Port Of Genoa Research Articles

Compact and Low-Cost Fluorescence Based Flow-Through Analyzer for Early-Stage Classification of Potentially Toxic Algae and in Situ Semiquantification.

The occurrence and intensity of (harmful) algal blooms (HABs) have increased through the years due to rapidly changing environmental conditions. At the same time, the demand for low-cost instrumentation has increased substantially, enabling the real-time monitoring and early-stage detection of HABs. To meet this challenge, we have developed a compact multi-wavelength fluorometer for less than 400 USD. This is possible by using readily available and low-cost optical and electronic components. Its modular design results in a highly versatile and flexible monitoring tool. The algae detection module enables a continuous identification and control of relevant algal groups based on their spectral characteristics with a detection limit of 10 cells per liter. Besides its usage as a benchtop module in the laboratory, the algae module has been integrated into submersible housings and applied in coastal environments. During its first in situ application in the Port of Genoa, seawater samples of mixed algal composition were used to demonstrate the successful discrimination of cyanobacteria and dinophytes as well-known toxin producing classes. Fabrication, operation, and performance as well as its first in situ application are addressed.

Another possible risk for the Mediterranean Sea? Aspergillus sydowii discovered in the Port of Genoa (Ligurian Sea, Italy)

Aspergillus sydowii is a cosmopolitan fungus that has been responsible for the mass destruction of coral in the Caribbean Sea over the last 15years. To our knowledge, this study has found the first case of A. sydowii in the Mediterranean Sea, in marine-bottom sediments, water and calcareous shells of bivalve molluscs sampled during a campaign to characterise the mycobiota in the Port of Genoa (Italy). The area is characterised by adverse environmental conditions (high turbidity, organic pollution and high concentrations of phosphorus and nitrogen compounds). These parameters, in combination with a rising temperature, could contribute to A. sydowii bloom and dispersal. This fungal strain may have been imported into the Port of Genoa in the bilge water of vessels or by torrent input. This work represents the first step in the implementation of a monitoring programme to safeguard calcareous sponges and sea fan corals endemic in the Mediterranean Sea.

A Roman Iron Anchor from the Port of Genoa, Italy

A Roman Iron Anchor from the Port of Genoa, Italy

The Costa Concordia last cruise: The first application of high frequency monitoring based on COSMO-SkyMed constellation for wreck removal

The Italian vessel Costa Concordia wrecked on January 13th 2012 offshore the Giglio Island (Tuscany, Italy), with the loss of 32 lives. Salvage operation of the vessel started immediately after the wreck. This operation was the largest and most expensive maritime salvage ever attempted on a wrecked ship and it ended in July 2014 when the Costa Concordia was removed from the Giglio Island, and dragged in the port of Genoa where it was dismantled. The refloating and removal phases of the Costa Concordia were monitored, in the period between 14th and 27th of July, exploiting SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) images acquired by the X-band COSMO-SkyMed satellite constellation in crisis mode. The main targets of the monitoring system were: (i) the detection of possible spill of pollutant material from the vessel and (ii) to exclude that oil slicks, illegally produced by other vessels, could be improperly linked to the naval convoy during its transit along the route between the Giglio Island and the port of Genoa. Results point out that the adopted monitoring system, through the use of the COSMO-SkyMed constellation, can be profitably employed to monitor emergency phases related to single ship or naval convoy over wide areas and with a suitable temporal coverage. Furthermore, the refloating and removal phases of the Costa Concordia were a success because no pollution was produced during the operations.

Changes in the physical characteristics of the water column at the mouth of a torrent during an extreme rainfall event

Summary The city of Genoa (Italy) was hit by a severe flash flood on the 4th November, 2011. The effects of this event on the water column at the mouth of the Polcevera Torrent, the main water course flowing into the Port of Genoa, are presented in this paper. The hydrological characteristics were measured with two conductivity–temperature–depth probes equipped with a turbidimeter, one fixed on the port breakwater and one used at mobile stations around the mouth of the torrent. The dynamics were measured with a horizontal acoustic Doppler current profiler (H-ADCP) fixed on the breakwater. Data collected before, during and after the flash flood were analysed to quantify the changes due to the event. The weather conditions during the event showed extremely heavy rain associated with strong weather instability, the convergence of a low-level southerly flow and the persistence of a squall line over a restricted area. The temperature, salinity, turbidity and dissolved oxygen measurements taken during the event showed the strong influence of the weather conditions and the fresh water input of the torrent itself on the water column at its mouth, an influence that dissipated during the following days. Instead, the dynamics measured at the mouth of the torrent were affected more by the strong south-easterly wind and the sea than the flow of fresh water.

