Commercial Fleet Research Articles

О степени импортозависимости торгового флота Российской империи накануне и в начале Первой мировой войны

The article analyzes the scale of the influence of foreign capital on the development of the commercial fleet of the Russian Empire on the eve of the First World War and the resulting restrictions on the use of civilian vessels at the beginning of the armed conflict. On the basis of previously published statistical data and archival documents introduced into scientific circulation for the first time, various degrees of dependence on the import of spare parts of sea and river merchant fleets, as well as the level of satisfaction of the country’s needs achieved by them, are demonstrated. The main manifestations of the critical dependence of Russian merchant ships on a number of German-made components are highlighted. The author concludes that the seemingly catastrophic situation of the maintenance of foreign-made ships was actually resolved, including thanks to the actions of the Russian government and the establishment of a channel for the supply of foreign equipment to domestic ports.

Track geometry monitoring by an on-board computer-vision-based sensor system

This paper illustrates some outcomes of the EU project Assets4Rail, funded by the Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking, as well as on-going research developments.Nowadays, many Track Recording Vehicles (TRV) are equipped with contactless optical/inertial systems to monitor Track Geometry (TG). The dedicated trains and sophisticated measurement equipment are costly to acquire and maintain. Therefore, the interval between two TRV recordings of the TG on the same line section cannot be too short (twice per month to twice per year).Recently, railway operators are showing increasing interest in the use of commercial trains to monitor track condition in a cost-effective manner.TRVs' expensive and constantly maintained optical systems make them unsuitable for commercial fleets. On-board sensor systems based on indirect measurements such as accelerations have been developed in various studies. While detection of the vertical irregularity is relatively straightforward through double-integration of the recorded acceleration, it is yet an unsolved issue for lateral irregularities due to the complicated relative wheel-rail motion.The investigated system conceptually combines on-board measurements of wheel-rail lateral relative position and lateral axlebox acceleration to detect rail alignment variations. It includes a functional prototype of an on-board Computer Vision (CV) sensor capable of monitoring the Lateral Displacement of the Wheel with respect to the Rail (LDWR). Further progress is aiming at the reduction of the measurement errors due to wheelset lateral displacements relative to the track, which is essential for calculating rail alignment.The sensor system prototype was tested in Italy at 100 km/h on the Aldebaran 2.0 TRV of RFI (Rete Ferroviaria Italiana), the main Italian Infrastructure Manager. It was found that the estimated lateral displacement correlates to the lateral alignment acquired by the Aldebaran 2.0 commercial TG inspection equipment.Moreover, a Simpack® simulation of a multi-body model of Aldebaran 2.0 provides the axlebox acceleration values not measurable during the test runs, to evaluate the relationship between them, LDWR and track alignment.

EFFECTS OF VAPORIZATION TEMPERATURE AND SUB COOLING VARIATION ON THE PERFORMANCE OF A VAPOUR COMPRESSION REFRIGERATION CYCLE WORKING WITH R134A, MET ON NEWER SHIPS

R134a is a refrigerant met in several marine refrigeration applications, such as fishing vessels, passenger and cargo ships. In 2014, 26% of the international commercial fleet was using R134a. Although R134a shows a null Ozone Depletion Potential, it has a quite high Global Warming Potential (1300). R134a is a greenhouse gas and, even if it is present on newer ships, the future will be marked by its replacement with substitutes having low GWP. Still, because its GWP is less than 2500, R 134a will continue to be used. Due to the fact that vapour compression refrigeration systems are dominant on board the ships and knowing that these technologies are high energy consumers, analysing their performance in the contemporary energetic context, is imperious required. This paper presents a theoretical analysis of a single stage vapour compression cycle, working with R134a, based on the laws of thermodynamics. The analysis will reveal the influence of the evaporator temperature on the Coefficient of performance and on exergy efficiency, and also the influence of sub cooling on these two efficiency terms, on the refrigerant mass flow rate and compression rate. It was considered a variation of the evaporator temperature in the range (-40÷ -10)oC and of the sub cooling in the range (0÷10)oC. The increase of the evaporator temperature will contribute to a COP increment (50%) and an exergy efficiency decrease (34%). The sub cooling will lead to both COP and exergy efficiency increase (11%). Higher sub cooling degree will provide an increment in the refrigerant mass flow (18%) and a decrease of the compression rate (76%) meaning lower work consumption at the compressor.

