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The Arctic is among the most rapidly-changing regions on Earth. Diminishing levels of sea-ice has increased opportunities for maritime activities in historically inaccessible areas such as the Northern Sea Route and Northwest Passage. Degradation of Arctic marine ecosystems may accompany expanding vessel operations through introduced underwater noise, potential for large oil spills, among other things; and may compound stressors already effecting biological populations due to climate change. Assessments are needed to track changes in vessel traffic patterns and associated environmental impacts. We analyzed Arctic-wide vessel Automatic Identification System data 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2017 to quantify the amount and spatial distribution of vessel operations, assess possible changes in these operations, and establish a baseline for future monitoring. Nearly 400,000 vessel transits were analyzed. Number of trips, hours of operation, and amount of sea surface exposed to vessel traffic were used to compare operations between 14 delineated waterways. Operations were extensive and diverse: an average of 132,828 trips were made annually by over 5,000 different vessels. Transits were made in all areas studied and all months of the year. Maritime activities were intensive in some areas, but ice-limited in others. Amount of sea surface exposed to vessel traffic exceeded 70% in all but three areas. Bulk carriers, cargo ships, passenger/cruise ships, research survey ships, and vessels supporting oil/gas-related activities were represented. However, fishing vessels, primarily in the BARENTS, BERING, and Norwegian Seas, surpassed operations of all other vessel types and comprised about one-half of all voyages each year. We observed no overt increasing or decreasing trends in vessel traffic volume in our limited study period. Instead, inter-year variation was evident. While the number of unique vessels and transits increased year-to-year, hours of operation declined in the s

Drowning accidents followed by the disappearance of the body are particularly distressing events. When such tragedy strikes, Search and Rescue Operations are usually deployed to recover the body. The efficiency of such efforts can be enhanced by timely data and appropriate data integration tools, such as operational prediction systems relying on numerical models or other data sources. In this paper, we propose four stages for Search and Rescue Operations after drowning accidents and briefly address the critical role of ocean observations at each stage, as well as the relevancy of available computational resources. The potential of the combination of different data sources on the state of the sea to provide better insights is discussed. This work encourages oceanographers, data scientists and relevant marine stakeholders to produce knowledge and tools to support Search and Rescue Operations after drowning accidents.

Internal seawater systems (ISS) are critical to the proper functioning of maritime vessels. Sea water is pumped on board ships for a broad array of uses, primarily for temperature control (e.g., engine and electrical systems), cooling capacity (e.g., air conditioners and refrigeration), and water provision (e.g., drinking, firefighting, steam, and ballast). Although sea water may spend only a brief period within ISS of a vessel, it can carry microorganisms and larval stages of macroorganisms throughout the system leading to biofouling accumulation that can impair system function or integrity. ISS can also act as a sub-vector of species translocations, potentially facilitating biological invasions. This review describes ships' ISS with a focus on operational impacts of biofouling and current drivers and barriers associated with ISS biofouling management. As ISS internal components are difficult to access, reports and studies of ISS biofouling are uncommon and much of the dedicated literature is decades old. The impact of biofouling on ISS and vessel operations is based on increased surface roughness of pipework and equipment, restricted water flow, corrosion and subsequent component impingement, reduced surface functional efficiency, and potential contamination by pathogens that can affect human and aquatic animal health. Biofouling management is primarily achieved using antifouling coatings and marine growth prevention systems, but independent and accessible data on their efficacy in ISS remain limited. Further research is required to resolve the extent to which biofouling occurs in ISS of the modern commercial fleet and the efficacy of preventive systems. Such information can ultimately inform decisions to improve operational efficiency for vessel operators and ensure any biosecurity risks are appropriately managed.

