Search Results (17)

Maritime transport is essential for global trade, yet ship emissions remain a major source of air pollution in coastal and port areas, with potential impacts on local air quality and human health. Cruise ships are particularly relevant in urban ports because, beyond propulsion, they require a continuous onboard energy supply for hotel services while berthed. This study develops a bottom-up emission inventory for cruise ship calls at Istanbul Galataport during the 2024 season, estimating CO₂ as a greenhouse gas (GHG) and NO_x, SO_x, and particulate matter (PM) as air-quality pollutants generated during manoeuvring and hotelling phases. Ship technical characteristics (engine type, installed main and auxiliary power, engine speed class, and year of build) were obtained from the IHS database, while port call activity data were provided by the terminal operator. Emission factors were primarily based on the IMO Third Greenhouse Gas Study and complemented with established literature sources to address missing vessel information and ensure methodological consistency. Results indicate that hotelling dominates total emissions, reflecting the high auxiliary power demand during berths. Results show that total annual emissions from 164 cruise ship calls amount to approximately 31,360 t·y⁻¹ of CO₂, 370 t·y⁻¹ of NO_x, 350 t·y⁻¹ of SO_x, and 44 t·y⁻¹ of PM. Hotelling operations account for the dominant share of emissions, contributing more than 90% of total CO₂ and the majority of NO_x and SO_x emissions, due to sustained auxiliary engine demand during berth stays. These findings confirm that cruise ship activity represents a significant localized emission source in densely populated port environments and provide a quantitative baseline for evaluating mitigation measures such as shore power, cleaner fuels, and operational strategies aimed at reducing at-berth emissions. Full article

In recent years, both the number and the size of ships have increased considerably, whereas port areas have expanded much more slowly. As a result, port manoeuvres are increasingly performed in restricted waters, which increases navigational risk during ship operations. For this reason, ship-handlers must know the instantaneous position of the pivot point (PP) at any time. The aim of this paper is to propose novel mathematical models to determine the PP’s position and to identify the most relevant variables influencing it. For this purpose, a full-mission bridge simulator was used to generate a dataset based on multiple simulations performed under different combinations of rudder angles and engine telegraph orders. First, a new trigonometric formulation is proposed to determine the instantaneous position of the PP using only directly measurable variables, namely the speed through water and the transverse velocities at the bow and stern. Subsequently, additional predictive models were developed using Design of Experiments (DOE) and response surface techniques. These models achieve high predictive accuracy while remaining simple enough to be applied in practical ship-handling scenarios. The resulting models can assist ship-handlers in anticipating PP behaviour and improving manoeuvring safety, particularly in restricted waters. Original 3D charts showing the combination of several input variables are included to identify the map of the whole process. Full article

It is challenging to manoeuvre large deck cargo barges within the confined, congested port waters, especially when berthing and unberthing at a U-shaped basin. To investigate the safety operation of those ships under these complex circumstances, the research employs an integrated methodology to enhance safety. Ship manoeuvring simulations were first conducted to determine the critical environmental limits (including wind, current, and wave thresholds) under which safe operations are feasible. Subsequently, for safe mooring, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were applied to analyse the hydrodynamic forces acting on the barge while berthed. These CFD results were crucial for determining the optimal mooring configuration (number, type, and arrangement of lines) required to sustain the environmental loads. The combined insights from manoeuvring simulations and CFD analysis provide a comprehensive framework for port planners and mariners, which will substantially improve the operational safety of large deck cargo barges utilising U-shaped berths in busy and spatially constrained port areas. Full article

Modern port operations face increasing challenges from rapidly changing weather and environmental conditions, requiring accurate short-term forecasting to support safe and efficient maritime activities. This study presents a sensor fusion-based machine learning framework for real-time multi-target nowcasting of wind gust speed, sustained wind speed, and wind direction using heterogeneous data collected at the Port of Livorno from February to November 2025. Using an IoT architecture compliant with the oneM2M standard and deployed at the Port of Livorno, CNIT integrated heterogeneous data from environmental sensors (meteorological stations, anemometers) and vessel-mounted LiDAR systems through feature-level fusion to enhance situational awareness, with gust speed treated as the primary safety-critical variable due to its substantial impact on berthing and crane operations. In addition, a comparative performance analysis of Random Forest, XGBoost, LSTM, Temporal Convolutional Network, Ensemble Neural Network, Transformer models, and a Kalman filter was performed. The results show that XGBoost consistently achieved the highest accuracy across all targets, with near-perfect performance in both single-split testing (R² ≈ 0.999) and five-fold cross-validation (mean R² = 0.9976). Ensemble models exhibited greater robustness than deep learning approaches. The proposed multi-target fusion framework demonstrates strong potential for real-time deployment in Maritime Autonomous Surface Ship (MASS) systems and port decision-support platforms, enabling safer manoeuvring and operational continuity under rapidly varying environmental conditions. Full article