The Russian Commercial Fleet in the Treaty Ports of China in the Second Half of the 19th Century

The article offers a comprehensive analysis of the activity of the Russian merchant fleet in China in the second half of the 19th century. This historical issue is particularly relevant in connection with the active development of modern foreign trade in China and the strengthening of Russian-Chinese trade and economic ties. The historical research is based on the materials of the central archives of Russian Federation (including the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire and the Russian State Historical Archive). The methodology is based on a comparative analysis of Russian shipping in China and similar activities of other foreigners, and a system analysis that allows us to study the issue in the context of the overall development of Russian-Chinese trade. An important component of the article is the statistical analysis of data on the development of maritime Russian-Chinese trade, foreign shipping in China, and freight rates. The article considers the development of the organization of maritime Russian-Chinese trade in Odessa and the Far East directions. On the example of several treaty ports (Hankou, Shanghai, and Chifu), the features of the development of Russian commercial navigation in Chinese waters and the accompanying complexities of this process are shown. As a result, the author comes to the conclusion that there is a direct correlation between the level of infrastructure development in the Russian Far East and the expansion of the presence of the Russian merchant fleet in the treaty ports of China at the end of the 19th century.

Flying Cars and Hyperloops?

Despite the traditional science fiction scenario, few really expect a proliferation of flying cars in 2050. But it's hard to find a prediction of transportation for the middle of this century that does not hinge on a combination of electric vehicles driving themselves around. Yet is this less ambitious picture also likely to be inaccurate? Despite the promises made by governments to transform the world of car travel, 2050 probably will not look that different from today at the global level and that goes for many other aspects of travel beyond just cars. One clear obstacle to change is that vehicles have a long useful life. Though commercial fleet owners tend to replace vehicles after five years to avoid rising repair costs, private owners will still buy them and keep them running for far longer.

Modeling Real-Life Urban Sensor Networks Based on Open Data

Epidemics and pandemics dramatically affect mobility trends around the world, which we have witnessed recently and expect more of in the future. A global energy crisis is looming ahead on the horizon and will redefine the transportation and energy usage patterns, in particular in large cities and metropolitan areas. As the trend continues to expand, the need to efficiently monitor and manage smart city infrastructure, public transportation, service vehicles, and commercial fleets has become of higher importance. This, in turn, requires new methods for dissemination, collection, and processing of data from massive number of already deployed sensing devices. In order to transmit these data efficiently, it is necessary to optimize the connection structure in wireless networks. Emerging open access to real data from different types of networked and sensing devices should be leveraged. It enables construction of models based on frequently updated real data rather than synthetic models or test environments. Hence, the main objective of this article is to introduce the concept of network modeling based on publicly available geographic location data of heterogeneous nodes and to promote the use of real-life diverse open data sources as the basis of novel research related to urban sensor networks. The feasibility of designed modeling architecture is discussed and proved with numerous examples of modeled spatial and spatiotemporal graphs, which are essential in opportunistic routing-related studies using the methods which rely on graph theory. This approach has not been considered before in similar studies and in the literature.

