Current Developments and Challenges on Maritime Safety and Environment Protection Technology

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Marine Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 17957

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Division of Global Maritime Studies, Korea Maritime and Ocean University, Busan 49112, Korea
Interests: traffic safety; maritime; ships; transportation; traffic engineering; naval architecture; transportation science

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Guest Editor
Director of Ocean Safety and Technology Center, Korea Institute of Maritime and Fisheries Technology (KIMFT), 367 Haeyang-ro, Busan 49111, Korea
Interests: maritime safety and technology engineering; human factors; formal safety assessment; maritime environment protection technology; safe operation of maritime autonomous surface ship (MASS); risk assessment

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Guest Editor
Department of Maritime Studies, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, 5063 Bergen, Norway
Interests: maritime human factors; human-centered design; automation/autonomy and the effects of new technology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

There is no doubt that maritime safety and the marine environment are the most important issues in all human maritime activities. These are important missions of the International Maritime Organization as well. The question of how to secure maritime safety, protect the marine environment, and achieve safe and environmentally friendly development always poses a great challenge to researchers.

Representatively, IMO's formal safety assessment, GHG (Green House Gas) policy, ship accident prevention technology, safe navigation technology of autonomous ships, human factors, the impact of the marine environment protection aspect of autonomous ships, green ship technology, among others, are being discussed in the field of maritime industry.  

In order to secure maritime safety, there have been various studies and the implementation of international regulations on human factors, safety navigation, FSA, goal base standard, cyber security, safety system, etc. However, ship accidents with similar causes continue to occur. These highlight the need for continuous research on more reliable and effective safety systems. In particular, research on autonomous ships should be considered in various aspects, such as the safe operating standards of autonomous ships, the range of safety that can be accepted by the industry, the safe operating relationship between existing ships and autonomous ships, and international conventions, etc.

In terms of marine environment, research and development into ships that use eco-friendly fuels such as alternative fuels for ships, EEOI (Energy Efficiency Operational Indicator), EEDI (Energy Efficiency Design Index), and electric propulsion ships are being actively conducted in accordance with various discussions on GHG. In addition, research on marine environment protection technology has been conducted in various fields including ship’s exhaust gas, fine dust, particle matter, garbage, noise, and maritime pollution caused by accidents, and the results of these studies will have a large impact on the protection of the marine environment. This Special Issue addresses but is not limited to the following areas:

  • Technology for maritime safety;
  • Maritime safety and human factors;
  • Formal Safety Assessment;
  • Maritime accidents analysis and implementation of analyzed causes;
  • Safety operation of special purpose vessel;
  • Safety technology for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ship (MASS);
  • Technology for prevention for marine environment;
  • Maritime Technology for GHG;
  • Impact to marine environment by operation of MASS;
  • Green ship technology;
  • Marine Plastic issues;
  • Underwater noise caused by ship operation issues;
  • Alternative ship’s fuel;
  • e-Navigation

