Inland Waterways Research Articles

Research on the spatial distribution and influencing factors of the maritime services: based on data from Chinese enterprises

ABSTRACT In the context of global maritime cluster development and the strategic evolution of port cities, the spatial distribution and determinants of Maritime Services (MSs) emerge as pivotal areas of inquiry. However, empirical analysis in this domain remains limited. To address this deficiency, our study meticulously processes and analyses data from Chinese Maritime Service Enterprises (MSEs) listed in the World Shipping Register Company until 2023, categorizing these enterprises into port-related, ship-related and maritime consulting enterprises. Utilizing instrumental variables and econometrics, our findings reveal that MSs in China predominantly aggregate in coastal cities, along major inland waterways, and within inland central cities, with a pronounced clustering near urban centers. This distribution is primarily influenced by two factors: firstly, geographic proximity to seaports and throughput levels markedly impacts the distribution, especially for port-related enterprises and ship-related enterprises. Secondly, the clustering of downstream supporting industries, shared labor pools and knowledge spillovers, which are essential elements of agglomeration economics, particularly affects maritime consulting enterprises. Such a pattern is also influenced by the broader business environment and governmental governance. This research not only clarifies existing disputes regarding the maritime industry’s spatial distribution but also offers insights for MSs development and the transformative planning of port cities.

Demand rerouting mechanisms with revenue management for intermodal barge transportation networks

Inland waterway transportation plays a crucial role in Europe's transportation network and economy. It is an efficient and sustainable mode of transportation, with lower emissions and energy consumption than other modes of transportation, such as road and air. However, the services provided by inland waterway transport can be significantly impacted by adverse weather conditions such as heavy rain, strong winds, and flooding. These disruptions can cause delays, cancellations, or even damage to vessels or infrastructure. To improve the system reliability, we propose a set of revenue management based (demand itinerary) rerouting mechanisms for intermodal barge transportation optimisation. Revenue Management policies including several customer categories and fare differentiation are applied. Sequential accept/reject decisions are made based on a probabilistic mixed integer programming model maximising the expected revenue of a carrier. A booking framework is defined over a rolling horizon and capacity allocation/reallocation decisions are made for a set of demands including the current and relevant past and potential future transportation requests. Several (demand) rerouting mechanisms are defined and implemented on different service network configurations. The service network status is regularly updated, in particular with respect to barge capacity variations due to changing water levels. An extensive set of experiments is performed and numerical results are analysed. The study results emphasise the added value but also the need for data availability and information sharing between the different stakeholders of Inland Waterway Transportation systems.

Current Status of Logistics Infrastructure Associated with the Development of Vietnam’s Sea Tourism

With a coastline of 3260 kilometers, 2.773 islands, and 28 coastal provinces, Vietnam has a great potential for sea tourism development. One of the factors affecting this development is logistics infrastructure. This research paper aims to analyze all of the logistics infrastructure factors including highways, railways, inland waterways, seaway, and airways; and the connection between logistics transport infrastructure and marine tourism development. The result shows that coastal tourism areas have made strong investments in logistics infrastructure and future planning. However, the lack of synchronization in transport networks connecting tourist destinations, the adaptation of the seaport systems and waterway transports, along with the overall infrastructure serving the needs of accommodations and tourism services have not met the increasing demand. Based on these bases, this paperwork proposes solutions to developing the logistics infrastructure associated with the development of Vietnam’s sea tourism.

Development of a calculation power model of a vacuum automounting device

One of the ways to improve navigation safety during water transport operation is to develop automated devices and systems that reduce the number of tasks for workers. For example, the introduction of vessels with different levels of autonomy into production activities, capable of automatically monitoring the environment or delivering cargo, helps to reduce the size of the vessel due to the absence of a residential superstructure. On inland waterways, one of the limitations of the introduction of autonomous navigation is their safe passage through shipping passages — shipping locks. Mooring a vessel in a lock chamber is very labor-intensive and is usually performed by crew members of the vessel being locked for movable (floating hoops) or fixed (berthing bollards, bollards, hoops) mooring devices, the permissible loads of which are established in regulatory documents. Over the past 10 years, the authors have not found studies describing the results of measuring the loads on mooring devices and ropes arising from the movement of the vessel in the lock chamber. Another constraint to the implementation of autonomous shipping is the lack of requirements for auto-mooring devices that ensure the retention of vessels in the lock chamber. In this regard, the purpose of this study is to compare the standard and actual values of the load on mooring eyes and ropes for the theoretical calculation of the holding forces of the vacuum automooring device model, taking into account the operating conditions in the shipping lock chamber. The measurement results presented in the article were obtained in the course of the research work “Development of scientifically based recommendations for establishing hydraulic modes for filling and emptying the chambers of locks No. 1–8 of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Volga-Balt Administration” based on in-kind studies of the conditions of ship mooring in lock chambers” commissioned by the Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport using a strain gauge installed in the mooring rope cut. As a result of the theoretical calculation of the holding force of the vacuum auto-mooring device, the holding forces of the vacuum gripper from the radius of one vacuum suction cup were obtained.