Uncertainties in port handling efficiency can cause port delays in the liner shipping system. Furthermore, policies on carbon emission reduction, such as EEXI standards, restrict the potential for speed optimization in liner shipping operations. Traditional tactical planning speed optimization is unsuitable for operational-level decision making, leading to unreliable schedules. From a schedule-reliability and energy-efficiency perspective, we propose a real-time speed optimization method based on discrete hybrid automaton (DHA) and decentered model predictive control (DMPC). We use a dynamic adjustment of sailing speed to offset the disturbance caused by port handling efficiency uncertainties. First, we establish a DHA model that describes each ship's hybrid dynamics of state switching between sailing and berthing; then, we develop a prediction model for the DMPC controller, which is analogous to the DHA model. The schedule is transferred into time-position coordinates as controller reference trajectories in the receding horizon speed optimization framework. We consider determining tracking errors, carbon emissions, and fuel consumption as our objectives, and we carry out engine power limitation (EPL) analysis for the sample ship, which turns the EEXI standards into constraints. We attain the recommended speed by solving a mixed-integer optimization. We carry out a case study, and our results indicate the effectiveness of our proposed DHA-DMPC scheme in lowering port delays and achieving the best trade-off between schedule reliability and energy efficiency. Additionally, we conduct further experiments to analyze the impacts of various carbon reduction policies on the performance levels of liner shipping operations.

We have had a lot of marine accidents that involved failure of the hull structures. Whether it was a crack in the midship region, or a total split-off of the hull girder, or failures due to propagation of cracks, the crux of the matter boils down to a handful of causes that are of great concern to ship designers and operators. Mostly, crack propagation takes place due to fatigue, which is not something this article is about. This article gives an insight into the causes that lead to the failure of the hull girder from a longitudinal strength point of view. And before we start, we have to ask ourselves a few questions. Why have ships split-off? Why have many hull structures split-off after grounding? Why are midships highly prone to such failures? Is it because of a design flaw? Or for that matter, a glitch in the operation standards that have not been maintained?

We have had a lot of marine accidents that involved failure of the hull structures. Whether it was a crack in the midship region, or a total split-off of the hull girder, or failures due to propagation of cracks, the crux of the matter boils down to a handful of causes that are of great concern to ship designers and operators. Mostly, crack propagation takes place due to fatigue, which is not something this article is about. This article gives an insight into the causes that lead to the failure of the hull girder from a longitudinal strength point of view. And before we start, we have to ask ourselves a few questions. Why have ships split-off? Why have many hull structures split-off after grounding? Why are midships highly prone to such failures? Is it because of a design flaw? Or for that matter, a glitch in the operation standards that have not been maintained?

An engine fire on board a cruise ship operated by Carnival Corp left about 4,500 passengers and crew stranded in the U.S. Virgin Islands for a second day on Tuesday and forced the cruise operator to cut the trip short.

An engine fire on board a cruise ship operated by Carnival Corp left about 4,500 passengers and crew stranded in the U.S. Virgin Islands for a second day on Tuesday and forced the cruise operator to cut the trip short.

Heavy monsoon rains in Australia are impacting the operations of coal terminals with Abbot Point suspending berthing operations and cargo delays at other facilities.

The recurrence of lethal ship-whale collisions ('ship strikes') has prompted management entities across the globe to seek effective ways for reducing collision risk. Here we describe 'active whale avoidance' defined as a mariner making operational decisions to reduce the chance of a collision with a sighted whale. We generated a conceptual model of active whale avoidance and, as a proof of concept, apply data to the model based on observations of humpback whales surfacing in the proximity of large cruise ships, and simulations run in a full-mission bridge simulator and commonly used pilotage software. Application of the model demonstrated that (1) the opportunities for detecting a surfacing whale are often limited and temporary, (2) the cumulative probability of detecting one of the available 'cues' of whale's presence (and direction of travel) decreases with increased ship-to-whale distances, and (3) following detection time delays occur related to avoidance operations. These delays were attributed to the mariner evaluating competing risks (e.g., risk of whale collision vs. risk to human life, the ship, or other aspects of the marine environment), deciding upon an appropriate avoidance action, and achieving a new operational state by the ship once a maneuver is commanded. We thus identify several options for enhancing whale avoidance including training Lookouts to focus search efforts on a 'Cone of Concern,' defined here as the area forward of the ship where whales are at risk of collision based on the whale and ship's transit/swimming speed and direction of travel. Standardizing protocols for rapid communication of relevant sighting information among bridge team members can also increase avoidance by sharing information on the whale that is of sufficient quality to be actionable. We also found that, for marine pilots in Alaska, a slight change in course tends to be preferable to slowing the ship in response to a single sighted whale, owing, in part, to the substan

At present, contact watertight connectors are commonly utilized for the connection between underwater electromechanical equipment and the seabed observation network. Such traditional watertight connectors are easy to be irreversibly worn when plugging and unplugging, however, they have complicated sealing structures and limited service life. This paper designs a Non-contact Wet Mateable connector for Optical Communication and Power Transmission (OCPT-NWMC), which is based on technology of Contactless Power Transmission (CLPT) and optical communication. Docking structure of the sockets and plugs are designed, facilitating Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) to operate. A prototype of the OCPT-NWMC was established. The experimental results show that the connector designed can achieve 200W power transmission, with a maximum power transmission efficiency of 94%. The communication bandwidth reaches 18MHz. The OCPT-NWMC can assist the rapid and safe deployment and operation of seabed observation network.

