Coastal Vessels Research Articles

Invasion risk posed by macroinvertebrates transported in ships’ ballast tanks

Invasions by non-indigenous macroinvertebrates often cause ecological and economic problems, and commercial ships have been implicated as a principal mechanism for their dispersal. We explored the presence and species diversity of adult macroinvertebrates transported by transoceanic and coastal vessels arriving to ports on the Atlantic coast of Canada. We sampled 67 ballast tanks from 62 ships operating along discrete geographic pathways and tested whether mid-ocean exchange or voyage length affects the probability for translocation of macroinvertebrates. Additionally, we assessed the relationship between macroinvertebrate presence and the amount of sediment in ballast tanks. We document the presence of highly invasive European green crab (Carcinus maenas), mud crab (Rhithropanopeus harrisii), common periwinkle (Littorina littorea), soft shell clam (Mya arenaria) and blue mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) in ballast tanks of surveyed ships. Mid-ocean exchange did not affect macroinvertebrate occurrence, suggesting that current ballast water management regulations are ineffective for this taxonomic group. Viable individuals were recorded in vessels undertaking shorter voyages (average and maximum of 4.5 and 15 days, respectively) and presence was not related to the amount of sediment in tanks. While presence and densities of macroinvertebrates were low, invasion risk may nonetheless be significant during reproductive seasons owing to high fecundity of some taxa. The highest risk may be posed by decapods since gravid females may carry thousands to several million eggs per clutch, and after several weeks of brooding, two or more subsequent clutches may be fertilized by retained sperm from an earlier mating.

The Clean Water Act and the Oceans: Applicability Is Certain; What More Can Be Done?

This short essay reviews the use of the Clean Water Act in the oceans. It covers NPDES permitting, coastal pathogen standards, vessel regulation, and TMDLs for the sea.

Invertebrates and their dormant eggs transported in ballast sediments of ships arriving to the Canadian coasts and the Laurentian Great Lakes

The most effective strategy for managing nonindigenous species (NIS) is through prevention of their transport via regulation of introduction vectors. We sampled 135 ships arriving to three different regions of Canada to assess abundance and species richness of invertebrates and their dormant eggs transported in ballast sediments. By sampling ships that followed particular pathways, we were able to compare vector strength to different regions, the invasion risk of transoceanic vs. coastal vessels, and the effect of midocean exchange, length of voyage, and amount of sediment on the richness and abundance of species inside ballast tanks. Although standardized ballast management regulations have been implemented across Canada, the resulting invasion risk is not uniform across regions. Ships arriving to the Atlantic region carried a greater sediment load with correspondingly higher abundance and species richness than those arriving to the Pacific and Great Lakes regions. Abundance and species richness of invertebrates and their dormant eggs associated with transoceanic ships did not differ from that of ships operating along coastal areas of North America. Similarly, midocean exchange did not reduce either abundance or species richness of invertebrate dormant eggs in ships. Finally, the length of voyage did not influence taxonomic composition or abundance of invertebrate dormant eggs but was directly related to survival of active macroinvertebrates. Ballast sediments could introduce new NIS to some regions of Canada despite requirements to manage ships' ballast by midocean exchange. Minimizing sediment accumulation may be the only effective management option for this vector.

海流予測値と船舶での海流観測値との比較検討

The National Maritime Research Institute has conducted the research and development on "the environmental friendly shipping support system for coastal vessels" supported by NEDO using actual cement tanker and RORO ship cooperate with ship's owners. The present study describes a practical methodology on the ship's log speed estimated by analyzing accumulated actual navigation data of coastal vessels. The estimated values are checked by the relative velocity with respect to water derived from propeller analysis using measured torque of propeller shaft. Comparison of the ship drift and numerical forecast of the surface current suggests that use of higher spatial-temporal resolution in forecasting improves the forecast skill.

Geographic Information Systems for Estimating Coastal Maritime Risk

The U.S. Maritime Administration made a strong commitment to short-sea shipping in 2010 in America's Marine Highway Program. There are few statistics about coastal vessel traffic, however, and even less is known about casualty rates in those waters because of the absence of trip data and the relatively poor quality of casualty data. Geographic information systems (GIS) are unique tools that enable greater visualization and understanding of complex problems. A methodology was used to adapt a GIS-based highway planning traffic assignment model for use in maritime risk assessment. The planning model routed 12 years of vessel entrance and clearance data through an international waterway network to estimate the number of trips traversing network links by any number of metrics, including year, ship type, flag of registry, and draft. The risk methodology deployed a 100-mi2 mesh (10 mi × 10 mi) over the entire United States and coastal waters to estimate the highest casualty rate (casualties per million vessel trips) and casualty frequency locations.