Prof. Ik-Soon Cho
Prof. Chong-Ju Chae
Prof. Margareta H. Lützhöft
Guest Editors

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

26 pages, 11059 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Trends in Mega-Sized Container Ships Using the K-Means Clustering Algorithm
by Woo-Ju Son and Ik-Soon Cho
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(4), 2115; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app12042115 - 17 Feb 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3022
Abstract
The size of ships is increasing rapidly, and over 400 m length overall mega-sized container ships are predicted to appear in the near future. Consequently, studies on large container ships have been conducted; however, based on the 30,000-TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) class container [...] Read more.
The size of ships is increasing rapidly, and over 400 m length overall mega-sized container ships are predicted to appear in the near future. Consequently, studies on large container ships have been conducted; however, based on the 30,000-TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) class container ship’s length overall, the deviation of the predicted range showed an 83.9 m difference from 453.0 m to 536.9 m. This is because simple linear regression analysis does not consider trends according to the type of cargo or the size of the cargo. In this study, 5497 container ships up to 20 years of age with an International Maritime Organization (IMO) number registered were clustered according to the change in ship dimensions by k-means clustering algorithm. Based on the clustered data, deadweight tonnage, TEU, length overall, length between perpendiculars, breadth, and maximum draft of container ships with a coverage rate of 75% were analyzed to predict the change in the main dimensions. The results indicated that for a 30,000-TEU container ship, the predicted length overall is 428.4 m, breadth is 67.6 m, and draft is 17.0 m. This study can help minimize the social costs of designing ports in consideration of future mega-sized container ships. Full article
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19 pages, 60383 KiB  
Article
Extracting the Maritime Traffic Route in Korea Based on Probabilistic Approach Using Automatic Identification System Big Data
by Jeong-Seok Lee and Ik-Soon Cho
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(2), 635; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app12020635 - 10 Jan 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2675
Abstract
To protect the environment around the world, we are actively developing ecofriendly energy. Offshore wind farm generation installed in the sea is extremely large among various energies, and friction with ships occurs regularly. Other than the traffic designated area and the traffic separate [...] Read more.
To protect the environment around the world, we are actively developing ecofriendly energy. Offshore wind farm generation installed in the sea is extremely large among various energies, and friction with ships occurs regularly. Other than the traffic designated area and the traffic separate scheme, traffic routes in other sea areas are not protected in Korea. Furthermore, due to increased cargo volume and ship size, there is a risk of collisions with marine facilities and marine pollution. In this study, maritime safety traffic routes that must be preserved are created to ensure the safety of maritime traffic and to prevent accidents with ecofriendly energy projects. To construct maritime traffic routes, the analysis area is divided, and ships are classified using big data. These data are used to estimate density, and 50% maritime traffic is chosen. This result is obtained by categorizing the main route, inner branch route, and outer branch route. The Korean maritime traffic route is constructed, and the width of the route is indicated. Furthermore, this route can be applied as a navigation route for maritime autonomous surface ships. Full article
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20 pages, 5518 KiB  
Article
The Development of a Bayesian Network Framework with Model Validation for Maritime Accident Risk Factor Assessment
by Lea Vojković, Ana Kuzmanić Skelin, Djani Mohovic and Damir Zec
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(22), 10866; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app112210866 - 17 Nov 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2851
Abstract
An integrative approach to maritime accident risk factor assessment in accordance with formal safety assessment is proposed, which exploits the multifaceted capabilities of Bayesian networks (BNs) by consolidation of modelling, verification, and validation. The methodology for probabilistic modelling with BNs is well known [...] Read more.
An integrative approach to maritime accident risk factor assessment in accordance with formal safety assessment is proposed, which exploits the multifaceted capabilities of Bayesian networks (BNs) by consolidation of modelling, verification, and validation. The methodology for probabilistic modelling with BNs is well known and its application to risk assessment is based on the model verified though sensitivity analysis only, while validation of the model is often omitted due to a lack of established evaluation measures applicable to scarce real-world data. For this reason, in this work, the modified Lyapunov divergence measure is proposed as a novel quantitative assessor that can be efficiently exploited on an individual accident scenario for contributing causal factor identification, and thus can serve as the measure for validation of the developed expert elicited BN. The proposed framework and its approach are showcased for maritime grounding of small passenger ships in the Adriatic, with the complete grounding model disclosed, quantitative validation performed, and its utilization for causal factor identification and risk factor ranking presented. The data from two real-world grounding cases demonstrate the explanatory capabilities of the developed approach. Full article
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31 pages, 16931 KiB  
Article
A System to Improve Port Navigation Safety and Its Use in Italian Harbours
by Maurizio Soldani and Osvaldo Faggioni
