Ship Routing

A special issue of Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (ISSN 2077-1312). This special issue belongs to the section "Ocean Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2021) | Viewed by 39051

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Centre for Marine Technology and Ocean Engineering (CENTEC), Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
Interests: ship weather routing; effect of environmental loads on ship operations; ship energy efficiency; on-board monitoring systems; wave climate

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre for Marine Technology and Ocean Engineering (CENTEC), Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
Interests: marine environment; ship dynamics; marine structures; safety and reliability
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Ship routing has recently gained rapidly growing attention, in both academia and industry, as an effective way to improve ship efficiency while keeping the schedule and ensuring safety and comfort onboard. Moreover, environmental aspects and limitations, especially in the Emission Control Areas, must also be taken into account.

This is a complex multi-disciplinary subject, requiring the integration of different fields of knowledge, e.g., engineering, logistics, computer science, business and management, etc.

This Special Issue aims at gathering the most promising research in this area, contributions focused on new challenges are particularly encouraged. A rapid reviewing process and open-access publication will be provided for high-quality papers on the following topics:

  • Weather routing
  • Voyage planning
  • Ship scheduling
  • Virtual arrival
  • Shipmaster decision process
  • Optimisation methods
  • Assessment of ship performance in seaways
  • Influence of environmental factors on ship routes
  • Uncertainties and ensemble forecast
  • Decision Support Systems
  • Case studies
  • Effect on improving efficiency
  • Effect on safety
  • Validations
Dr. Roberto Vettor
Dr. C. Guedes Soares
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Ship weather routing
  • Ship energy efficiency
  • Voyage planning