Physics Informed Deep Learning for Tracker Fault Detection in Photovoltaic Power Plants

One of the main challenges for fault detection in commercial fleets of machines is the lack of annotated data from the faulty condition. The use of supervised algorithms for anomaly detection or fault diagnosis is often unrealistic in this case. One approach to overcome this challenge is to augment the available normal data by generating synthetic anomalous data that represents faulty conditions. In this paper we apply this approach to the detection of faults in the tracking system of solar panels in utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) power plants. We develop a physical model in order to augment the training data for a deep convolutional neural network. We show that the physics informed learning algorithm is capable of detecting faults in an accurate and robust manner under diverse weather conditions, outperforming a purely data-driven approach. Developing and testing the algorithm with real operational data ensures its efficient deployment for PV power plants that are monitored at string level. This in turn enables the early detection of root causes for power losses, thereby contributing to the accelerated adoption of solar energy at utility scale.

Naval Power, Merchant Fleets, and the Impact of Conflict on Trade

Although commonly assumed to secure trade, the influence of both naval power and merchant fleets on combatants’ ability to secure trade has been rarely explored. Using the gravity model on a dataset spanning 1980–2011, this study shows that the damage conflict inflicts on states’ third-party trade declines as both their naval power and commercial fleet size increase. Beyond validating core assumptions of modern maritime strategy, our results make a valuable contribution to the extensive literature on trade and conflict. The notion that trade integration fosters peace rests on the assumption that conflict depresses third-party trade, thereby reducing trade-integrated states’ propensity to initiate conflict. As this study shows, however, naval power and merchant fleets mitigate these trade-related costs of conflict. Thus, the ability of trade to deter conflict declines when states possess substantial maritime capabilities.

Application of multi-region input-output analysis to examine biosecurity risks associated with the global shipping network

The vast majority of globally traded cargo is transported via maritime shipping. Whilst in port for loading and unloading, these ships can pick up local marine organisms with internal ballast water or as external biofouling assemblages and subsequently move these to destination far beyond their natural ranges. Over the past decades, this mechanism has led to the establishment of hundreds of non-indigenous species (NIS) around global coastlines. Marine NIS cause significant environmental, economic, cultural and human health impacts. Taking effective steps to preventing their dispersal and establishment is an enduring challenge for governments and conservation agencies around the world. Here we use international commodity trade data and a Nobel-Prize-winning economic analysis technique to develop a novel approach for assessing global marine NIS transfer risks. We show that by tracing the origins and destinations of seaborne trade connections, and the nature of the traded commodities, we can predict the strength of shipping vectors and associated marine biosecurity risks. We demonstrate the utility of our approach via a case-study, where we trace the spread of a hypothetical marine NIS from Japan and show the congruence of our model results with documented invasion histories from that region. Our study demonstrates that biosecurity risk can be assessed using established economic modelling frameworks on the basis of monetary transaction data alone, and without the need for detailed itineraries of the many thousand vessels making up the global commercial fleet. Novel, cost-effective tools are needed to mitigate biosecurity risks associated with maritime trade, and to meet conservation goals while enabling economic prosperity. The modelling framework presented here can be expanded to incorporate future risk factors, life-history traits of particular NIS of concern, and even adapted to simulate the dispersal of terrestrial pests or disease agents.

ASPECTS OF PROVIDING ECOLOGICAL EFFICIENCY OF THE NORTHERN SEA ROUTE CONTAINER TRANSPORT SYSTEM

One of the important tasks of environment conservation, such as reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by commercial fleet, which is under special consideration of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and becoming a basis of world trade policy, is considered in the paper. The analysis of the container transportation system in world trade demonstrates its growing role. The dynamics and trends of the modern container fleet for the period of 2015-2020 confirm the thesis of the growing importance of the container system in world trade. The volumes of greenhouse gas emissions and contributions by the tanker, bulk carrier and container segments of the world merchant fleet are considered, the conclusion about the low environmental efficiency of the container fleet toward the volume of cargo flow is presented. Options and consequences of including the Northern Sea Route in the global logistics network to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are proposed. Based on early studies, the comparative calculations linking variation of ship speed with reduction of carbon dioxide emissions for four types of container ships on the routes including the Northern Sea Route and through the Suez Canal are given. Estimates for the mentioned reduction due to shortening the route between Europe and Asia are proposed. The practical applicability of the calculated estimates and their impact on the overall environmental friendliness of transport corridors in the case of more active use of the Northern Sea Route as a transit route for the goods flow from the Asia- Pacific region is discussed.