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(21), 10265; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app112110265 - 01 Nov 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1618
Abstract
This article describes research aimed at developing a system able to support local authorities and port communities in optimizing port navigation, avoiding or managing critical situations induced by sea-level variations in harbours and minimizing environmental damages and economic losses. In the Mediterranean basin, [...] Read more.
This article describes research aimed at developing a system able to support local authorities and port communities in optimizing port navigation, avoiding or managing critical situations induced by sea-level variations in harbours and minimizing environmental damages and economic losses. In the Mediterranean basin, sea-level changes are mostly due to astronomical tides, related to the gravitational attraction between Earth, Moon and Sun. Nevertheless, sea-level variations are also influenced by meteorological tides, which are geodetic adjustments of sea surface due to atmospheric pressure variations above a water basin. So, starting from monitoring or forecasting environmental parameters in harbours, the system updates port bathymetric maps based on sea-level variations (acquired in the past, measured in real-time, or expected in the future) and detects hazardous areas for a certain ship moving inside a port at a given moment, by means of the implementation of “virtual traffic lights”. The system was tested on some real situations, including the analysis of maritime accidents (stranding of ships), providing satisfactory results by correctly signalling potentially dangerous areas variable over time. The architecture of the system and results achieved using it in the ports of Livorno and Bari, in Italy, are herewith described. Full article
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15 pages, 3812 KiB  
Article
A Study on the Analysis of the Effects of Passenger Ship Abandonment Training Using VR
by Chong-Ju Chae, Daegun Kim and Hyeong-Tak Lee
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(13), 5919; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11135919 - 25 Jun 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3021
Abstract
Virtual reality (VR) has been adopted for education and training in numerous lines of work. In the field of maritime education and training (MET), training with VR has been implemented in areas such as engine room system familiarization, dangerous work onboard familiarization, and [...] Read more.
Virtual reality (VR) has been adopted for education and training in numerous lines of work. In the field of maritime education and training (MET), training with VR has been implemented in areas such as engine room system familiarization, dangerous work onboard familiarization, and emergency response. In addition, in line with current trends in maritime autonomous surface ship (MASS) technology developments, trial applications of VR have been implemented to understand the applicability of this type of vessel. Moreover, there is an increasing need to reinforce education/training in MET to reduce ship accidents. The purpose of this study is to investigate the level of satisfaction with VR education/training, the impact of that education, and matters requiring training emphasis for implementation. To this end, the training participants’ satisfaction with VR training was compared to that of video training, and items of strategic importance in the training content were identified using Borich’s needs assessment, after which the educational impact of VR training was compared to that of video training. The results of this study are expected to contribute to the extended application of MET using VR, and can help in identifying areas for emphasis in training to reduce maritime accidents. Full article
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21 pages, 7274 KiB  
Article
Application of Collision Warning Algorithm Alarm in Fishing Vessel’s Waterway
by Myoung-Ki Lee, Young-Soo Park, Sangwon Park, Eunkyu Lee, Minjeong Park and Ni-Eun Kim
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(10), 4479; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11104479 - 14 May 2021
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 2042
Abstract
The aim of this study is to apply a collision warning algorithm for a small fishing vessel in a fishing waterway to verify its alarm operation and to validate its feasibility. For this purpose, a scenario-based real ship test was conducted, and cases [...] Read more.
The aim of this study is to apply a collision warning algorithm for a small fishing vessel in a fishing waterway to verify its alarm operation and to validate its feasibility. For this purpose, a scenario-based real ship test was conducted, and cases extracted from real sea data (Vpass data) were applied. Moreover, zones with frequent alarms and high-risk waters were compared. First, we installed millimeter-wave communication terminals in three small fishing vessels and applied our algorithm based on two scenarios. Furthermore, we applied the collision warning algorithm by extracting two cases encountered by multiple ships from the Vpass data. The results show that the algorithm triggered alarms continuously under risky situations. This study also compares waterway risk levels as assessed by maritime risk-assessment tools (potential assessment of risk model, environment stress model, and International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities Waterway Risk Assessment Program MkII) and the locations having frequent alarms based on Vpass data collected for 7 days. Not only did the eastern sea of Yeongheung Island indicate that more alarms were triggered, but we found high-risk results from the risk-level assessment, indicating that the risky zones and the frequent alarm zones were identical. Additional research is necessary to develop an algorithm based on qualitative evaluation by actual ship operators. In addition, since fishing vessels navigate differently from general navigation methods during fishing, it is necessary to develop additional algorithms for this. Full article
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