developed to enhance the accuracy and reliability of vessel travel time and arrival time predictions. Additionally, this paper categorizes key influencing factors and metrics, and identifies open issues and challenges within current prediction models. Concluding with proposed future research directions aimed at addressing the identified gaps and leveraging technological advancements, this review emphasizes the importance of fostering innovation in maritime ETA prediction systems, particularly within the framework of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITSs) and maritime logistics. By applying a systematic literature review (SLR) methodology and conducting an in-depth evaluation, the results provide a comprehensive overview of vessel ETA prediction for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers involved in maritime transport and logistics, and offer insights into the potential for improved efficiency, safety, and environmental sustainability in waterway networks. Full article

This study introduces an innovative deep-learning approach for fuel demand estimation in maritime transportation, leveraging a novel convolutional neural network, bidirectional, and long short-term memory attention as a deep learning model. The input variables studied include vessel characteristics, weather conditions, sea states, the number of ships entering the port, and navigation specifics. This study focused on the ports of Jazan in Saudi Arabia and Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, analyzing daily and monthly data to capture fuel consumption patterns. The proposed model significantly improves prediction accuracy compared with traditional methods, effectively accounting for the complex, nonlinear interactions influencing fuel demand. The results showed that the proposed model has a mean square error of 0.0199 for the daily scale, which is a significantly higher accuracy than the other models. The model could play an important role in port management with a potential reduction in fuel consumption, enhancing port efficiency and minimizing environmental impacts, such as preserving seawater quality. This advancement supports sustainable development in maritime operations, offering a robust tool for operational cost reduction and regulatory compliance. Full article

The development of network measurement technologies has greatly increased the speed of network scans, but it also poses risks for the stability of the scanned networks. How to reduce probing traffic and enhance the effectiveness of probing has become a new research issue. In this paper, we utilize network measurement and machine learning techniques, leveraging public interfaces from network mapping platforms to construct a dataset with 44 feature dimensions. By combining the categorical boosting (CatBoost) model with the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm for heuristic optimization, we propose a host port openness prediction model that integrates the PSO algorithm and the CatBoost model. Through comparisons with various machine learning models, the effectiveness of our proposed model was validated. Using this model in network scanning can save approximately 65% of bandwidth on average, effectively reducing the impact on the probed network. Full article

Wave energy converters (WECs) integrated into breakwaters present a promising solution for combining coastal protection with renewable energy generation, addressing both energy demands and environmental concerns. Additionally, this integration offers cost-sharing opportunities, making the overall investment more economically viable. This study explores the potential of a hinged point-absorber WEC, specifically designed as a floating hinged half-sphere, by assessing the device’s power output and comparing two different breakwater configurations. To evaluate the device’s performance, a comprehensive numerical and experimental approach was adopted. Numerical simulations were carried out using a radiation-diffraction model, a time domain tool for analyzing wave–structure interactions. These simulations predicted average power outputs of 25 kW for sloped breakwaters and 18 kW for vertical breakwaters located at two strategic sites: the Port of Leixões and the mouth of the Douro River in Portugal. To validate these predictions, a 1:14 scale model of the WEC was constructed and subjected to testing in a wave–current flume, replicating different sea-state conditions. The experimental results closely aligned with the numerical simulations, demonstrating a good match in terms of relative error and relative amplitude operator (RAO). This alignment confirms the reliability of the predictive model. These findings support the potential of integrating WECs into breakwaters, contributing to port energy self-sufficiency and decarbonization. Full article

Acoustic instabilities in solid rocket motors (SRMs) can lead to severe performance deterioration and structural damage. Nozzle damping accounts for the main acoustic dissipation source, and it is highly dependent on geometric parameters and operating conditions. This study experimentally investigated the acoustic damping characteristics of submerged nozzles in SRMs, focusing on the effects of submerged cavity dimensions, nozzle convergent angle, throat-to-port area ratio, and mean pressure variations on the longitudinal instability. The steady-state wave decay method was used to quantify the acoustic damping, and a designed rotary valve system was employed to introduce periodic pressure oscillations in the high-pressure combustion chamber. The results revealed that a larger submerged cavity would reduce the nozzle damping efficiency, with the elimination of the submerged cavity enhancing the nozzle decay coefficient magnitude by 41.9%. Furthermore, increasing the nozzle convergent angle was found to amplify acoustic wave reflection, thereby diminishing damping performance. A linear inverse relationship was observed between the throat-to-port area ratio and the decay coefficient, with a 125% increase in the ratio resulting in a 24.3% reduction in the decay coefficient. Interestingly, despite the formation of complex vortices in the submerged cavity, the mean pressure variation presented negligible effects on acoustic damping characteristics, and its damping performance is similar to a simple nozzle without a cavity. These findings provide valuable experimental data for predicting the stability of a solid rocket motor with a submerged nozzle and offer insights into the optimization of submerged nozzle designs for higher acoustic damping in SRMs. Full article

In the domain of supervised learning, interpolation and extrapolation serve as crucial methodologies for predicting data points within and beyond the confines of a given dataset, respectively. The efficacy of these methods is closely linked to the nature of the dataset, with increased challenges when multivariate feature vectors are handled. This paper introduces a novel prediction framework that integrates interpolation and extrapolation techniques. Central to this method are two main innovations: an optimization model that effectively classifies new multivariate data points as either interior or exterior to the known dataset, and a hybrid prediction system that combines k-nearest neighbor (kNN) and linear regression. Tested on the port state control (PSC) inspection dataset at the port of Hong Kong, our framework generally demonstrates superior precision in predictive outcomes than traditional kNN and linear regression models. This research enriches the literature by illustrating the enhanced capability of combining interpolation and extrapolation techniques in supervised learning. Full article

In this paper, a LabVIEW-based online monitoring and safety evaluation system for UAVs is designed to address the deficiencies in UAV flight state parameter monitoring and safety evaluation. The system consists of a lower unit for UAV recording and an upper unit on the ground. The lower unit collects and detects flight data and connects to the upper unit through a wireless digital transmission module via a serial port. The upper unit receives the data and carries out the monitoring and safety situation evaluation of the UAV. The lower unit of the system adopts multi-sensors to collect UAV navigation information in real time to achieve flight detection, while the upper unit adopts LabVIEW to design the UAV online monitoring and safety situation prediction system, enabling monitoring and safety situation prediction during UAV navigation. The test results show that the system can detect and comprehensively display the navigation information of the UAV in real time, and realize the safety evaluation and warning function of the UAV. Full article