Commercial conflict resolution across the religious divide in the thirteenth-century Mediterranean

Commercial conflict resolution in the medieval Mediterranean has been treated by a number of scholars in recent years, notably through the use of documents from the Cairo Geniza and the archives of the Italian port of Genoa. Recent research on this subject, and more specifically on contract enforcement, has focused on contract reinforcement within the Mediterranean Jewish community, largely because of the sources available. Parallels drawn with medieval Italian mechanisms of conflict resolution emphasize differences between public- vs. private-order responses, that is, the reliance on personalized groups in the Islamic world rather than on public institutions typical of the Italian port-cities. These studies do not, however, examine how commercial conflicts were resolved across religious and political lines, despite the growing role of Italian merchants in the trade networks of Islamic North Africa, a role that inevitably led to trade disputes and occasional uncollected payments. Through close textual analysis of 14 Latin and Arabic letters exchanged between Islamic Almohad Tunis and Christian Italian Pisa, this article explores how Almohad commercial agents and governmental authorities sought to maintain positive trade relations across the religious divide while protecting the interests of their own clients and citizens when disputes arose over commercial payments and debt collection. Rather than relying on commercial conflict resolution methods specific to one culture or the other, these documents reveal a middle ground of borrowed vocabulary and procedures. Through these letters, Almohad merchants and officials attempted to negotiate through the bonds of personal trust and reputation established with their Italian counterparts. However, they also appealed to Italian sensibilities with hybridized methods recognizable by the legal and public institutions of both cultures.

Fragments of a Roman Mast from the Port of Genoa, Italy

International Journal of Nautical ArchaeologyVolume 43, Issue 2 p. 443-445 Note Fragments of a Roman Mast from the Port of Genoa, Italy Francesco Tiboni, Francesco Tiboni Aix-Marseille Université, Centre Camille Jullien, UMR7299, 13094 Aix-en-Provence, FranceSearch for more papers by this author Francesco Tiboni, Francesco Tiboni Aix-Marseille Université, Centre Camille Jullien, UMR7299, 13094 Aix-en-Provence, FranceSearch for more papers by this author First published: 12 August 2014 https://doi.org/10.1111/1095-9270.12063Citations: 1Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume43, Issue2September 2014Pages 443-445 RelatedInformation

The use of a combined monitoring system for following a turbid plume generated by dredging activities in a port

The potential negative effects of dredging on a sensitive marine environment (e.g. phanerogamic meadows, beaches, benthic populations) can be justification for restrictions on the dredging project or the creation of a dredging monitoring plan. The dredging of the Port of Genoa (Italy) provided the opportunity to study the concentration of total suspended solids, the physical characteristics of the water column, and the winds and currents determining the hydrodynamic characteristics of the port, and to test a double monitoring system for turbidity control. In the dredging operation of the Port of Genoa, we positioned a couple of fixed monitoring systems operating 24/7, consisting each of a conductivity–temperature–depth probe and two acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCP), near the two port entrances to monitor turbidity and currents. To make the monitoring strategy more efficient, to periodically control the data transmitted by the fixed stations and to ensure coverage of those areas not covered by the fixed monitoring system, a vessel equipped with a vertical ADCP and a conductivity–temperature–depth probe with a turbidimeter periodically followed the dredger during its daily operations. Using the data acquired during the pre-dredging and dredging phases, we considered turbidity and suspended solids variations caused by the dredging operation to study the evolution of the plume. The trailing suction hopper dredge (TSHD) plume extended from the surface throughout the entire water column at a distance of 50 m, with higher turbidity close to the bottom. At a distance of 200 m, the plume was much reduced. Instead, at a distance of 50 m, the turbidity produced by the backhoe was lower than that measured around the TSHD, while at a distance of 100 m the plume was reduced with only noticeable values near the bottom. Finally, we compared the turbidity data of the dredging with the background conditions near the Posidonia oceanica meadow present near the port. The data presented in this paper indicate that the choice of a combined monitoring system can be a good practical solution for reaching two different objectives: (a) to follow the evolution and movement of the turbid plume, and ensure that it does not flow out of the port, contaminating the surrounding area or damaging nearby coastal habitats or the Posidonia oceanica meadows; and (b) to study the differences between the turbid plumes created by two dredging tools (backhoe and TSHD) under different wind–wave conditions.