A Two-Stage Bayesian Network Approach to Inland Waterway Navigation Risk Assessment Considering the Characteristics of Different River Segments: A Case of the Yangtze River

Identifying the main sources of risk for different types of waterways helps to develop targeted risk control strategies for different river segments. To improve the level of risk management in inland waterways for sustainable development, a two-stage risk evaluation model is proposed in this study by integrating a fuzzy rule base and Bayesian networks. The model evaluates risk sources from the following four dimensions: probability of occurrence, visibility, probability of causing accidents, and consequences. Typical river sections in the upper, middle, and lower reaches of the Yangtze River were selected as cases, and 19 risk sources were identified and comparatively analyzed from the perspectives of humans, ships, the environment, and management. The fuzzy rule base is employed to compare expert opinions, yielding three key risk sources for each section based on their risk values. The findings reveal certain commonalities in the principal risk sources across sections. For example, natural disasters (landslides, earthquakes, and extreme hydrological conditions) are present in both the middle and lower reaches, and an insufficient channel width is common in the upper and middle reaches. However, the key risk sources differ among the sections. The upper reaches are primarily threatened by the improper management of affiliated vessels and adverse weather, while the middle reaches suffer from insufficient channel width surplus, and the lower reaches are mainly threatened by high vessel traffic density and low-quality crews. The results of the study show that the key risk sources in each section of the Yangtze River have obvious differences and need to be assessed according to the characteristics of different sections. This study can provide a reference for decision-making in inland waterway risk management by maritime safety authorities.

Comprehensive Study on Optimizing Inland Waterway Vessel Routes Using AIS Data

Inland waterway transport is an important mode of transportation for many countries and regions. Route planning optimization can reduce navigation time, avoid traffic congestion, and improve transportation efficiency. In actual operations, many vessels determine their navigation routes based on the experience of their shipowners. When the captain fails to obtain accurate information, experience-based routes may pose significant navigation risks and may not consider the overall economic efficiency. This study proposes a comprehensive method for optimizing inland waterway vessel routes using automatic identification system (AIS) data, considering the geographical characteristics of inland waterways and navigation constraints. First, AIS data from vessels in inland waters are collected, and the multi-objective Peak Douglas–Peucker (MPDP) algorithm is applied to compress the trajectory data. Compared to the traditional DP algorithm, the MPDP algorithm reduces the average compression rate by 5.27%, decreases length loss by 0.04%, optimizes Euclidean distance by 50.16%, and improves the mean deviations in heading and speed by 23.53% and 10.86%, respectively. Next, the Ordering Points to Identify the Clustering Structure (OPTICS) algorithm is used to perform cluster analysis on the compressed route points. Compared to the traditional DBSCAN algorithm, the OPTICS algorithm identifies more clusters that are both detailed and hierarchically structured, including some critical waypoints that DBSCAN may overlook. Based on the clustering results, the A* algorithm is used to determine the connectivity between clusters. Finally, the nondominated sorting genetic algorithm II is used to select suitable route points within the connected clusters, optimizing objectives, including path length and route congestion, to form an optimized complete route. Experiments using vessel data from the waters near Shuangshan Island indicate that, when compared to three classic original routes, the proposed method achieves path length optimizations of 4.28%, 1.67%, and 0.24%, respectively, and reduces congestion by 24.15%. These improvements significantly enhance the planning efficiency of inland waterway vessel routes. These findings provide a scientific basis and technical support for inland waterway transport.