Ports with Mediterranean-like traffic profiles combine dense passenger, cargo, touristic, and local operations in confined waters where many small craft sail without AIS, increasing collision risk. Nature of such traffic in often unpredictable, due to often and sudden course corrections or changes. In such situations, it is possible that larger ships cannot manoeuvre to avoid collisions with small vessels. Hence, it is important to the port authority to develop a fast and adoptable mean to reduce collision risks. We present an end-to-end shore-based framework that detects and tracks vessels from fixed cameras (YOLOv9 + DeepSORT), estimates speed from monocular lateral video with an artificial neural network (ANN), and visualises collision risk in augmented reality (AR) for VTS/port operators. Validation in the Port of Split using laser rangefinder/GPS ground truth yields MAE 1.98 km/h and RMSE 2.18 km/h (0.605 m/s), with relative errors 2.83–21.97% across vessel classes. We discuss limitations (sample size, weather), failure modes, and deployment pathways. The application uses stationary port camera as an input. The core calculations are performed at user’s computer in the building. Mobile application uses wireless communication to show risk assessment at augmented reality smart phone. For training of ANN, we used The Split Port Ship Classification Dataset. Full article

In some ports, there are separate very narrow places between the quays and other navigational obstacles, where the distance between the quays or between the quays and navigational obstacles is very small. Narrow gaps or channels in the water area, where quays are built and ships are berthing, make it difficult for ships to berth at such quays. Accurate knowledge of a ship’s manoeuvrability characteristics, combined with the application of these characteristics in berthing operations and the optimal use of tugboat capabilities, allows for better utilization of restricted port spaces. The article presents a developed ship berthing methodology designed for ship berthing in extremely limited conditions, utilizing the ship’s manoeuvrability capabilities and maximizing the capabilities of tugboats when mooring ships in extremely limited conditions. The developed methodology was tested with real ships and tugboats in specific port conditions and using calibrated simulators, and the results of the experimental research and theoretical calculations are presented in the article as a case study. The research results (methodology) obtained and presented in the article can be applied to any ships and ports, precisely adapting them to specific port situations. The article studies ship manoeuvrability and tugboat capabilities under various hydrometeorological and hydrological conditions, assesses the impact of shallow depths (shallowness), and determines the boundary conditions for ship berthing. Full article

The environmental effects of ship propellers were not even close to fully examined before the current massive ships were introduced to sea trade. Larger ships, result in greater length, beam, draft and propulsion power. Of concern here is the under-keel clearance (UKC) and applied power, the most important parameters causing sea bottom sediment resuspension and, consequently, the transport and deposition of washed sediments. The problems are multifarious: shorelines could be contaminated with heavy metals, petroleum hydrocarbons and other organic chemicals, which are sometimes buried deep in the sediment bed. The effects of resuspension on marine life have been well documented by marine biologists. Further, a ship passing through a flow field may have a significant hydrodynamic effect on the shipping channel: waves generated by moving vessels can accelerate shoreline erosion; erosion around quay piles have a negative impact on sea flora. Waves can also affect other manoeuvring vessels or ships at berth. Available empirical models are applicable for a steady state condition, addressing velocity and, consequently, shears at the sea bottom for defined UKC and states of applied power. The idea here is to calculate material resuspension dynamically in the water column based on realistic manoeuvring conditions, which can be a matter of some complexity. During a manoeuvre, the pilot must bring the ship into or out of the harbour in the safest possible way, operating the telegraph, rudder, thrusters and possibly tugs, and also co-ordinating the work of the linesmen. The jet speed powering the vessel is not only a function of the speed of the propeller, but also of the present speed of the ship, which has an effect on the propeller’s constantly changing torque. Additionally, the bathymetry is constantly changing, and the streamlines hit not only the seabed, but also the bank and other structures of the harbour basin. The resuspended material remains in the column long after the ship has finished manoeuvring, moving slowly through the entire water column and being transported not only by the remaining streamlines of the ship but also by general currents. Realistic manoeuvring parameters can be obtained from real-time simulations with a real crew using state-of-the-art Full Mission Bridge Simulators (FMBS); eddies and the like contribute to the distribution and material resuspension and can be calculated by applying numerical modelling. In this paper, a container ship departure manoeuvre is simulated dynamically using Wartsila FMBS obtained data, which are postprocessed and coupled with the MIKE 3 FM hydrodynamic modelling application to which we add the precise port of Koper bathymetry to gain ship propeller spatial jet velocity distribution in specific time domains. Obtained jet velocity distribution is further coupled with the MIKE 3 MT particle tracking application to visualize total resuspended sediment transport patterns, etc. Container ships were selected to amplify the urgency of this phenomenon; they are the most intrusive in terms of resuspending and scouring the seabed given their powerful engines and larger propellers. Passenger ships could have been used, car carriers, or even tankers; but the fear among scientists is that the issue will not be taken seriously enough by certain stakeholders. Full article