Fumigants and dangerous gases in freight containers — Italian experiences

Since 2004, the Italian Marine Chemists have been systematically inspecting a percentage of the freight containers that must be opened in the Italian Ports for customs and other reasons. The inspections have been carried out with multigas meters and colorimetric tubes. In these years more than 10,000 freight containers have been inspected and about 20% have been found with gas residues higher than their TLVs and/or with other health problems such as explosive atmosphere, low oxygen content, etc. A significant percentage of the inspected containers resulted to contain a gas concentration above the IDLH (immediately dangerous for life or health) of the analyzed gases (in particular phosphine). Due to the results of those inspections, the Genoa Port Authority has issued a regulation for the inspections of freight containers. Such regulation requires a preventive and compulsory inspection for the containers that contain dangerous goods (classified as by IMO), chemicals and/or usually fumigated goods (grain, rice, wood etc.) that must be opened inside the port. The forwarder must check the containers’ documents and request the inspection to the marine chemist. At the moment, the central government is studying a national law in order to extend Genoa’s regulation to other ports. Actually these inspections are carried out in the Port of Genoa, La Spezia, Livorno, Cagliari and Gioia Tauro.

Multi-algorithm approach for identification of structural behavior of complex structures under cyclic environmental loading

In the past years, an increasing number of structures have been equipped with permanent monitoring systems, able to record the structural response in terms of displacements and strains over very long periods of time, and theoretically, for the entire life of the structure (Structural Health Monitoring). Despite the high number of applications, to date, very few studies have been presented aimed at interpreting the data, in particular, when the spatial and behavioral complexity of the structure under investigation requires a non-model-based approach. This article shows that the interpretation of data from a long-term static monitoring can be very helpful for the comprehension of the structural behavior under complex interaction structure–environment. The discussion aims at underlining that a scheduled and unique procedure is very hard to define depending on the great variety of structures and applications and on the right identification of the parameters able to explain structural degradation evolutions or sudden changes. In these cases, a multi-step algorithm with different signal processing techniques applied in cascade seems to be the only reliable approach. The proposed procedure will be carried out using available data from the long-term monitoring of a quay wall in the Port of Genoa, in Italy, but it can be generalized to several structures under cyclic environmental loading (tides, temperature, etc.). The characterization of the structural behavior under temperature variations will be used here to define the representative features of the quay. Once defined, these parameters will provide a means for detecting and localizing the insurgence of damage or material degradation from the measurements.

Seasonal and spatial variability of water quality parameters in the Port of Genoa, Italy, from 2000 to 2007

This paper presents the results of the statistical analysis of a set of physico-chemical and biological water quality parameters, monthly collected from 2000 to 2007 in the Genoa Harbour area (Ligurian Sea). We applied multivariate methods, such as principal component analysis (PCA) and dynamic factor analysis (DFA) for investigating the spatial and temporal variability and for providing important background information on pollution problems in the region. PCA evidenced the role of the sewage and river discharges and of the exchanges with the open sea in determining the harbour water quality. DFA was used to estimate underlying common trends in the time series. The DFA results partly show a general improvement of water quality over the 8-years period. However, in other areas, we found inter-annual variations but no significant multi-annual trend. Furthermore, we included meteorological variables in our statistical analyses because of their potential influence on the water quality parameters. These natural forcings explain part of the variability in water quality parameters that are superimposed on the dominating anthropogenic pollution factors.

Physical and sedimentological characterisation of dredged sediments

Port dredging operations inevitably create a turbid plume around the dredge and it is necessary to follow the movement of this to impede its diffusion into the surrounding environment and reduce any negative impacts. To characterise the extension and concentration of the plume induced by dredging it is necessary to study the physical properties of the water, the residence time of the sediments in the water column and the diffusion velocity of the water and sediments. It is also essential to characterise the area and determine the specifics of the port environment under so-called normal maritime-traffic conditions. During the initial stage of such a study it is necessary to obtain measurements under diverse wind–wave conditions to characterise the physical features of the water column of the port area, the turbidity, the quantity and dimension of the suspended particulate matter and the current dynamics. In this article we present a series of physico-sedimentological operations to characterise a zone to be dredged based upon our experience during pre-dredging work in the Port of Genoa (Italy).

