Documents published in Scipedia

• Potential economic benefits of using a weather ship routing system at Short Sea Shipping

  M. Grifoll, X. Osés, M. Castells

  WMU Journal of Maritime Affairs (2018). Vol. 17 (3), pp. 195-211

  
  

  Abstract

  This contribution investigates the economic benefits of using weather ship routing on Short Sea Shipping (SSS) activities. The investigation is supported with the development of a ship routing system based on pathfinding algorithm, the parametrization of the wave effect on navigation, and the use of high-resolution meteo-oceanographic predictions. The optimal ship routing analysis is investigated in a European SSS system: the link between Spanish and Italian ports. The results show the economic benefits using ship routing in SSS during energetic wave episodes. The rate of cost savings may reach 18% of the total costs under particular bad weather conditions in the navigation area. The work establishes the basis of further developments in optimal route applied in relatively short distances and its systematic use in the SSS maritime industry.

  Abstract
  This contribution investigates the economic benefits of using weather ship routing on Short Sea Shipping (SSS) activities. The investigation is supported with the development [...]

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• Ship weather routing using pathfinding algorithms: the case of Barcelona – Palma de Mallorca

  M. Grifoll, L. Martorell, M. Castells, X. Osés

  Transportation Research Procedia (2018). Vol. 33, pp. 299-306

  
  

  Abstract

  Weather ship routing has become a recognized measure to target safe, sustainable and economical ship activities. Academic research has focused the ship routing optimization through pathfinding algorithms which take into account the meteo-oceanographic forecasts (i.e. wind, waves or currents predictions). This contribution shows the results of the numerical simulations carried out during the development of a weather ship routing applied to a ferry service in the Mediterranean Sea: Barcelona – Palma de Mallorca. From a methodological point of view, the pathfinding A* algorithm is applied to optimize the travel time considering the wave action. Under severe weather conditions, a reduction of the 7% of the travel time is obtained comparing the optimized route and the minimum distance route. The results show also a non-significant correlation between the travel time reduction and wave height. In consequence the benefit of ship routing depends not only of the wave height but also in the spatial sequence of the storm.

  Abstract
  Weather ship routing has become a recognized measure to target safe, sustainable and economical ship activities. Academic research has focused the ship routing optimization [...]

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• Tools for Evaluation Quay Toe Scouring Induced by Vessel Propellers in Harbour Basins During the Docking and Undocking Manoeuvring: Marine Navigation and Safety of Sea Transportation

  M. Castells, X. Osés, A. Martin, A. Mujal-Colilles, X. Gironella

  (2017). Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Marine Navigation and Safety of Sea Transportation (TransNav 2017), Chapter 8, 6 pages.

  
  

  Abstract

  The evolution of the shipping industry (increased capacity and size of ships, power and self-propulsion), the increased productivity and rearrangement of spaces (port calls increased in number and frequency, changes in use of docks), the intensification of the use not only of stem main propellers (conventional or azimuthal) but also lateral bow and stem ones, are the leading causes of injury to the toe of the docks. Scouring processes due to manoeuvring actions can produce big consequences on the stability of harbour structures such as docks and protecting dikes. As a consequence, the sedimentation of the eroded sediment reduces the total depth of the harbour basin and navigation channel. At the same time, contaminants settled at the bed of the harbour basins may be resuspended by the effect of vessel’s propellers and produce an important environmental problem to harbour authorities.   One of the main problems is the interpretation of parameters related to propellers, but also the fact of not considering important aspects such as different types of propeller, manoeuvring practices for docking and undocking, propulsion system orientation or the confinement effect generated by the dock itself and the shelter of the vessel. This contribution aims to assess docking and undocking manoeuvres which can produce erosion generated by the propulsion of ships. This methodology will analyse manoeuvres patterns and will allow understanding the effects of the sedimentation of the eroded sediment on docking and undocking manoeuvres.

  Abstract
  The evolution of the shipping industry (increased capacity and size of ships, power and self-propulsion), the increased productivity and rearrangement of spaces (port calls [...]

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• The application of route planning in a Maritime Spatial context. Its applicatoion in the Balearic Islands

  X. Osés

  (2016). Short Sea shipping. Myth or future of regional transport, Edition: 1, Chapter: 5. Publisher: Éditions Management et Societé

  
  

  Abstract

  The sea is home of a large variety of human activities creating social, economic and even strategic value for Europe’s inhabitants. Maritime activities have been concentrated around fishing, defence and shipping, although other human activities are increasingly taking place in marine areas. Some of those new activities have been growing substantially creating significant value for Europe’s maritime economy. Governments are aware of the need to better and more coherently management of seas in the European Union, being the Integrated Maritime Policy an umbrella for this approach. Maritime Spatial Planning is defined as a process of analyzing and allocating the spatial and temporal distribution of human activities in marine areas to achieve ecological, economic and social objectives. The Mediterranean Sea as a vast area covering twenty-two states from three continents, is an scenario where an increasing number of stakeholders have become aware of the urgency to find the right balance between economic benefits and (in their relation with the environment) the use of maritime space. The presented paper is going to apply the route planning in the short sea traffics linking peninsula with the Balearic Islands within a Maritime Spatial Planning scenario and evaluating their environmental performances. Some proposals will be suggested for a better coexistence between the maritime traffic and the protection of environmental sensitive areas.