As environmental regulations on sulphur emissions become more severe, the maritime sector is looking for alternative solutions. This study evaluates greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction alternatives and their combined ability to decarbonise international transport. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is becoming widely used, reducing CO₂ emissions by 20–30 percent, while it has similar action in other emissions such as SO_X. Although costs are attractive, methane slip, which depends on the engine type, reduces GHG gains. Replacing conventional fuels such as heavy fuel oil and marine diesel oil with alternative ones is an effective method to decrease SO_x emissions. Liquefied natural gas is highly appreciated as an alternative fuel for maritime transportation. In this frame, the possibility of using alternative fuels, such as LNG, to reduce NO_x, CO₂ and SO_x emissions in Heraklion Port, including certain regionally defined waters, over the life of the vessel will also be explored. The study is conducted for ships calling at Heraklion Port and using alternative fuel such as LNG in different modes (cruising, hotelling, manoeuvring). A fuel-based emission reduction factor, rE_if, is defined in relation to the comparison of two different fuels: conventional (heavy oil, marine diesel) and alternative fuels (LNG). The bottom-up method is used for this data analysis. This study, by defining the reduction of several emissions with the use of LNG, indicates that it is actually an efficient transitional fuel to lead international transport to decarbonisation. Full article

The aim of this study was to analyze the dynamics of a multidimensional object based on the Pareto curve for the Linear Matrix Inequalities (LMI) controller. The study was carried out based on an available “Blue Lady” training vessel model controller with the use of a MATLAB and Simulink simulation package. Research was focused on optimising both the energy to be used when manoeuvring and the ship’s dynamics. Analysis was combined with the application of $H_2/H_{\infty }$ norms finding the Pareto optimal solution for mixed norms used at the ${\gamma }_{\infty }$ parameter. Observations for a multidimensional ship model proved that it is possible to optimize the system, using principles of the Pareto curve, to reduce energy consumption in steering-propulsion systems while performing precise manoeuvres in ports correctly. Parameter values, received from observations of operation of individual steering-propulsion systems, proved to be reasonable. Full article

Port tugs are an important element in port activity and navigational safety issues. Port tugs ensure the safety of big ships while they are entering, manoeuvring, mooring and unmooring, and are of huge importance during other port operations. At the same time, optimizing the number of port tugs and tug bollard pull is also important from a port navigational safety and economic point of view. Calculation and evaluation methods of the optimal request for tugs bollard pull, in particular, port operations, are very important in order to guarantee the navigational safety of the port and ships during the main ship operations in the port. This article provides the number of requested port tugs and bollard pull calculation and evaluation methods on the basis of forces and moments acting on ships. On the basis of real ship voyages and manoeuvring at ports data as well as high accuracy simulators, theoretical methods were used, which were followed by our conclusions and recommendations, which can be used by port harbour masters and tug companies. Modern tugs have become an important element and integral part of modern port navigational safety. Such modern port tugs are also used for navigational safety and other important port functions and activities, such as fire protection and search and rescue operations. The optimal number and capacity evaluation of port tugs depending on port capacity and conditions are studied in this article. Full article