A Revised Video Vision Transformer for Traffic Estimation With Fleet Trajectories

Real-time traffic monitoring represents a key component for transportation management. The increasing penetration rate of connected vehicles with positioning devices encourages the utilization of trajectory data for real-time traffic monitoring. The use of commercial fleet trajectory data could be seen as the first step towards mobile sensing networks. The main objective of this research is to estimate space occupancy of a single road segment with partially observed trajectories (commercial fleet trajectories in our case). We first formulate the trajectory-based traffic estimation as a video computing problem. Then, we reconstruct trajectory series into video-like data by performing spatial discretization. Following this, video input is embedded using a tubelet embedding strategy. Finally, a Revised Video Vision Transformer (RViViT) is proposed to estimate traffic state from video embeddings. The proposed RViViT is tested on a public dataset of naturalistic vehicle trajectories collected from German highways around Cologne during 2017 and 2018. The results witness the effectiveness of the proposed method in traffic estimation with partially observed trajectories.

Value of optimal trip and charging scheduling of commercial electric vehicle fleets with Vehicle-to-Grid in future low inertia systems

The electrification of transport is seen as an important step in the global decarbonisation agenda. With such a large expected load on the power system from electric vehicles (EVs), it is important to coordinate charging in order to balance the supply and demand for electricity. Bidirectional charging, enabled through Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology, will unlock significant storage capacity from stationary EVs that are plugged in. To take this concept a step further, this paper quantifies the potential revenues to be gained by a commercial EV fleet operator from simultaneously scheduling its trips on a day-ahead basis, as well as its charging. This allows the fleet to complete its trips (with user defined trip length and distance), while taking advantage of fluctuating energy and ancillary services prices. A mathematical framework for optimal trip scheduling is proposed, formulated as a mixed-integer linear program, and is applied to several relevant scenarios of the present and future British electricity system. It is demonstrated that an optimal journey start time can increase the revenue of commercial fleets by up to 38% in summer and 12% in winter. This means a single EV from the maintenance fleet can make additional annual revenue of up to {\pounds}729. Flexible trip schedules are more valuable in the summer because keeping EVs plugged in during peak solar output will benefit the grid and the fleet operators the most. It was also found that a fleet of 5,000 EVs would result in the equivalent $\textrm{CO}_2$ of removing one Combined Cycle Gas Turbine from the system. This significant increase in revenue and carbon savings show this approach is worth investigating for potential future application.

Allometry and Individual Growth of the Temperate Pacific Sardine (Sardinops sagax) Stock in the Southern California Current System

We analyzed individual growth and body mass allometry of the temperate stock of Sardinops sagax from samples collected on commercial fleet during 2005 to 2014 in the southern California Current System. Ages were estimated on otolith growth ring reading. Age (years) and standard length (SL; mm) data were fitted using four growth models: von Bertalanffy (VBM), Gompertz (GM), logistic (LM), and Schnute (SM) models. Parameters of each model were calculated by the maximum likelihood method using Akaike information criterion and Akaike’s weight (WAICi) to select the model with the greatest plausibility. Additionally, the interannual growth performance (φ′) variation was described. Body mass allometry was established from the relationship between total body mass (TM; g) and standard length. The sardine samples ranged in size from 114 to 226 mm SL and in weight from 20 to 192 g TM; ages varied from 0.5 to 6.0 years. The allometric parameter (b) was estimated to be 3.155 (3.154–3.156), showing a hyper-allometry growth type. On the basis of raw data, we found that the LM model fit the original data better (WAICi ~35%). When models were fitted to data bolstered with simulated values, the VBM model obtained the greatest weight (WAICi = 60.9%), but the LM model had null plausibility. Consequently, we determined that the Pacific sardine growth pattern was best described by the VBM model, which appears to be more robust against biased data. The φ′ showed interannual variation (2.13–2.51), with an average of φ′ = 2.25. An apparent inverse relationship was observed between φ′ and the Oceanic Niño Index (ONI) or the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and the apparent positive relationship between Upwelling Index (UI) and φ’.