Accessing the world's oceans is essential for monitoring and sustainable management of the maritime domain. Difficulty in reaching remote locations has resulted in sparse coverage, undermining our capacity to deter illegal activities and gather data for physical and biological processes. Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs) have existed for over two decades and offer the potential to overcome difficulties associated with monitoring and surveillance in remote regions. However, they are not yet an integral component of maritime infrastructure. We analyse 15 years of non-autonomous and semi-autonomous USV-related literature to determine the factors limiting technological diffusion into everyday maritime operations. We systematically categorised over 1,000 USV-related publications to determine how government, academia and industry sectors use USVs and what drives their uptake. We found a striking overlap between these sectors for 11 applications and nine drivers. Low cost was a consistent and central driver for USV uptake across the three sectors. Product 'compatibility' and lack of 'complexity' appear to be major factors limiting USV technological diffusion amongst early adopters. We found that the majority (21 of 27) of commercially available USVs lacked the complexity required for multiple applications in beyond the horizon operations. We argue that the best value for money to advance USV uptake is for designs that offer cross-disciplinary applications and the ability to operate in an unsheltered open ocean without an escort or mothership. The benefits from this technological advancement can excel under existing collaborative governance frameworks and are most significant for remote and developing maritime nations.

Ship biofouling is a major vector for the introduction and spread of harmful marine species globally; however, its importance in Arctic coastal ecosystems is understudied. The objective of this study was to provide insight regarding the extent of biofouling (i.e., percent cover, abundance, and species richness) on commercial ships operating in the Canadian Arctic. A questionnaire was used to collect information on travel history, antifouling practices, and self-reported estimates of biofouling extent from ships operating in the region during 2015-2016. Twenty-five percent of ships operating in the region during the study period completed the questionnaire (n = 50). Regression trees were developed to infer the percent cover of biofouling, total abundance of fouling invertebrates, and fouling species richness on respondent ships based on previous underwater wetted surface assessments of commercial ships in Canada. Age of antifouling coating system was the only significant predictor of percent cover and total abundance of biofouling invertebrates, while the number of biogeographic realms previously visited and port residence time were significant predictors for fouling species richness. Comparison of relevant travel history features reported through the questionnaire to the regression tree models revealed that 41.9% of 43 respondent ships had antifouling coating systems older than 630 days and are therefore inferred to have relatively high (> 9.3%) biofouling percent cover. More than half of respondent ships (62.8%) had antifouling coating systems older than 354 days and are therefore inferred to have a relatively high total abundance (over 6,500 individuals) of fouling invertebrates. Nearly half of respondent ships (45.9% of 37 ships) had visited at least three biogeographic realms during their last 10 ports-of-call and are therefore inferred to have relatively high fouling species richness (mean 42 taxa). Self-reported estimates of biofouling cover were unreliable,

EU Extends Somali Counter-Piracy Operation Through 2016.

The European Union's counter-piracy EU Naval Force Somalia – Operation Atalanta, has been extended by two more years as the threat of Somali piracy remains even as the number and [...]

Ship Operator Fined $1.8m for Oil Discharge.

Ship Operator Fined $1.8m for Oil Discharge.

China has begun operating a lighthouse on one of its artificial islands in the South China Sea near which a U.S. warship sailed last year to challenge China's territorial claims.

China has begun operating a lighthouse on one of its artificial islands in the South China Sea near which a U.S. warship sailed last year to challenge China's territorial claims.

Jakarta's New Container Terminal Starts Operating.

NATO ends anti-piracy operation; Seychelles to continue to monitor sea threats.

European Union's Counter-Piracy Operation Atalanta Extended by Two Years.

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Mega ships, mega ports make winners, losers of port operators: APMT.

Protesters halt operations at some western ports.