A hitchhiker’s guide to the Maritimes: anthropogenic transport facilitates long‐distance dispersal of an invasive marine crab to Newfoundland

AbstractAim To determine timing, source and vector for the recent introduction of the European green crab, Carcinus maenas (Linnaeus, 1758), to Newfoundland using multiple lines of evidence.Location Founding populations in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, Canada and potential source populations in the north‐west Atlantic (NWA) and Europe.Methods We analysed mitochondrial and microsatellite genetic data from European and NWA populations sampled during 1999–2002 to determine probable source locations and vectors for the Placentia Bay introduction discovered in 2007. We also analysed Placentia Bay demographic data and shipping records to look for congruent patterns with genetic analyses.Results Demographic data and surveys suggested that C. maenas populations are established and were in Placentia Bay for several years (c. 2002) prior to discovery. Genetic data corroboratively suggested central/western Scotian Shelf populations (e.g., Halifax) as the likely source area for the anthropogenic introduction. These Scotian Shelf populations were within an admixture zone made up of genotypes from both the earlier (early 1800s) and later (late 1900s) introductions of the crab to the NWA from Europe. Placentia Bay also exhibited this mixed ancestry. Probable introduction vectors included vessel traffic and shipping, especially vessels carrying ballast water.Main conclusions Carcinus maenas overcame considerable natural barriers (i.e., coastal and ocean currents) via anthropogenic transport to become established and abundant in Newfoundland. Our study thus demonstrates how non‐native populations can be important secondary sources of introduction especially when aided by human transport. Inference of source populations was possible owing to the existence of an admixture zone in central/western Nova Scotia made up of southern and northern genotypes corresponding with the crab’s two historical introductions. Coastal vessel traffic was found to be a likely vector for the crab’s spread to Newfoundland. Our study demonstrates that there is considerable risk for continued introduction or reintroduction of C. maenas throughout the NWA.

A simple range expansion model of multiple pathways: the case of nonindigenous green crab Carcinus aestuarii in Japanese waters

Forecasting the range expansion of nonindigenous organisms enables effective quarantine and the development of pre-arrival countermeasures, as well as raises public and scientific concerns among the general public. Here, we present an approach to forecasting the range expansion of the nonindigenous green crab Carcinus in Japanese waters, with consideration of the human-mediated shipping and natural dispersal. Two types of shipping, namely, primary transport to Japan via long-distance ocean-going shipping and secondary transport within Japan via short-distance coastal shipping, were considered. The presence and absence of the crab in 50-km shoreline segments were obtained at 5 year intervals from 1985 to 2005, based on observation records by professional and amateur naturalists. Two types of dispersal kernel, namely, conventional logistic regression and a multiplicative immigration model considering multiple pathways explicitly, were compared. The multiplicative immigration model gave significantly better results. Natural dispersal was the most significant factor, in spite of its low expansion rate: secondary transport by coastal shipping was the second. Transport by international ocean-going shipping was not statistically significant, suggesting quite a small immigration probability of the crab by long voyages. Stochastic simulations forecasted that the crab will invade most of the coasts of western Japan along the Pacific Ocean and Seto Inland Sea by 2055, and will become widespread all over the country by 2205. Quarantine scenarios to eliminate transport by vessels revealed that preventing crab transport by domestic coastal vessels may delay the arrival of crabs in Hokkaido and the northern Japan area by 700 years at maximum.

Technical Note: A low cost unmanned aerial vehicle for ship based science missions

Abstract. A low-cost Unmanned Aerial Vehicle is compared with those already available and the motivation for its development is established. It is targeted at ship-based science missions and potential applications are described including a specific science case to measure white capping in the deep ocean. The current vehicle includes a range of more than 1000 Km, carrying a payload of 2 Kg and it can be launched and recovered from a coastal research vessel. The vehicle has flown successfully in Force 4 gusting Force 6–7 wind conditions, an important requirement for operation at sea. Data analysis is performed on images captured by the vehicle to provide a measurement of wave period and white capping fraction. The next stage of the project is to develop a suitable payload and perform a demonstration science mission.

内航船の航海データから見た対水船速の一考察

The National Maritime Research Institute has been conducted the research and development on "the environmental friendly shipping support system for coastal vessels" using actual cement tanker and RORO ship by tht cooperation with ship's owners supported by NEDO. In this study, obtained ship's log speed seems to have some errors, however ship's log speed has a big role for estimating ship's propulsion performance. The present study shows a practical methodology on ship's log speed estimated by analyzing accumulated actual navigation data of coastal vessels. And estimated values are checked by the relative ship's velocity with water derived by propeller analysis with measured torque of propeller shaft.