Design of separate-effects In-Pile transient boiling experiments at the TREAT Facility

The cladding-to-coolant heat transfer during rapid power excursions, such as reactivity-initiated accidents, remains a crucial area of uncertainty in nuclear reactor safety. This uncertainty impacts the ability to accurately predict fuel performance behavior for these conditions. Improving our understanding of transient cladding-to-coolant heat transfer will enhance our ability to model design-basis accidents and could increase design and safety margins for the current commercial fleet and advanced reactors. To address these issues, the Critical Heat Flux Static Environment Rodlet Transient Test Apparatus experiment was designed and uses a novel approach with a borated stainless-steel heater rodlet that can replicate cladding temperatures experienced during a design-basis reactivity-initiated accident. The design of the rodlet allows for separate-effect testing that eliminates complexities with a fuel and cladding specimen. The rodlet and experiment is instrumented to provide temperature and thermal–hydraulic conditions throughout the transient. The experiment results show that the current correlations in RELAP5-3D are conservative and predict much higher temperatures than measured during the experiments. The data from the experiments will be used to improve our models and understanding of boiling behavior, specifically critical heat flux, under transient conditions.

Smart charging strategies for heavy electric vehicles

With emission standards tightening around the world and the popularity of electric cars rising, the electrification of heavy-duty vehicles (e.g., diesel trucks) appears to be a natural progression. For electric truck (ET) charging, a return-to-base strategy with chargers located where trucks begin and end each day, such as trucks used in cargo, freight, and delivery entities, is becoming increasingly viable and attractive. This return-to-base strategy; however, has impacts on the peak demand of a facility which can contribute to an increase in demand charge and requires electrical asset upgrades in certain circumstances. This challenge is different and unique compared to the light-duty passenger vehicles charging challenge (i.e., low distributed charging load and longer charging periods). To address this ET charging challenge, this paper proposes a smart charging system (SCS) that manages the charging process of ETs at their commercial facilities, with the objective of minimizing the peak demand of the aggregate load profile at the facility. Our simulation studies show the effectiveness of the proposed SCS in reducing the peak demand of the facility. The proposed solution can achieve a monthly saving in demand charge of up to 54% compared to uncontrolled charging schemes. • A smart charging system to address the challenges of ET charging at their facilities. • Addresses ET operators' concerns over the increase of demand charges of ET charging. • Accommodates the V2V and V2G technologies in the smart charging system of ETs. • Increases the adoption rate of electric trucks into the different commercial fleets. • The proposed solution can achieve a monthly saving in demand charge of up to 54%.

The influence of frequency containment reserve flexibilization on the economics of electric vehicle fleet operation

In recent years, the spot and ancillary service markets have become a relevant source of revenue for stationary battery storage systems. During this period, many markets have become increasingly flexible with shorter service periods and lower minimum power requirements. This flexibility makes the markets attractive for pools of electric vehicles (EVs), providing the opportunity to earn additional revenue. In this paper, multi-year measurement data from 22 commercial EVs are used to develop a simulation model to calculate the available power of an EV pool. In addition, the driving logbooks of >460 vehicles from commercial fleets of 14 different economic sectors are analyzed. Based on our simulations, we discuss the influence of shorter service periods on available pool power and power uncertainty. The key findings are that, especially at times with a high pool power, the uncertainty is low. This leads to the conclusion that commercial fleets offer a highly reliable power profile during known idle times depending on the economic sector. All investigated 14 sectors show high and reliable power availability at night and most show this availability also during weekends while others show a regular driving pattern seven days a week. These results are applicable to any energy market. To have a concrete use case, the impact of frequency containment reserve (FCR) flexibilization on the economics of an EV pool is analyzed using the German FCR market design from 2008 to 2022. It is shown that, depending on the fleet, especially the two recent changes in service periods from one week to one day and from one day to 4 h generate the largest increase in available pool power. Further future reductions in FCR service periods will only produce minor benefits, as idle times are often already longer than service periods. According to our analysis, revenues of about 450 €/a to 750 €/a could have been achieved per EV in the German FCR market between mid-2020 and the first quarter of 2022.

