Documents published in Scipedia

• The Pyrenées bottleneck. A chance for short sea shipping?

  X. Osés

  (2007). Analele Universitati Maritime Constanta, pp. 81-86

  
  

  Abstract

  On the one hand, around 45% of European Union foreign trade is still carried by road and is consequently conditioned by traffic congestion or high fuel consumption, implying disadvantages related to pollution and safety, while on the other hand, 40% is carried by short sea shipping. Short Sea Shipping in European waters has been considered by national and European governments as one of the most feasible ways to alleviate the congestion that gets worse every day on the roads and highways across Europe. This paper poses criteria providing recommendations for the best alternative means of transport for carrying cargo across the Pyrenees. 

  Abstract
  On the one hand, around 45% of European Union foreign trade is still carried by road and is consequently conditioned by traffic congestion or high fuel consumption, implying [...]

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• Studies of suitability on short sea shipping routes in SW Europe

  X. Osés, M. Castells, J. Olivella, R. González

  (2006). Maritime Transport III, pp. 597-606, ISBN: 84-689-8505-8

  
  

  Abstract

  Around 45% of European Union (EU) foreign trade is carried by road, which is conditioned by traffic congestion and high fuel consumption, and lead to implying the pollution and safety problem. Short Sea Shipping forms another 40% of the EU foreign trade. National and European governments have considered the Short Sea Shipping in European waters as one of the most feasible ways to alleviate the congestion which is getting worse each day on roads and highways in Europe. The main aim of this paper is to both study and identify the feasible routes in SW Europe which appear to be a viable solution for avoid road transport problems.

  Abstract
  Around 45% of European Union (EU) foreign trade is carried by road, which is conditioned by traffic congestion and high fuel consumption, and lead to implying the pollution [...]

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• Stern twin-propeller effects on harbor infrastructures. Experimental analysis.

  A. Mujal-Colilles, M. Castells, T. Llull, X. Gironella, X. Osés

  Water (2018). Vol. 10 (11), pp. 1-14

  
  

  Abstract

  The growth of marine traffic in harbors, and the subsequent increase in vessel and propulsion system sizes, produces three linked problems at the harbor basin area: higher erosion rates damaging docking structures, sedimentation areas reducing the total depth; resuspension of contaminated materials deposited at the seabed. The published literature demonstrates that there are no formulations for twin stern propellers to compute the maximum scouring depth. Another important limitation is the fact that the formulations proposed only use one type of maneuvering during the experimental campaign, assuming that vessels are constantly being undocked. Trying to reproduce the real arrival and departure maneuvers, 24 different tests were conducted at an experimental laboratory in a medium-scale water tank using a twin propeller model to estimate the consequences and the maximum scouring depth produced by stern propellers during the backward/docking and forward/undocking scenarios. Results confirm that the combination of backward and forward scenario differs substantially from the experiments performed so far in the literature using only an accumulative forward scenario, yielding deeper scouring holes at the harbor basin area. The results presented in this paper can be used as guidelines to estimate the effects of regular vessels at their docking location.  

  Abstract
  The growth of marine traffic in harbors, and the subsequent increase in vessel and propulsion system sizes, produces three linked problems at the harbor basin area: higher [...]

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• A ship routing system applied at short sea distances

  M. Grifoll, X. Osés

  Journal of maritime research (2017). Vol. 13 (2), pp. 3-6

  
  

  Abstract

  New generation of high-resolution meteo-oceanographic predictions provides useful tools for routing of ships in short maritime distances. In this work, the optimal ship routing analysis is investigated in maritime routes in the Western Mediterranean Sea for relative short sea distances. A* algorithm is implemented in order to obtain the optimal path under an energetic wave events. The methodological aspects are presented including the grid description and weather prediction systems. The optimized cost function is the travel time and it is obtained considering the added resistance due to waves. A practical example considers the maritime route between Barcelona and Algiers. The results show the influence of this factor in the optimum path recovered by the algorithm. The relevance of the relative direction between wave and ship route is proven comparing the ship routing results.

  Abstract
  New generation of high-resolution meteo-oceanographic predictions provides useful tools for routing of ships in short maritime distances. In this work, the optimal ship routing [...]

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• A proposal to modernize and harmonize maritime curricula in Montenegro and Albania

  M. Castells, X. Osés, K. Lapa, D. Nikolic

  Our sea: International journal of maritime science and technology (2017). Vol. 64 (1), pp. 14-19

  
  

  Abstract

  The Black Sea region, a large horizon ready to open, ready to explore, ready to show her energy, her power and opportunities. But how we are preparing for this? It is a high competition between all the “actors” implicated in this field. The industry was informed to this potential resources by a major study undertaken by Purvin and Gertz in 2011, which predicted the development of a Romanian offshore industry and now exist many recently studies that confirmed the “black resources” of the Black Sea. We all know about the emergence of shale gas in Europe, in the last years, because is increasing evidence of a more united approach on energy, so the exploration and development of gas reserves in the Black Sea is an optimal alternative to supply gas from the Caspian to south-eastern Europe. But this good alternative implicates problems generated by costs, transportation and security of the very long pipelines that will pass through several countries till reaching their final destination. I try in this paper to pay attention on the main objective in the Black Sea Region, in this offshore field, that required the cooperation and sustainability from part of European Union and all its members’ state and countries situated in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea or Caspian Sea.