Stealth technology for wind turbines

Currently, a large proportion of proposed UK wind farms have either concerns raised at the pre-planning stage or formal objections made by radar operators on the basis of the potential for wind turbines to cause interference to radar systems. The current generation of on and off-shore three-bladed horizontal axis wind turbines have radar signatures consistent with their often very large physical size and hence considerable potential to reduce the ability of ground-based radars to detect targets in the vicinity of the farm. The impact of wind farms, particularly on ground-based aviation radars such as those operated for air defence and military and civil air traffic control purposes is likely to become particularly acute as European Union member governments strive to meet the requirements for energy generation under the Renewables Obligation. In addition, the increasing number of offshore wind farm projects proposed has the potential to cause interference to marine radars such as coastal vessel traffic services and those on-board vessels for navigational purposes. This study considers the options available for the reduction of turbine radar signature and presents solutions for each of the main external turbine components. The radar signature reduction approaches are based on existing technologies developed for aerospace stealth applications. However, the realisation of these for the purposes of reducing wind turbine radar signatures is a novel development, particularly in the solutions proposed. The reduction of wind turbine-induced radar interference is a growing area of research.

内航船の省エネルギーの視点から見た補助ボイラプラント

内航船の省エネルギーの視点から見た補助ボイラプラント

Productivity change of the artisanal fishing fleet in Portugal: A Malmquist index analysis

This paper explores the evolution of productivity of the artisanal dredge fleet that operates in the south coast of Portugal. This fleet is considered to be one of the most significant in the sector, essentially due to the volume and value of its catches. In this context, the study carried out sought in first place to determine variation in productivity over a time window of 10 years (between 1995 and 2004). Secondly, it sought to distinguish the performance of local and coastal vessels comprising the chosen fleet. The performance of the five homeports in the Algarve coast was also compared. We used Malmquist indexes to measure productivity change and explored the impact of changes in stock conditions and in regulatory policies on productivity levels. During the time period analysed, the measures defined by regulatory entities included allowing the use of a new type of dredge and the establishment of fishing quotas per vessel and per species. Finally, the fishing quotas allowed for each vessel were confronted with the captures officially declared.

The rise and fall of factory trawlers: An eclectic approach

Abstract Factory trawlers are the most controversial vessel group in Norwegian fisheries. At the time the fleet emerged, stern trawling in combination with on-board processing of cod fillets was regarded as a major innovation. However, the deep-sea fleet was intended to be a stable supplier of fish to the land-based industry. Factory trawlers were not a part of the political project. On the contrary, the vessels represented a serious departure from the traditional employment system for the fisheries’ dependent districts. Factory trawlers have, since the seventies, been regarded as the main enemy to the coastal vessels and the land-based industry. The vessels have been subject to a profound debate about several built-in contradictory goals for the fisheries policy, such as the ideal of employment for all and the need for a profitable sector without state subsidies. Despite a series of policy-driven initiatives to remove the factory trawlers, the fleet has been one of the most profitable vessel groups in the Norwegian fisheries. Nonetheless, the fleet is now marginalised in the number of vessels and transformed into an obedient supplier of round fish to the land-based industry. In this article, we outline the history of the Norwegian factory trawlers and how the fleet was subject to a series of critical changes reflecting the complexity of the vessels.

Cost structure and capacity in the Norwegian pelagic fisheries

The parameters of the short-run cost function are estimated for three vessel types taking part in the Norwegian pelagic fisheries: purse seine vessels, trawlers, and coastal vessels. The generalized translog functional form is used. Estimates of returns to scale are calculated and the results indicate that there are substantial economies of scale in all vessel classes. It is further investigated whether excess capacity varies with vessel size and age. The analysis suggests increased quotas per vessel to avoid rent dissipation. With the total allowable catch given, the number of participating vessels must be reduced.

Building the Wilts and Berks Canal, 1793–1810

(2006). Building the Wilts and Berks Canal, 1793–1810. Transactions of the Newcomen Society: Vol. 76, No. 2, pp. 291-313.

A three-axis fast-tow digital Video Plankton Recorder for rapid surveys of plankton taxa and hydrography