New Insight Into the Reproductive Biology and Catch of Juveniles of the Lutjanus purpureus in a Portion of the Great Amazon Reef System Off the Northern Brazilian Coast

The Southern red snapper, Lutjanus purpureus, is a valuable economic resource, especially in international market. However, no recent data are available on the reproductive biology of this species in Brazilian waters, in particular, the stock found on the Amazon reef. The present study evaluated the population structure and reproductive biology of L. purpureus, and the volume of the catch of juveniles taken by the local commercial fisheries. A total of 923 specimens were analyzed, of which, 577 were female and 346 male (sex ratio: 0.6:1; p < 0.05). The analysis of the gonadosomatic index (GSI) and the distribution of maturation stages indicated that the males and females are able to reproduce throughout the year, however the reproductive peak occurs simultaneously with the increase in the water discharge of the Amazon River. The spawning females were registered in the study area, indicating that L. purpureus does not perform long distance reproductive migrations, different from the previously proposed. The Fork length at first sexual maturation (FL50) was estimated to be 35.2 cm in the males and 32.1 cm in the females. The high frequency of juveniles (< FL50) captured by the commercial snapper fleet using longlines (33.67% of the total catch) and traps (42.1%) indicates the poor selectivity of the fishing gear used by the snapper fleet, which may contribute to the accelerated depletion of the L. purpureus stock. Although the results of this study show a catch percentage of juveniles >50%, it is still a significant percentage of juveniles that are being caught due to little or no guidance and enforcement of fishing gear to ensure compliance with current legislation. Considering the data presented in this study and the current situation of declining fish stocks of L. purpureus, an assessment is recommended for the inclusion of the species in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, which is currently a species categorized as “vulnerable” in the Brazilian Red List.

Avoiding sharp accelerations can mitigate the impacts of a Ferry’s radiated noise on the St. Lawrence whales

Exposure to anthropogenic noise from the commercial fleet is one of the primary constituents of the acoustic pollution perturbing the environment of aquatic life. Merchant ships (e.g. bulkers, tankers) have been the focus of numerous studies for underwater noise source level determination and modeling. This work extends pre-existing studies to the ferry ship class. Hydrophone-based measurements of the N.M. Trans-Saint-Laurent ferry near the Rivière-du-Loup harbor (Rivière-du-Loup, QC CANADA) were obtained for 186 transits between 2020 July 22th and 2020 September 5th. For each transit, monopole source levels are estimated for two (2) different modes of operation i.e., the low-speed phases of acceleration/deceleration when the ferry launches/docks at Rivière-du-Loup and the passages at quasi-operational speed at the hydrophone’s closest-point-of-approach. Relative differences between the two (2) modes of operation are presented here in the low-frequency domain between 141 and 707 Hz. An average excess of 8 to 11.5 dB indicates that the ferry is likely one order of magnitude noisier, within this frequency band, during acceleration/deceleration when compared to passages at operational speed. This highlights that, in terms of marine mammal conservation, a significant reduction of the noise pollution could be achieved, for instance, by avoiding sudden speed changes in the vicinity of whales.