  Abstract
  The sea is home of a large variety of human activities creating social, economic and even strategic value for Europe’s inhabitants. Maritime activities have been concentrated [...]

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• The Prevailing Weather and Traffic Conditions in the Evaluation of a Future ECA in the Mediterranean Sea. A view into the Western Mediterranean

  M. Castells, X. Osés

  International Journal on Marine Navigation and Safety of Sea (2014). Vol. 8 (1), pp. 157-163

  
  

  Abstract

  Appendix III of MARPOL's Annex VI sets out the criteria and procedures for designating an emission control area (ECA).These criteria includes: a clear delineation of the proposed ECA; types of emissions proposed for control, land and sea areas at risk; emission quantification and impact assessment; prevailing weather conditions; data and quality on marine traffic; land based measures concurrent with the ECA adoption and the relative costs of reducing emissions from ships. This paper analyses the climate parameter together with traffic conditions: prevailing weather conditions as a parameter to be kept in mind for the adoption of a future ECA in the Mediterranean Sea. Preliminary results would show how marine emissions coming from existing traffic will impact the sea and land ecology in the Mediterranean area.

  Abstract
  Appendix III of MARPOL's Annex VI sets out the criteria and procedures for designating an emission control area (ECA).These criteria includes: a clear delineation of the [...]

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• Manoeuvring and hotelling external costs: enough for alternative energy sources?

  M. Castells, J. Usabiaga, X. Osés

  Maritime Policy & Management (2013). Vol. 41 (1), pp. 41-60

  
  

  Abstract

  Local air pollution is the most relevant externality of maritime transport, and its effects are more acute in urban areas as a result of manoeuvring, hotelling and load/unload activities at ports. This article is intended to assess ships’ local air pollution impact in generally densely populated harbour areas to decide whether alternative power supply measures are feasible. First, an optimized infrastructure investment model is developed to ease implementation and maximize the efficiency of alternative power supply projects. Once target harbours and traffic (ship types) within a national port network have been chosen, a vessel traffic analysis (ship type, tonnage, manoeuvring, and hotelling times) is carried out to quantify and evaluate annual polluting emissions (PM2,5, SO2, NOx, and VOCs) and their externalities. Finally, the assessment model is applied and results of the Spanish port network case study are discussed. The results obtained are significant and bring the possibility of further controlling the ship’s environmental performance at berth.

  Abstract
  Local air pollution is the most relevant externality of maritime transport, and its effects are more acute in urban areas as a result of manoeuvring, hotelling and load/unload [...]

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• SHIPPOL, towards an Automatic Green House Effect Gases Tracing and Accounting System in Harbour Areas by Using AIS Technology

  S. Velasquez, X. Osés

  Journal of Maritime Research (2013). Vol. 10 (3), pp. 37-46

  
  

  Abstract

  Identification, tracing and monitoring of ships have been widely exploited by means of the Automatic Identification System (AIS). Considerable improvements in safety, collision avoidance and vessel traffic services operations (VTS) have been reached since the system was mandatory in 2002 and applied to ships built on or after 1 July 2002 and to ships engaged on international voyages constructed before 1 July 20021. Nevertheless, the possibility to storage, exchange and exploit dynamic and static information, for other reasons different to those mentioned above, can result in complementary associated phenomena analysis in shipping industry. Because of the possibility to observe and identify a vessel in a specific place and time, dynamic parameters like speed and position can be linked to the identification vessel data services in order to compute real time fuel consumption and therefore, the volume of pollutant gases emissions, providing more precise air pollutants emissions accounting different than the fuel consumption declarations. With this assumption, we have proposed a model which applies identification and speed information from AIS, and in consequence, the type of engines operating during the voyage, extracting data from public EQUASIS databases. With the help of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), real time and dynamic air pollution data can be computed and mapped in congested waters. Critical infrastructures like ports and its surroundings need other kind of data treatment because of the manoeuvring operations during berthing or piloting, most of them under different consumption conditions in the main engines. The present paper shows our first steps in analysing a suitable mathematical model which fits the three components (earth observation, communications and navigation satellite, airborne and land data acquisition) in air pollution from shipping dynamic mapping. This is our first step to approach to an Automatic Green House Effect Gases Tracing and Accounting System.