A new Video Plankton Recorder (VPRII) has been developed for rapid surveys of plankton and seston in the size range of 100µm–1cm. The VPRII system includes: 1) a high-resolution digital camera (1Mpixel, 10-bits, 30Hz frame-rate), 2) a fast towfish capable of tow speeds up to 12 knots and 3-axis motion for automatic undulation and ship-wake avoidance, small diameter tow cable and winch for deployment on coastal vessels, and 3) new interface software (Visual Plankton) for automatic identification of plankton to major taxa and visualization of these taxa together with hydrographic data in real time. Camera and strobe optics are laboratory-adjusted to select the field-of-view (5–20mm), and depth-of-field is objectively calibrated using a tethered organism (e.g., copepod) and automatic focus-detection software. The VPRII towfish comprises a fuselage, a fixed main wing, and three servo-controlled tail fins: port and starboard for dive, climb, and roll control and rudder for lateral movement. Placement of the strobe (starboard wing-tip), camera (fuselage nose), and cantilevered tow-bridle minimize disturbance of the imaged volume. Compared with typical net surveys in shelf areas, the VPRII counts more plankton per station, quantifies ubiquitous fragile forms, automatically identifies plankton to major taxa and measures their size, quantifies scales of patchiness down to a few cm, and displays high-resolution distributions of plankton taxa and hydrography while underway. The VPRII is available to researchers via the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution ship instrumentation pool.

Substantiation of a lower estimate for the bunker inventory: Comment on “Updated emissions from ocean shipping” by James J. Corbett and Horst W. Koehler

Substantiation of a lower estimate for the bunker inventory: Comment on “Updated emissions from ocean shipping” by James J. Corbett and Horst W. Koehler

Seabed AUV offers new platform for high‐resolution imaging

A number of marine biological, geological, and archaeological applications share the need for high‐resolution optical and acoustic imaging of the sea floor [Ballard et al., 2002; Greene et al., 2000; Shank et al., 2002]. In particular,there is a compelling need to conduct studies in depths beyond those considered reasonable for divers (∼50 m) down to depths at the shelf edge and continental slope (∼1000–2000 m). Some of the constraints associated with such work include the requirement to work off of small coastal vessels or fishing boats of opportunity,and the requirement for the vehicle components to be air‐shippable to enable inexpensive deployments at far‐flung oceanographic sites of interest.

Whale Watching, Iconography, and Marine Conservation

As our populations have grown, more of us have moved to the coast. As some of us have become richer, Boeing and Airbus have allowed us to indulge our desire to see the world. Coastal vessels have become faster and safer, so we expect gratification of our desire for novel experiences at sea. As all this has happened, large whales off some coasts have increased in number, evidence that some international protection measures of the 1970s have worked. The confluence of these unrelated historical processes has led to the spectacular rise of the vessel-based whale-watching industry. Nature-based tourism does not necessarily maintain environmental quality. Ecotourism is supposed to be that special subset of nature-based tourism that provides local economic benefit without environmental degradation (Goodwin 1996). Whale watching tends to be classified as ecotourism, but it does affect whales’ behavior in the short term (e.g., Corkeron 1995). The debate on how to manage whale watching has moved to whether this matters. Do “short-term” impacts have “long-term” consequences? Research to date demonstrates that anthropogenic noise is primarily responsible for the short-term behavioral changes observed. Analogs from marine hydrocarbon extraction can provide some answers to longer-term questions: use of habitat by bowhead whales seems altered by industrial activities (Schick & Urban 2000). But current thinking now calls for demonstrations of “biologically significant”—in other words, population-level— effects (e.g., International Whaling Commission 2001). How do we demonstrate these effects? Assessing the impact of dive tourism on coral reefs requires application of established impact-assessment techniques in community ecology (e.g., Plathong et al. 2000). Studies of the effects of terrestrial tourism on wildlife ask questions at the habitat scale (e.g., Burger 2000), requiring techniques that are logistically and financially beyond most research

Application of Advisory Committee Recommendations on Passenger Vessel Access: Case Study

Passenger vessel access by people with disabilities will be facilitated by new standards developed by the U.S. Access Board under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The board has been assisted by the Passenger Vessel Access Advisory Committee (PVAAC), an assembly of representatives from the community of people with disabilities and the passenger vessel industry. PVAAC provided recommendations to the board in the form of guidelines for the design, new construction, and alteration of passenger vessels. Its December 2000 report addressed accessibility issues such as onboard and on–off accessible routes, emergency egress and alarms, toilet facilities, lodging, vehicle parking, and employee areas. PVAAC recommendations will be applied to an existing 1,000-passenger, 100-vehicle ferry vessel; and commentary will be provided on the resulting implications for ferry design, new construction, and alterations. The purpose is to further awareness of accessibility issues in passenger vessel design, new construction, and alterations; to highlight areas of opportunity for technology-assisted solutions; and to challenge the design community to develop workable and cost-effective solutions. PVAAC recommendations focus primarily on mid- to large-size passenger vessels (carrying more than 150 passengers), including vessels with overnight accommodations such as cruise liners and coastal excursion vessels. They also address smaller vessels, typically including types such as dinner cruise boats, whale watcher and fishing head boats, and small passenger-only ferries. A sampling of those recommendations will be addressed in addition to recommendations applied to the 1,000-passenger ferry.