Value-Focused Assessment of Container on Barge Freight Transportation Readiness

Container on Barge (COB) is a freight transport mode that utilizes barges to transport shipping containers. This mode has been relatively slow to develop in the United States compared to Europe and Asia. This research contributes a comprehensive and practical readiness assessment scorecard based on value-focused thinking for inland waterway ports to evaluate the feasibility of COB development. Based on a comprehensive literature review, the Container on Barge Readiness Assessment Scorecard covers important attributes and provides constructed measurements to assess COB port readiness. Applicability of the scorecard is demonstrated on nine global ports, and implications for engineering managers are presented.

Coupled computational fluid dynamics-discrete element method for simulating the interactions between ship-induced waves and riprap on restricted waterway banks

In inland waterways, waves generated by passing boats cause the movement of riprap used for bank protection and stabilization. Previous studies have mainly concerned the natural channel erosion problem caused by wind-generated waves and neglected the research and findings on shipping behavior. This work presents a coupling of the computational fluid dynamics model and the discrete element method. The aim is to first study the interactions between ship waves in the confined channel and the movements of the riprap of the banks and shorelines and second to analyze the stability of these armourstones under the actions of various ship velocities and draught depths. These varying conditions exert influence on the ship-induced waves, the crucial point being the drawdown amplitude, and consequently create more intense flow behavior in the near-shore region, which results in instability and destruction of the overall structure of the armor protection layer. The higher ship velocity and the larger draught depth lead to the aggravation of instability processes of the blocs composing the protective layer. There is a critical phenomenon in the influence mechanism of vessel velocity, whereas the variation process induced by draught depth is relatively linear. In addition, the stability of the blocs also depends on their shapes, sizes, and the initial positions within the protective layer. This study could contribute to the high-quality development of inland navigation.

Dynamic Rescheduling for Optimal Transportation Incident Management in Inland Waterways

Dynamic Rescheduling for Optimal Transportation Incident Management in Inland Waterways

Impact of automation and zero-emission propulsion on design of small inland cargo vessels

Abstract Small inland waterways offer considerable capacity for modal shift of cargo transport. Revitalization of smaller inland waterways, however, may require new vessel designs as most of the existing small vessels are outdated and incompatible with the present state of the technology development and the current commercial and regulatory requirements. This paper investigates the possibilities for modernization of small inland vessel designs and offers a systematic analysis of impact of “automation” and “zero-emission propulsion technology” on reference designs of standard European inland cargo vessels of CEMT classes I, II, III, and IV. The adopted level of automation enables the vessels to be remotely operated without human crew onboard, whereas the adopted zero-emission propulsion concept is based on electrification of the powertrain. The paper identifies the impacts of the modernization on general arrangement, cargo capacity, safety, structural design, etc. and indicates the vessel classes which could be the most promising candidates for the design of a future small autonomous inland ships.

Bridge Detection in Autonomous Shipping: A YOLOv8 Approach with Autodistill and GroundedSAM

Abstract Inland waterway transportation remains a crucial and cost-effective mode of global transport despite challenges such as skilled personnel shortages, increasing competition, and ecological impacts. Autonomous technology enhances vessel navigation, scheduling, safety, and efficiency, making it a viable solution for smart ship and port operations. Reliable object detection is essential for autonomous ships to navigate safely and avoid collisions with static structures like bridges, piers, bollards, and locks. This paper presents an innovative approach for training a network using the Autodistill pipeline for bridge detection and segmentation. We generate a labeled bridge dataset using GroundedSAM, which integrates Grounding DINO and the Segment Anything Model (SAM) to detect and segment regions based on text input. The system focuses on identifying ‘bridge’ and ‘water’ classes, producing high-quality labeled data. Manual filtering improves label quality, enhancing the training of the YOLOv8 model, known for its superior object detection capabilities. Our approach demonstrates high performance in accurately detecting bridges, confirmed through evaluations with and without manual filtering. To validate our solution’s feasibility in real-world applications, we deployed the model on a NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin for performance evaluation. Future work will extend this approach to additional static and mobile objects relevant to smart ship and port operations, such as ship locks and various ship types.