Port design and approaches are usually carried out using real-time computer simulation methods for ship manoeuvring. So-called ship real-time simulation methods are relatively expensive, especially in terms of survey time. Several real-time simulation scenarios carried out by masters and pilots are usually performed, with several simulation attempts in each scenario. Each such attempt can last up to one hour, which, with a large number of scenarios, prolongs the research and increases its cost. Particularly time-consuming is the repetition of many scenarios with alternative solutions for infrastructure development and in various hydrometeorological conditions. To reduce the time-consuming of the tests, a new two-stage method was used to design the target approach on the modernized Port of Ustka. In the first stage, the simulations were carried out with significantly reduced floating navigation marking, and in the second stage with the target marking. Moreover, the so-called “Soft-Bank” method was introduced, i.e., the effects of a collision with the seabed and infrastructure were excluded. Such a solution leads to significant time benefits in conducting research and at the same time does not reduce confidence in the results obtained. Full article

Strategically, the Republic of Croatia, with its economy focused on tourism, is directly connected to the sea and coastal area, and integrated management of this area contributes to the sustainable development strategy. Worldwide, the problem of atmospheric pollution from maritime traffic is a poorly researched area, especially when this type of traffic is continuously growing. On the example of Port Split, the paper aims to present the following emission, carbon dioxide (CO₂), nitrogen oxides (NO_X), carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds (VOC), sulphur dioxide (SO₂), particulate matter (PM) and black carbon, of line vessels during manoeuvring and hotelling phase for 2017, 2018 and 2019. Furthermore, the statistical analysis and appropriate conclusions have been performed on CO₂ since all other emissions are linearly dependent. From the analyses in the hotelling and manoeuvring phase of line ships, it can be concluded that during 2019 there was a slight increase in emissions, but overall there was no significant increase in the number of line vessels and increased traffic. The obtained results of case study of port Split provide recommendations leading to further reduction of harmful gas emission, monitoring them, and integrating it into management of urban ports. Full article

Hybrid propulsion and using liquefied natural gas (LNG) as the alternative fuel have been applied on automobiles and some small ships, but research investigating the fuel consumption and emissions over the total voyage of ocean-going cargo ships with a hybrid propulsion and different fuels is limited. This paper tries to fill the knowledge gap by investigating the influence of the ship mission profile, propulsion modes and effects of different fuels on the fuel consumption and emissions of the ship over the whole voyage, including transit in open sea and manoeuvring in close-to-port areas. Results show that propulsion control and electric power generation modes have a notable influence on the ship’s fuel consumption and emissions during the voyage. During close-to-port manoeuvres, propelling the ship in power-take-in (PTI) mode and generating the electric power by auxiliary engines rather than the main engine will reduce the local NOx and HC (hydrocarbons) emissions significantly. Sailing the ship on LNG will reduce the fuel consumption, CO₂ and NOx emissions notably while producing higher HC emissions than traditional fuels. The hybridisation of the ship propulsion and using LNG together with ship voyage optimisation, considering the ship mission, ship operations and sea conditions, will improve the ship’s fuel consumption and emissions over the whole voyage significantly. Full article

Free-running model tests were conducted using a scaled model of a large cruise ship with a damaged compartment, to investigate the effects of damage opening and floodwater on the manoeuvring performance in calm water and regular and irregular head waves. Drifting tests in regular beam waves were also performed. The experimental results indicated that the course-keeping ability in waves and turning ability became worse in the damaged condition. However, the target ship retained its manoeuvrability for safe return to the port, on its own, even in a damaged state. As it is time- and cost-consuming to conduct a free-running model experiment, a captive model test was also carried out to develop a system-based simulation model for evaluating the manoeuvrability of large cruise ships after damage. Full article

The berthing of an ultra large ship is always a difficult issue and becomes yet more complex when vessels must be handled in restricted manoeuvring areas of limited depth, exposed to a forceful crosswind, or manoeuvring in a strong current, or all three. The final approaching manoeuvre and precise positioning is particularly demanding at container terminals where many STS cranes are located along the quay, seriously limiting margin for error in the process of mooring a ship, especially when the cranes are located nearby a bridge wing or at the very edge of the pier. In order to avoid collisions, the final manoeuvre (side-push) must be fully controlled; the ship’s orientation must be parallel with the quay while maintaining the minimum lateral approaching velocity without significantly shifting the vessel longitudinally. The mooring of a Ro-Ro vessel is occasionally even more challenging: a precise docking manoeuvre is normally executed without any towing assistance. In this paper low cost laser-based berthing and docking systems developed for the ports of Koper and Swinousce are presented and several berthing manoeuvres are analysed and compared with the most commonly used GNSS-based navigational aid system portable pilot units (PPU). Full article