Analysis of modern hull structures dry cargo ships-representatives

The results of the analysis of the design of hull structures of modern dry cargo vessels-representatives of inland and mixed ("river-sea") navigation in comparison with classical vessels built in the twentieth century are presented. The characteristic damages of hull structures are considered, recommendations are given on the design of the main hull connections in accordance with the requirements of the Russian River Register (RRR) and the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (MRS). It is noted that, taking into account the existing cargo flows on water transport, the hulls of inland navigation vessels of early construction are being modernized for operation in coastal marine areas. It is shown that, taking into account the aging of the fleet in modern conditions, a significant role is assigned to the construction of "super-full" vessels of internal and mixed ("river-sea") navigation, capable of delivering various cargoes without intermediate transshipment from seaports to river ports of the country.

INVESTIGATION OF HULL STRENGTH OF RIVER SEA CONTAINER VESSEL

River sea vessels are ships for inland navigation and suitable for restricted navigation at sea in regions where, - significant wave height does not exceed 2m, according to Bureau Veritas Rules for the classification of inland vessels. In a container vessel structure, almost the entire deck space is occupied by hatches, leaving a narrow strip of deck plating outboard. This calls for a topside structure of heavy plating or a double hull to provide material in tension, stiffness against lateral and torsional loads, and resistance to buckling in compression when the vessel is in sagging condition. For sea going open deck vessels, torsional loading plays a predominant part to the hull girder strength and for inland navigation open deck vessels; the effect of torsion is rather negligible. Keeping this scenario in mind, the aim of this project is to investigate the hull strength of a river sea container vessel under combined bending and torsional loading to study the effect of torsion on river sea open deck vessel. To perform the strength analysis, firstly, a finite element model is created using Femap with NX Nastran software for the investigated vessel. Therefore, still water and wave loads are calculated using direct calculation. To find out the still water loads Argos software is used and for the wave induced loads potential flow software Hydrostar is used. Next, Finite element model is verified with classical beam theory and thin wall girder theory. Then the effect of various loading conditions on structural response is investigated. After, structural response of different hull configurations are scrutinized under combined bending and torsional loading. Finally, some recommendations are proposed for structural response of river sea container vessel subjected to combined bending and torsional loading.

Local structural analysis for container ships

Container ships presents highly stressed local structures under the corners of containers stack, which need rigorous analysis from rigidity and stress point of view. High value concentrated forces require the use of high strength steels or thick structural elements, for their analysis was used in this article FEM analysis with volume elements. An inland navigation barge was used as a case study and 40 ft containers were considered in order to analyze the situation with the greatest forces at the feet of containers. The investigated solutions for containers foundation are applicable for new ships and also for modernization of existing vessels. Technological and strength aspects were compared for different types of solution, that have to comply with specific Rules and need to satisfy production constrains of the Shipyards.

Incorporating decadal climate variability information in the operation and design of water infrastructure

The high thermal and mechanical inertia of the oceans results in slow changes in sea surface temperatures (SSTs). Changes in SSTs, in turn, can impact atmospheric circulation including water vapor transport, precipitation, and temperatures throughout the world. The Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), the tropical Atlantic SST gradient variability, and the West Pacific Warm Pool are patterns of natural climate variability that tend to persist over decadal time periods. There are current efforts to produce decadal climate predictions, but there is limited understanding if this information can be used in water resources management. Understanding the current state of decadal climate variability (DCV) phenomena and the probability of persisting in that state may be useful information for water managers. This information could improve forecasts that aid operations and short-term planning for reservoir management, domestic and industrial water supplies, flood risk management, energy production, recreation, inland navigation, and irrigation. If conditions indicate a higher likelihood of drought, reservoir managers could reduce flood storage space and increase storage for conservation purposes. Improved forecasts for irrigation could result in greater efficiencies by shifting crops and rotational crop patterns. The potential benefits of using a forecast must be balanced against the risk of damages if the forecast is wrong. Seasonal forecasts using DCV information could also be used to inform drought triggers. If DCV indices indicate that the climate has a higher probability of dry conditions, drought contingency plans could be triggered earlier. Understanding of DCV phenomena could also improve long-range water resources planning. DCV can manifest itself in relatively short-term hydrologic records as linear trends that complicate hydrologic frequency analysis, which has traditionally assumed that hydrologic records are stationary.