The newtonian approach in the meteorological tide waves forecasting: preliminary observations in the East Ligurian harbours

1. The phenomenon Abstract Sea level oscillations are the superposition of many contributions, the main ones being astronomic and meteorolog- ical low-frequency tides. In the Ligurian Sea meteo-tide components, being most ample than astronomic fluctuations, drive water exchange in harbours. The present note shows the first results on the port of Genoa concerning a coheren- cy study between atmospheric variation and corresponding sea level adjustment (meteorological tide). The Newton- ian forecasting method of meteorological tides is based on measurements of time elapsing between barometric sea level unbalance (∆g) and its meteorological tide compensation (inverse barometer component). Meteorological tide component is independent of the Earth-Moon-Sun gravitational relationships, and parameters related to the shifted water mass are too many to describe the phenomenon analytically (basin topography, barometric strength position and time, chemical water quality, off-shore sea circulation, etc.). Hence meteorological tide cannot be accurately foreseen by atmospheric pressure measurements only. A gravimeter can detect the geodetic imbalance starting time and a tide-gauge can detect the Newtonian compensation (tide wave) coming time. The difference between these two times is the meteorological tide delay. An opportune statistic of this delay provides an experimental law typical for each harbour to forecast the meteo-tide compensation wave delay. This paper describes the methodological proce- dure adopted and the first evidences of the phenomenon in Genoa harbour.

A new three-step heuristic for the Master Bay Plan Problem

In this work, we are looking at the problem of determining stowage plans for containerships. This problem, denoted in the literature as the Master Bay Plan Problem (MBPP), is computationally difficult to solve, that is NP-hard. We start from the optimal solution of subsets of bays related to independent portions of the ship, which are determined by a previously proposed decomposition approach for the MBPP; then, we look for the global ship stability of the overall stowage plan by using a tabu search (TS) meta-heuristic approach. Note that at the same time the proposed TS algorithm allows us to further reduce the handling time of the containers to be loaded on the ship. The proposed heuristics has been implemented within a software support system that helps the planning management in the visualisation of the stowage plans of each bay of the ship. Preliminary computational experimentations performed on some real-life test cases related to a terminal located at the port of Genoa, Italy are provided.

A 3D-BPP approach for optimising stowage plans and terminal productivity

This paper addresses the problem of determining stowage plans for containers in a ship, that is the so-called master bay plan problem (MBPP). MBPP is NP-complete [Botter, R.C., Brinati, M.A., 1992. Stowage container planning: A model for getting an optimal solution. IFIP Transactions B (Applications in Technology) B-5, 217–229; Avriel, M., Penn, M., Shpirer, N., 2000. Container ship stowage problem: Complexity and connection to the colouring of circle graphs. Discrete Applied Mathematics 103, 271–279]. We present a heuristic method for solving MBPP based on its relation with the three-dimensional bin packing problem (3D-BPP), where items are containers and the only bin is the ship. We look for stowage plans that take into a proper account structural and operational constraints, related to both the containers and the ship, and maximise some important terminal performance indexes, such as the effective and mean net crane productivity. Our aim is to evaluate how stowage plans can influence the performance of the quay. A validation of the proposed approach with some test cases related to containership docks at the port of Genoa (Italy) is given. The results of real instances of the problem and the comparison with a validated heuristic for MBPP, show the effectiveness of the proposed approach in producing stowage plans that minimise the total loading time and allow an efficient use of the quay equipment.