  Abstract
  Identification, tracing and monitoring of ships have been widely exploited by means of the Automatic Identification System (AIS). Considerable improvements in safety, collision [...]

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• A Simulation Model for Road and Maritime Environmental Performance Assessment

  J. Usabiaga, M. Castells, X. Osés, A. Ölçer

  Journal of Environmental Protection (2013). Vol. 4 (7), pp. 683-693

  
  

  Abstract

  The White Paper published in 2011, Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area [1], urges on a 30% modal shift of road freight over  300 km  to other modes (rail, maritime and inland waterways) by 2030, and more than 50% by 2050. However the environmentally friendly performance of maritime transport regarding air pollutant emissions in comparison with road transport is in doubt. This paper presents a three dimension simulation model, in which performed transport work, arisen emissions and produced impact are estimated and inter-related for the assessment of the environmental performance of both road and maritime transport. The simulation model will be a valuable decision making tool for policymakers as it enables the precise assessment of considered transport alternatives in the EU27 until 2020, and hence supports the design of future intervening actions.

  Abstract
  The White Paper published in 2011, Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area [1], urges on a 30% modal shift of road freight over  300 km  to other modes (rail, [...]

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• Speeds & Capacities Necessity of Boats for Improve the Competitiveness of the Short-Sea-Shipping in West Europe Respecting the Marine Environment

  J. Martínez, H. Martell, X. Osés

  Journal of Maritime Research (2013). Vol. (2), pp. 65-76

  
  

  Abstract

  This paper aims to contribute to highlight the main factors which determine the commercial success of Short-Sea-Shipping lines. As a part of complex topic of modal competition, we will focus on the ship's performances. The finality is to define the capacities and the speeds needed by ships for compete effectively with the services "all-by-road" of freight transport in West Europe. In fact, the flexibility is the main competitive advantage of road transport over the other modes as maritime, fluvial or railways, and the travel time is the second one. With exception of some cases which have ports as origin and destination, the transport “Door-to-Door” needs the participation of road transport ineluctably. So, the modal competition between the Short-Sea-Shipping and the road transport is in fact a problem of their complementarily. The really important matter is how to maximize the Short-Sea-Shipping' component into the travels which combine the maritime and the road transports. The main impediments for the SSS's component maximisation are the travel time of the boats and the ports passage time.In continuity of our precedent researches, we use the results showing the more competitive SSS's lines (Martell Flores, 2007). On this base, we proposed the links between ports and the best operation way for each one, in “classical lines” of collecting & distribution or as "shuttle lines". All lines initially proposed are competitive with road transport under the costs criterion, but not always, even rarely, under the travel time criterion. We take the travel time by road as reference to define the travel time that the ships need to reach in order to be competitive. So, this analysis includes the cost & the travel time as criteria of comparison. We analyzed a network of the main 112 cities in West Europe, including 57 ports, which constitute our O-D matrix. For this analyse we use the DETCCM algorithm, it identified the differences between travel times of transports in “all-by-road” and in combined “maritime / road” for each possible link of the O-D matrix. The results show us a selected number of SSS's lines which are competitive in the current conditions of travel time. They show us the average speeds' necessaries to reach the competitive travel times for the rest of the lines. Finally, we made a performances’ review of the more currents ships in order to propose the more adapted kind of ship to the SSS proposed lines. The results underline the necessity to make new naval engineering developments oriented to design a specific Short-Sea-Shipping' boat in the close future.

  Abstract
  This paper aims to contribute to highlight the main factors which determine the commercial success of Short-Sea-Shipping lines. As a part of complex topic [...]

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• Analysis of the prevailing weather conditions criteria to evaluate the adoption of a future ECA in the Mediterranean Sea

  M. Castells, X. Osés, J. Usabiaga

  (2013). Marine navigation and safety of sea transportation. Navigational problems, pp. 161-165.

  
  

  Abstract

   Appendix III of MARPOL's Annex VI sets out the criteria and procedures for designating an emission control area (ECA).This criteria includes: a clear delineation of the proposed ECA; land and sea areas at risk; emission quantification and impact assessment; prevailing weather conditions; data on marine traffic; and land based measures concurrent with the ECA adoption. This paper analyses one of these parameters: prevailing weather conditions to evaluate the adoption of a future ECA in the Mediterranean Sea. Results will demonstrate how marine emissions will impact the sea and land ecology in the Mediterranean area.

  Abstract
   Appendix III of MARPOL's Annex VI sets out the criteria and procedures for designating an emission control area (ECA).This criteria includes: a clear delineation [...]

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