Machine Learning for the Sustainable Management of Depth Prediction and Load Optimization in River Convoys: An Amazon Basin Case Study

The seasonal fluctuation of river depths is a critical factor in designing cargo capacity for river convoys and logistics processes used for grain transportation in northern Brazil. Water level variations directly impact the load capacities of pusher convoys navigating the Amazon rivers. This paper presents a machine learning model based on a multilayer perceptron artificial neural network developed with the aim of estimating the cargo capacities of river convoys one year in advance, which is essential for determining load capacities during dry periods. The prediction model was applied to the Tapajós River in the Amazon Basin, Brazil, where grain transportation is significant and relies on inland waterways. Navigability conditions were evaluated in terms of depth and geometric parameters. The results of this case study were satisfactory, validating the computational tool and enabling the assessment of capacity losses during dry periods and the identification of navigation bottlenecks. The main contributions of this work include optimizing river logistics, reducing costs, minimizing environmental impacts, and promoting the sustainable management of water resources in the Amazon. Conclusions drawn from the study indicate that the developed model is highly effective, with an R2 of 0.954 and RMSE of 0.095, demonstrating its potential to significantly enhance river convoy operations and support sustainable development in the region.

Multi-objective intermodal transportation planning with real-life application

ABSTRACT This paper explores the optimal route selection problem within an intermodal transportation network that comprises road, rail, sea, and inland waterways. Initially, we propose a multi-objective integer linear programming model that aims to minimize total cost, transport time, and carbon emissions. Subsequently, we apply two multi-objective programming approaches: Fuzzy Goal Programming and Compromise Programming. These approaches are implemented in a real-life case study, aiming to determine the optimal intermodal transportation route from Türkiye (Denizli) to Germany (Duisburg). Four out of the six methods suggest the same road and maritime pathway. Furthermore, this model has the potential to aid decision-makers in selecting routes based on customer requirements and serve as a valuable tool for policymakers in establishing an efficient intermodal transport network.

INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT AS A CONCEPTUAL PROVISIONS COMPONENT FOR THE CARGO FLOWS FORMATION OF MARITIME TRANSPORT IN UKRAINE

. The article is devoted to updating the legal field of Ukraine, which regulates maritime transport, in accordance with EU standards and norms. The purpose of the study is to develop a proposal for institutional support for the realisation of the maritime transport potential in the security dimension in the post-war period. After analysing the legal framework governing maritime transport, 1086 documents were identified. Among them, there are 39 international Directives in force (for maritime transport) and 6 (for inland waterway transport). In addition, the unimplemented Directive 2015/757/EU "On the monitoring, reporting and verification of carbon dioxide emissions from maritime transport and amending Directive 2009/16/EC" was found. If this document is implemented into Ukrainian legislation, Ukraine's maritime transport will see positive changes in the direction of green logistics. And the author proposed to introduce amendments to the draft CMU Resolution "On Amendments to the Procedure for Providing Guarantees of Compensation for Damage Caused as a Result of the Armed Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and Military Actions on the Territory of Ukraine to Charterers, Operators and/or Owners of Seagoing Ships and Inland Navigation Vessels Flying the Flag of Ukraine and Flags of Foreign States". It was proposed to pursue a course towards "green" logistics by implementing the necessary EU Directives into the legislative framework. Bringing Ukraine's regulatory framework in line with international EU standards, namely the documents governing maritime transport, will lead to an increase in trade and a higher level of security.

Enhancing Inland Waterway Safety and Management through Machine Learning-Based Ship Detection

Efficient ship detection is essential for inland waterway management. Recent advances in artificial intelligence have prompted research in this field. This study introduces a real-time ship detection model utilizing computer vision and the YOLO object detection framework. The model is designed to identify and locate common inland waterway vessels, such as container ships, passenger vessels, barges, ferries, canoes, fishing boats, and sailboats. Data augmentation techniques were employed to enhance the model's ability to handle variations in ship appearance, weather, and image quality. The system achieved a mean Average Precision (mAP) of 98.4%, with precision and recall rates of 96.6% and 95.0%, respectively. These results demonstrate the model's effectiveness in practical applications. Its ability to generalize across diverse vessel types and environmental conditions suggests its potential integration into video surveillance for improved maritime safety, traffic control, and search and rescue operations.

River information systems as a factor in improving the efficiency of inland waterway transport

The creation of a full-fledged information system that integrates important information for both government agencies and transport participants, and increases the openness of the transport services market, is an extremely urgent task for domestic inland waterway transport. To date, on the basis of the Administrations of the Basins of inland Waterways, elements of the river information system (RIS) have been developed, the main purpose of which is to control the movement of the fleet, the operation of hydraulic structures and ensure the safety of navigation. The article discusses the ways and directions of further development of RIS, including the creation of an information and analytical subsystem for monitoring the operation of river transport for the purposes of state regulation and control and the development of an information platform for interaction between transport participants and other entities related to the control and maintenance of inland waterway transport. The creation and implementation of the information subsystems considered in this paper will contribute to improving the efficiency and competitiveness of river transport.