The Virgin Mary and the People of Liguria: Image and Cult

We begin with an image, and a story. Explanation will emerge from what follows. Figure 1 depicts a huge wooden statue of the Virgin Mary, once the figurehead on the prow of a ship, but now on the high altar of the church of Saints Vittore and Carlo in Genoa, and venerated as Nostra Signora della Fortuna. On the night of 16-17 January 1636 a violent storm struck the port of Genoa. Many ships were wrecked. Among them was one called the Madonna della Pieta, which had the Virgin as its figurehead. A group of Genoese sailors bought this image as part of the salvage washed up from the sea. First setting it up under a votive painting of the Virgin in the harbour, they repaired it, had it repainted, and on the eve of Corpus Christi brought it to the church of San Vittore, close by the port. A famous blind song-writer was commissioned to write a song in honour of the image. Sailors and groups of young girls went through the streets of the city singing and collecting gifts. The statue became at once the focus of an extraordinary popular cult, thousands of people arriving day and night with candles, silver crowns, necklaces, and crosses in gratitude for the graces which had immediately begun to be granted. Volleys of mortars were let off in celebration. The affair was managed by the sailors who, in the face of mounting criticism and anxiety from local church leaders, directed devotions and even conducted exorcisms before the image. To stem the gathering tide of visitors and claims of miracles, and to try to establish control, the higher clergy first questioned the identity of the statue (some held it to represent, not the Virgin, but the Queen of England); then the statue was walled up; finally the church was closed altogether. Still, devotees climbed into the church, and large-scale demonstrations of protest were held. The archbishop instituted a process of investigation, in the course of which many eye-witnesses and people who claimed to have experienced miracles were interviewed (giving, in the surviving manuscript, rich detail of their responses to the image). Eventually the prohibition was lifted, and from 1637 until well into the twentieth century devotion to Nostra Signora della Fortuna remained strong, with frequent miracles or graces being recorded. So here we have a cult focused on an image of secular origin, transformed by the promotion of the sailors into a devotional object which roused the enthusiasm of thousands of lay people. It was a cult which, significantly, sprang up at a time of unrest in the city of Genoa, and which thus focused pressing issues of authority. The late 163os witnessed growing tension between factions of ‘old’ and ‘new’ nobility, the latter being marked by their hostility to the traditional Genoese Spanish alliance. Hostilities were played out both within the Senate and in clashes in the streets of the city. The cult of Nostra Signora della Fortuna grew up in this context, but survived and developed in subsequent centuries, attracting devotion from all over Italy.

Effects of salinity and two food regimes on survival, fecundity and sex ratio in two groups of Dinophilus gyrociliatus (Polychaeta: Dinophilidae)

The effects of salinity on survival, fecundity and sex ratio were studied in Dinophilus gyrociliatus; a small polychaete with a short lifespan, semicontinuous reproduction and progamic sex determination. The experiment was performed on two groups, originally collected as one sample, from the port of Genoa in November 1995. The specimens were separated into two groups, differing only in their diet: the first was fed with frozen spinach and the other with Tetramin Mikromin. The experiment was performed in 1998 after numerous generations had been maintained under laboratory conditions. The maximum expectation of life at birth varied with salinity level, and both groups showed a better tolerance towards a salinity below 35 psu than above 35 psu. The influence of both salinity and diet on fecundity had statistical significance even though the greatest differences were due to diet; animals fed with Tetramin had a two- or even threefold higher fecundity than those fed with spinach. Diet and salinity also had a statistically significant influence on the sex ratio. These results, as well as all the experimental observations carried out up to date, indicate that in D. gyrociliatus the determination of the sex ratio has a strong phenotypic component.

Survey of allergic respiratory symptoms in grain terminal workers in the Port of Genoa

Fifty workers from two grain elevator terminals were examined to evaluate the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and their relationship with grain dust exposure.

Larval Stages and Balanus (Cim'pedia) Settlement in a Port Environment with a Key to Naupliar Stages of Tyrrhenian Species

Abstract. .Some observations on larval life and barnacle settlement in the Port of Genoa are reported together with a key of the nauplii of the four species recorded in the Tyrrhenian coasts: Balanus amphiuite, Balanus perforatus, Balanus trigonus and Balanus eburneus. Weekly densities of naupliar stages for each species as well as the average percent reduction from one stage to the next until the cypris stage have been recorded. The amount of the latter is recorded both in plankton and along with settled barnacles on artificial substrata.

Mercury content in several species of marine fish.

A survey was conducted to determine the total mercury content in fish available on the market or fished in the port of Genoa (Italy). Determinations were made with a variation of the flameless atomic absorption method. The tinned tuna showed high levels of mercury in Parathunnus obesus and Tunnus thynnus fished in the Mediterranean. Neothunnus macropterus and Katsuwonus pelamis had lower levels than in the same species of fresh fish. Mercury contents of tinned anchovies, sardines and mackerel were highest in Engraulis encrasicholus fished in the Adriatic sea and the lowest in the Clupea sardina compared to an average amount in Scomber scomber.