Digital information system for inland water transport vessels based on AIS

The most important role in ensuring navigation safety on inland waterways is played by the timely provision of navigators with timely and reliable navigational, meteorological and track information, as well as safety information. To solve this problem, the complexes of automatic identification stations’ coastal and ship networks deployed currently can be used. This communication channel (with free traffic for inland waterway transport) is currently used extremely ineffectively due to a small number of serviced vessels. The article substantiates the structure of a digital information system based on deployed networks of automatic identification stations for inland navigation vessels and its functional purpose. The issues of algorithmic and software support development for the process of preparation, transmission, reception and processing of transmitted information are considered. The structure of the database and algorithms for the formalized information packets’ formation in the direction of bank-to-ship are proposed. The formats of address and broadcast messages are presented. A variant of transmitting differential corrections to ships from control-correcting stations via networks of automatic identification stations without using the currently used radio channel is considered. The options for the dialog boxes of the digital information system for the dispatcher and the navigator are given.

Possibilities of Using Inland Navigation to Improve Efficiency of Urban and Interurban Freight Transport with the Use of the River Information Services (RIS) System—Case Study

Inland navigation is hardly ever used to transport cargo in cities. In most urban areas, it is performed almost exclusively via road transport, with the virtual exclusion of rail and inland transport. Research and implementation projects in several European cities have shown that employing inland navigation is a viable alternative for road transport in urban areas. The research involved a case study of transporting the same number of 40-foot containers by inland waterway and road and then comparing the results in terms of transport time, transport costs, and carbon dioxide emissions between two metropolitan areas in Poland. The article shows that River Information Services (RIS) system can contribute to improving freight transport efficiency not only on longer routes, but also in urban and inter-urban conditions. The findings were that inland shipping is much cheaper and more environmentally friendly, but transport takes much longer and is not always possible due to insufficient waterway infrastructure. The paper can be used as a road map to proceed with new approach to planning urban and inter-urban logistics, with the use of inland navigation supported by the RIS system. The study delivers evidence that the main benefits of using RIS for urban logistics are: optimization of the cargo route, improved supervision and control of cargo transport, optimization of inter-branch transport, optimization of the use of fleet, more efficient use of technical infrastructure of waterways, combination of many recipients/senders into one transport, and reduction of administrative barriers.

The Inner Navigation in First Nine Hundred (Northern Italy): Editorial and Geographical Aspects

A brief excursion on the theme of inland navigation in the early twentieth century, resumed mainly by editorial references present both in the writ and in the appendices. The bibliographic indications, along with text, consent to frame the different facets of the matter. The titles reported, whose purpose is to corroborate (remark) what affirmed in the text, are grouped in consideration of content and type of publication.

Energy Efficiency of Inland Waterways Transport for Agriculture: The Ukraine Case Study

In Ukraine, there has been an increase in agricultural production. The availability of river basins and seaports contributes to the use of inland shipping. However, there is a lack of understanding of how to reduce the energy consumption of inland shipping. We assume the hypothesis that the energy efficiency of inland shipping is much higher than it is technically possible. The purpose of this study is to identify perspective energy-saving technologies for IWT. We use statistical information to determine the export potential and to reveal the status of inland navigation. Traction efficiency, theoretical and actual specific fuel consumption were used as indicators to determine the energy efficiency. The main results are as follows. We have found the grain and sunflower seed production in the Dnieper Basin (Ukraine). Their shares range from 34.75 to 50.92% of national production. Therefore, there is a significant flow of products for inland shipping. The present status of inland waterways transport has been analyzed. The main novelty of this study is the finding of actual and theoretical technical specific energy consumption. It is revealed that actual specific energy consumption is five times higher compared to the theoretical one. Self-propelled vessels are inferior in energy efficiency to towing barges. The energy efficiency of inland waterways transport has been compared to railways and road freight transport. Transport management was identified as the more effective tool to improve the energy efficiency of inland shipping.