  Abstract
  The Black Sea region, a large horizon ready to open, ready to explore, ready to show her energy, her power and opportunities. But how we are preparing for this? It is a high [...]

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• The exploration, development and perspective of oil and gas in the Black Sea region

  C. Mihailovici, X. Osés

  Journal of maritime research (2015). Vol. 12 (3), pp. 49-55

  
  

  Abstract

  The Black Sea region, a large horizon ready to open, ready to explore, ready to show her energy, her power and opportunities. But how we are preparing for this? It is a high competition between all the “actors” implicated in this field. The industry was informed to this potential resources by a major study undertaken by Purvin and Gertz in 2011, which predicted the development of a Romanian offshore industry and now exist many recently studies that confirmed the “black resources” of the Black Sea. We all know about the emergence of shale gas in Europe, in the last years, because is increasing evidence of a more united approach on energy, so the exploration and development of gas reserves in the Black Sea is an optimal alternative to supply gas from the Caspian to south-eastern Europe. But this good alternative implicates problems generated by costs, transportation and security of the very long pipelines that will pass through several countries till reaching their final destination. I try in this paper to pay attention on the main objective in the Black Sea Region, in this offshore field, that required the cooperation and sustainability from part of European Union and all its members’ state and countries situated in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea or Caspian Sea.

  Abstract
  The Black Sea region, a large horizon ready to open, ready to explore, ready to show her energy, her power and opportunities. But how we are preparing for this? It is a high [...]

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• Analysis of viability to promote a hub Ro/Ro terminal in Palma de Mallorca (Spain) Port

  X. Osés, I. Galiano

  Journal of maritime research (2014). Vol. 11 (2), pp. 33-39

  
  

  Abstract

  The presented paper is going to analyze the opportunity to develop a Ro/Ro hub in the Port of Palma de Mallorca. In order to get introduced in the study, the state of art related to geographical, economic tra c and human; conditions, will be reviewed; together with an in deep analysis of the port future capacities and main shipping lines crossing the western Mediterranean. At a first glance is it easy to understand that the competition with other container hub ports in Mediterranean does not a ord Palma de Mallorca to be positioned in this market. But the chance to become a hub in rolled tra c will be studied. The final results of this paper are going to identify the main particulars to be enforced to attract the main shipping companies that are providing transport services between the North and South coasts of the Mediterranean and the tra c between Italy and Spain.

  Abstract
  The presented paper is going to analyze the opportunity to develop a Ro/Ro hub in the Port of Palma de Mallorca. In order to get introduced in the study, the state of art [...]

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• SHIPPOL, Towards an automatic green house effect gases tracing and accounting system in harbor areas by using AIS

  S. Velásquez, 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 2002. 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 data services 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 EQUA-SIS 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 maneuvering operations during berthing or piloting, most of the them under different consumption conditions in the main engines. The present paper shows our first steps in analyzing 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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• Manoeuvring and hotelling external costs: enough for alternative energy sources?

  M. Castells, J. Usabiaga, X. Osés

  Maritime Policy and Management (2013). Vol. 41 (1), pp. 1-19 (Preprint)

  
  

  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, hoteling, and load/unload activities at ports. This paper is intended to assess ships' local air pollution impact in generally densely populated harbor areas, in order to decide whether or not 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 harbors and traffic (ship types) within a national port network have been chosen, a vessel traffic analysis (ship type, tonnage, manoeuvring and hoteling times) is carried out to quantify and evaluate annual polluting emissions (PM2,5, SO2, NOx and VOC-s) 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, hoteling, and load/unload [...]

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• Cost assessment simulator for transport between mediterranean spanish ports and the Black Sea

  M. Castells, X. Osés, M. Rodríguez-Nuevo

  Journal of Maritime Research (2013). Vol. 10 (1), pp. 1-29 (Preprint)

  
  

  Abstract

  There is a strong imbalance in EU transport mode shares. In addition, issues like road traffic, noise, accident rates, and especially polluting emissions result not only in external costs to society, but also in high logistical costs to transport service customers. The present paper proposes an assessment model to evaluate final internal and external costs of transport chains served by trucks and short sea shipping (SSS). An efficient and fast tool is presented to help customers decide on the most convenient mode of transportation for a specific trade link. The trade links in this paper connect 19 Spanish provinces to the main ports in the Black Sea region (Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine) through the ports of Barcelona and Valencia.

  Abstract
  There is a strong imbalance in EU transport mode shares. In addition, issues like road traffic, noise, accident rates, and especially polluting emissions result not only in [...]

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