Современное состояние, проблемы и перспективы развития отечественного гражданского судостроения

Object and purpose of research. The object of the study is domestic shipbuilding, its problems and ways to solve them. The article is intended to study the current state of the Russian shipbuilding industry, to investigate the tasks of its further development and to formulate priority measures to stimulate this development. Materials and methods. The solution of the tasks set in the article was carried out on the basis of application of general scientific methods in the framework of comparative, logical and statistical analysis, study of literary sources in regards to the issue in consideration as well as through the study of structures of domestic shipbuilding industries, pricing methods, financial analysis, etc. The material is extensive statistical data on the production programs of shipbuilding yards. Main results. A study of the state of contemporary domestic shipbuilding has been carried out. The analysis of trends in the development of world shipbuilding at the turn of the century allowed us to identify the general directions that form the image of promising Russian shipbuilding technologies. It is concluded that the world level of development of technical and software tools, as well as communication tools, allows us to move to fundamentally new methods of design, construction and support of vessels and ships operation based on a single information space and providing information support for all stages of the ship's life cycle (information support of the life cycle, or CALS-technology). Conclusion. According to the conducted research of the shipbuilding market, the nomenclature and production volumes of Russian enterprises do not fully cover the existing needs of shipbuilding. However, the domestic shipbuilding industry has sufficient scientific, technical, production and technological potential and market capacity. Our manufacturers have every chance to take a leading position in commercial fleet construction segment in the near future, because the need for Russian-made components with technical and operational characteristics that are not inferior to foreign analogues will increase. Today favourable conditions are forming to stimulate the localization of production. At the same time, the key factors are the stability of Russian legislation and compliance with the obligations assumed by the state, which will ensure the attraction of long-term localization and indigenisation projects in general. The development of own production of a wide range in shipbuilding industry will allow the Russian Federation to pursue a selfsustained and independent policy aimed at ensuring the technological security of the country. To solve such a complex task, an integrated, systematic approach is needed, involving close cooperation between the state, business, and research institutes, which as a result will allow us to build an optimal program for the development of the entire industry.

Mapping the thickness of sea ice in the Arctic as an example of using data from a ship-based television complex for operational hydrometeorological support of maritime activities

Sea ice charts produced by the ice services of the world are among the most widely used sources of information about sea ice conditions in the Arctic. The absolute majority of sea ice charts are based on visual expert analysis of satellite imagery accompanied by auxiliary data including ground information from coastal stations and ships navigating the Northern Sea Route (NSR). Ground measurements of sea ice thickness are necessary for validating the results of satellite imagery interpretation. Shipboard observations are highly valuable because, unlike coastal stations, the ships provide information about sea ice cover straight on the navigational routes, not in the coastal areas of land-fast ice, where the thickness values are not fully representative of the ice in the open sea. However, the current system of shipboard observations used by commercial fleets often does not meet the reliability requirements due to the human factor involved in the process of data collection. In the early 2000s, the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) suggested a new methodology for shipboard ice thickness measurement. A ship-based television complex (STC) was developed in order to exclude the human factor and standardize observations. The inaccuracy value was estimated as 3.8 % of the real thickness. By 2018, STC had been upgraded to a new ship-based television meteorological complex (STMC) allowing continuous automatic measurement of ice thickness and many other related hydrometeorological parameters during the entire voyage. The automatic and autonomous operation of the new equipment allows placing it on board the ship without the need for an ice specialist to be permanently present. It means that STMC can be used by commercial fleets, which constantly increase the number of Arc7 ice class vessels they use. For economic reasons, reinforced ice class vessels, whose number is growing, represent the only available infrastructure suitable for the deployment of distributed network providing operational hydrometeorological monitoring on the NSR. A comparison of STC data with AARI ice charts has revealed that real-time transmission of STC data from ships to the ice service office could increase the accuracy of ice charts and, as a consequence, the quality of the entire system of hydrometeorological informational support of maritime activities in the Arctic.