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 2177 KiB  
Article
A Comprehensive Approach to Account for Weather Uncertainties in Ship Route Optimization
by Roberto Vettor, Giovanni Bergamini and C. Guedes Soares
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2021, 9(12), 1434; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse9121434 - 15 Dec 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3423
Abstract
This work aims at defining in a probabilistic manner objectives and constraints typically considered in route optimization systems. Information about weather-related uncertainties is introduced by adopting ensemble forecast results. Classical reliability methods commonly used in structural analysis are adopted, allowing to achieve a [...] Read more.
This work aims at defining in a probabilistic manner objectives and constraints typically considered in route optimization systems. Information about weather-related uncertainties is introduced by adopting ensemble forecast results. Classical reliability methods commonly used in structural analysis are adopted, allowing to achieve a simple yet effective evaluation of the probability of failure and the variability associated with the predicted fuel consumption and time of arrival. A quantitative example of application is provided, taking into consideration one of the main North Atlantic routes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ship Routing)
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29 pages, 8380 KiB  
Article
Meteorological Navigation by Integrating Metocean Forecast Data and Ship Performance Models into an ECDIS-like e-Navigation Prototype Interface
by Andrea Orlandi, Andrea Cappugi, Riccardo Mari, Francesco Pasi and Alberto Ortolani
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2021, 9(5), 502; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse9050502 - 7 May 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4501
Abstract
In the complex processes of route planning, voyage monitoring, and post-voyage analysis, a key element is the capability of merging metocean forecast data with the available knowledge of ship responses in the encountered environmental conditions. In this context, a prototype system has been [...] Read more.
In the complex processes of route planning, voyage monitoring, and post-voyage analysis, a key element is the capability of merging metocean forecast data with the available knowledge of ship responses in the encountered environmental conditions. In this context, a prototype system has been implemented capable of integrating metocean models forecasts with ship specific performance data and models. The work is based on the exploitation of an open source ECDIS-like system originally developed in the e-Navigation framework. The resulting prototype system allows the uploading and visualization of metocean data, the consequent computation of fuel consumption along each analyzed route, and the evaluation of the encountered meteo-marine conditions on each route way point. This allows us to “effectively and deeply dig inside” the various layers of available metocean forecast data regarding atmospheric and marine conditions and evaluating their effects on ship performance indicators. The system could also be used to trigger route optimization algorithms and subsequently evaluate the results. All these functionalities are tailored in order to facilitate the “what-if” analysis in the route selection process performed by deck officers. Many of the added functionalities can be utilized also in a shore-based fleet monitoring and management center. A description is given of the modeling and visualization approaches that have been implemented. Their potentialities are illustrated through the discussion of some examples in Mediterranean navigation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ship Routing)
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14 pages, 3007 KiB  
Article
Neural Network Approach for Predicting Ship Speed and Fuel Consumption
by Lúcia Moreira, Roberto Vettor and Carlos Guedes Soares
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2021, 9(2), 119; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse9020119 - 25 Jan 2021
Cited by 64 | Viewed by 6878
Abstract
In this paper, simulations of a ship travelling on a given oceanic route were performed by a weather routing system to provide a large realistic navigation data set, which could represent a collection of data obtained on board a ship in operation. This [...] Read more.
In this paper, simulations of a ship travelling on a given oceanic route were performed by a weather routing system to provide a large realistic navigation data set, which could represent a collection of data obtained on board a ship in operation. This data set was employed to train a neural network computing system in order to predict ship speed and fuel consumption. The model was trained using the Levenberg–Marquardt backpropagation scheme to establish the relation between the ship speed and the respective propulsion configuration for the existing sea conditions, i.e., the output torque of the main engine, the revolutions per minute of the propulsion shaft, the significant wave height, and the peak period of the waves, together with the relative angle of wave encounter. Additional results were obtained by also using the model to train the relationship between the same inputs used to determine the speed of the ship and the fuel consumption. A sensitivity analysis was performed to analyze the artificial neural network capability to forecast the ship speed and fuel oil consumption without information on the status of the engine (the revolutions per minute and torque) using as inputs only the information of the sea state. The results obtained with the neural network model show very good accuracy both in the prediction of the speed of the vessel and the fuel consumption. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ship Routing)
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15 pages, 5982 KiB  
Article
Towards Least-CO2 Ferry Routes in the Adriatic Sea
by Gianandrea Mannarini, Lorenzo Carelli, Josip Orović, Charlotte P. Martinkus and Giovanni Coppini
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2021, 9(2), 115; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse9020115 - 23 Jan 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 7571
Abstract
Carbon intensity of ship emissions is a cornerstone of contemporary regulatory actions, with measurable targets of reduction being enforced in the coming decade. Short term measures to achieve them include voyage optimization. Therefore, the VISIR ship routing model was upgraded for computing least-CO [...] Read more.
Carbon intensity of ship emissions is a cornerstone of contemporary regulatory actions, with measurable targets of reduction being enforced in the coming decade. Short term measures to achieve them include voyage optimization. Therefore, the VISIR ship routing model was upgraded for computing least-CO2 routes depending on ocean analysis products related to waves and sea currents. The speed loss in waves and the CO2 emission rate of a medium size Ro-Pax ship were obtained from a coupled command-bridge engine-room simulator. The geographical and topological features of least-CO2 routes resulting from VISIR were characterised by means of various types of isolines. A case study in the Adriatic Sea leads to bundles of optimal routes with significant spatial diversions even on short-sea routes. The carbon intensity savings were compared to the CO2 savings, highlighting also their dependence on both route lengthening and fractional engine load. For a case study in winter, carbon intensity reductions up to 11% were computed with respect to least-distance routes between the same couple of ports of call. This is promising, as a reduction of this magnitude represents a significant amount of the carbon intensity curbing target required at International level. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ship Routing)
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13 pages, 1176 KiB  
Article
Coupled Engine-Propeller Selection Procedure to Minimize Fuel Consumption at a Specified Speed
by Mina Tadros, Roberto Vettor, Manuel Ventura and Carlos Guedes Soares
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2021, 9(1), 59; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse9010059 - 7 Jan 2021
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 4666
Abstract
This study presents a practical optimization procedure that couples the NavCad power prediction tool and a nonlinear optimizer integrated into the Matlab environment. This developed model aims at selecting a propeller at the engine operating point with minimum fuel consumption for different ship [...] Read more.
This study presents a practical optimization procedure that couples the NavCad power prediction tool and a nonlinear optimizer integrated into the Matlab environment. This developed model aims at selecting a propeller at the engine operating point with minimum fuel consumption for different ship speeds in calm water condition. The procedure takes into account both the efficiency of the propeller and the specific fuel consumption of the engine. It is focused on reducing fuel consumption for the expected operational profile of the ship, contributing to energy efficiency in a complementary way as ship routing does. This model assists the ship and propeller designers in selecting the main parameters of the geometry, the operating point of a fixed-pitch propeller from Wageningen B-series and to define the gearbox ratio by minimizing the fuel consumption of a container ship, rather than only maximizing the propeller efficiency. Optimized results of the performance of several marine propellers with different number of blades working at different cruising speeds are also presented for comparison, while verifying the strength, cavitation and noise issues for each simulated case. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ship Routing)
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18 pages, 6308 KiB  
Article
ISO 15016:2015-Based Method for Estimating the Fuel Oil Consumption of a Ship
by Ki-Su Kim and Myung-Il Roh
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2020, 8(10), 791; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse8100791 - 12 Oct 2020
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 9885
Abstract
Recently, interest in the design and construction of smart ships has been widely increasing. Optimal route planning is a widely studied essential aspect of smart ship technology. Planning an optimal route requires an accurate estimation of the fuel oil consumption of a ship. [...] Read more.
Recently, interest in the design and construction of smart ships has been widely increasing. Optimal route planning is a widely studied essential aspect of smart ship technology. Planning an optimal route requires an accurate estimation of the fuel oil consumption of a ship. Various studies have suggested methods for theoretically estimating the fuel oil consumption. However, the calculation methodology and accuracy are different for each method. In addition, in commercial software, a statistical model based mainly on operating data has been used. Therefore, in this study, we propose a method based on ISO 15016:2015 for estimating the fuel oil consumption of a ship by improving the ISO 15016:2002 method—which has been predominantly used in existing studies. Moreover, the accuracy of the proposed method is examined by comparing it with a gray box model based on operating data. The results confirm that the proposed method can be used for estimating the fuel oil consumption of a ship. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ship Routing)
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