Analysis and directions of development of transport and logistics schemes for the delivery of grain cargoes with the participation of inland waterway transport in Russia

In this article, the authors analyzed the transport and logistics schemes for transporting grain cargoes with the possible participation of water transport in a new geopolitical situation. After the introduction of sanctions by Western countries against the Russian Federation, the existing grain delivery schemes lost their relevance, therefore, the authors proposed a scheme for transporting grain cargoes from grain-producing regions of central Russia to southern ports on the Caspian Sea. Based on the presented scheme, the authors proposed options for the delivery of grain cargoes from the subjects of the Russian Federation, tending to inland waterways to Iranian ports, within the framework of the developing international transport corridor (ITC) "North-South". The proposed delivery options necessarily imply the operation of a river fleet and river-sea vessels to deliver grain raw materials to the countries of the Middle East and Africa during navigation, as well as during the inter-navigation period.

An efficient method to simulate ship self-propulsion in shallow waters and its application to optimize hull lines

Emerging environmental challenges, such as pronounced low water levels and a constantly increasing transport volume, underscore the need to address logistical complexities and to refocus attention on the performance of self-propulsion vessels in restricted and confined waters. Recognizing the demand for an accurate and efficient ship design method, we modified an actuator disk model to predict ship propulsion. This model was designed to be applicable to various kinds of ships, with special features tailored to meet the specific requirements of inland water vessels, particularly those equipped with ducted propellers. We implemented this model into the open-source CFD software library OpenFOAM to be used in conjunction with either single- or multiphase incompressible solvers. We validated this implemented model against model test data, thereby demonstrating its capability to accurately predict propulsion performance of a typical inland waterway vessel. Following validation, we employed this model in an automated optimization process, demonstrating its robust and efficient applicability for a practical user-defined case to improve a ship's afterbody lines. Meticulous grid convergence studies ensured the predictive convergence of our simulations. Our validation covered various ship speeds at three distinct water depths, ranging from a moderate water depth-to-draft ratio h/T of 2.67 to an extreme shallow water depth-to-draft ratio h/T of 1.25. We validated our simulated results against data extracted from our own previous model tests, comprising measured ship trim and ship sinkage, propeller thrust, duct thrust, propeller torque, propeller revolution rate, and propulsion power. We investigated the influence of water depth also on various parameters, such as friction and pressure distributions, free surface interactions, and velocity patterns. Finally, we integrated the developed method into an automated optimization process that we tailored for a selected test cases of the considered ship operating in water depth to draft ratios h/T of 2.67. This integrated process facilitated the systematic refinement of the ship's afterbody lines, representing a crucial step in the pursuit to enhance ship performance.

Inland Waterways of Assam with Special Reference to Brahmaputra Valley in Post Independence

Inland Waterways of Assam with Special Reference to Brahmaputra Valley in Post Independence

Simulation of LNG tank container leakage and dispersion on anchoring inland carrying vessel

Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) is becoming an important energy source as clean energy. In cities with inland waterways, LNG tank containers transported by inland vessels will be the primary mode of transportation. However, the night sailing of LNG carriers is typically prohibited considering the safety of the vessels and surroundings. Inland LNG tank container carriers have to wait at specific anchorages during the prohibition period and complete the full voyage in segments. During the anchoring phase, the vessels pose significant risks with LNG leakage and dispersion as the primary ones. In this study, taking the anchoring LNG tank container carrier in the Yangtze River in China as a case study, a comparative simulation study is performed using the computational fluid dynamics model to investigate the influencing risk factors. The leakage and dispersion of LNG under extremely unfavorable conditions are also analyzed to calculate the safety area and provide the corresponding safety management suggestions. The comparative analysis results indicate that the leakage aperture is the primary influential factor, followed by wind speed and temperature. The simulations under extremely unfavorable conditions reveal a maximum dispersion range of 190 m and a safety zone radius of 310 m. These results provide important technical guidance and reference values for the case of leakage and dispersion on inland waterways.