Secure Navigation Research Articles

Fleet Deployment Optimization for LNG Shipping Vessels Considering the Influence of Mixed Factors

Driven by China’s booming natural gas consumption market, LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) shipping import has grown rapidly. To facilitate scientific and efficient decision making on LNG shipping fleet deployment and the development of the LNG shipping industry, this article proposes an optimization model to minimize annual fleet operating costs, including voyage cost, running cost, and capital cost. Under the consideration of the mixed factors of self-owned and time charter vessels, epidemic prevention and control, port congestion, transportation time cost, and evaporation loss, as well as navigation security and emergency situations, the validity and optimality of the model are demonstrated by the empirical example and the cost comparison between the conventional and optimized solution. The results show that this optimization model can reduce the total cost by 9.87%. Then, through sensitivity analysis, various significant factors affecting the operating costs of LNG shipping enterprises and their degrees of influence are determined. Based on the analysis of the relevant causes, some actionable countermeasures are recommended, including establishing a shipping price reciprocity mechanism and full chain investment planning, optimizing the inbound link to reduce invalid berthing time, strengthening the construction competitiveness and economy of scale of larger LNG ships, and building a combined dual resource pool transportation mode. This paper contributes to improving transregional maritime energy transport and management capacity, while further enhancing the energy security and development of port cities and their economic hinterlands.

Deep-Ensemble-Learning-Based GPS Spoofing Detection for Cellular-Connected UAVs

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are an emerging technology in the 5G-and-beyond systems with the promise of assisting cellular communications and supporting IoT deployment in remote and density areas. Safe and secure navigation is essential for UAV remote and autonomous deployment. Indeed, the opensource simulator can use commercial software-defined radio tools to generate fake global positioning system (GPS) signals and spoof the UAV GPS receiver to calculate wrong locations, deviating from the planned trajectory. Fortunately, the existing mobile positioning system can provide additional navigation for cellular-connected UAVs and verify the UAV GPS locations for spoofing detection, but it needs at least three base stations (BSs) at the same time. In this article, we propose a novel deep-ensemble-learning-based, mobile-network-assisted UAV monitoring and tracking system for cellular-connected UAV spoofing detection. The proposed method uses path losses between BSs and UAVs communication to indicate the UAV trajectory deviation caused by GPS spoofing. To increase the detection accuracy, three statistics methods are adopted to remove environmental impacts on path losses. In addition, deep ensemble learning methods are deployed on the edge cloud servers and use the multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural networks to analyze path losses statistical features for making a final decision, which has no additional requirements and energy consumption on UAVs. The experimental results show the effectiveness of our method in detecting GPS spoofing, achieving above 97% accuracy rate under two BSs, while it can still achieve at least 83% accuracy under only one BS.

Rancang Bangun Sistem Pemantau Penerima Sinyal Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) Berbasis Raspberry Pi dan Antena Ground Plane Sebagai Antena Penerima

Currently, the technology used for aircraft monitoring is Radar technology. Radar's accuracy is hampered, however, by the fact that while an aircraft is airborne or in flight, it is frequently obscured by clouds, making it difficult to detect the aircraft. Due to constraints in radar technology, Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast technology was developed to improve the performance of air navigation security. Raspberry Pi, RTL-SDR, and LNA were used as the research method in designing the ADS-B signal receiver monitoring system. The 1090 MHz Ground Plane Antenna is preferable because it has a higher gain and a radiation pattern influenced by radial elements, allowing it to collect a considerably broader signal when combined with Raspberry Pi RTL-SDR and LNA. The monitoring results based on the test data are impressive, generating six aircraft simultaneously, indicating that dump 1090 is very effective at translating the aircraft's ADS-B signal data emitted every 0.5 seconds. ICAO, Altitude and Longitude information are clear Based on tests, the aircraft's ADS-B signal was identified between 4,000 and 38,000 feet over the maximum value, causing the signal to disappear and fail to decode the information. The maximum distance measured during the test was 49.7 kilometers from the elevated location where the ADS-B signal monitoring device was installed. The results of the first test were placed 10 meters above the ground. The result is significantly better than the short antenna position. This significantly improves the accuracy of the ADS-B signal monitoring system and the synchronization of information exchange through real-time monitoring.

Система обеспечения навигационной безопасности плавания

Safety is an important condition for effective navigation. The prescriptive approach to navigational safety currently used in the global maritime industry is based on many years of experience and the results of the investigation of ship accidents and the improvement of existing guidelines and regulations. There exist a great number of research works, scientific articles, legislative acts, manuals and recommendations on maritime safety, but they are characterized by the pronounced heterogeneity and based on different assumptions and foundations. This phenomenon of heterogeneity and inconsistency is associated with the lack of a single legislative definition that reflects all aspects of safety in maritime transport. The term “security aspect” refers to one of the sides of the object under consideration, a point of view. Of particular relevance is a holistic description of the term of safety in the maritime industry, which will eliminate discrepancies and will help clarify the current terms related to maritime safety. The analysis of guiding documents on the navigation safety and systematization of the terminological apparatus were carried out. After the adoption of the International Safety Management Code all activities related to navigation safety have been transferred to a higher quality level. The search for and development of new approaches and methods for preventing ship accidents during their operation are becoming increasingly important. Today, the concept of maritime security is not formed and is not described sufficiently. The relationship between the concepts of safe navigation and navigational security is considered. The concept of a navigational safety system is proposed.

Alert system of fisherman for secure navigation

In day-to-day life we hear news about fisherman caught and even kill by naval infantry forces of other country for crossing the international borders. The proposed system can be used by the fisherman to safeguard them with the help of Global Positioning System (GPS) module based alerting system. The system uses the GPS device to get the current location i.e., latitude and longitude values of the boat and is continuously compared with the pre-set values in controller unit. As a result of this, the system alerts by buzzer sound before five hundred meter range and when the boat is near to international borders the speed of the boat is reduced. If the shipper refused to stop the boat and continues further the system alerts the fisheries by voice alarm. At the same time the control unit stops the boat from moving further and the present location is transmitted to the coastguards with the help of RF Transceiver. This is achieved when the boat is before 200 hundred meter range to of the international borders. If the boat tries to cross the international border or the boat is taken over by other countryman naval forces, the location of the boat is transmitted to coastguard port office continuously. This system also has hijack switch and when the switch is pressed it convey the hijack information and the current location to the coastguards continuously.

Intelligent deep learning-enabled autonomous small ship detection and classification model

Autonomous ship technologies have gained considerable interest due to the minimization of the challenging issues faced by the unpredictable errors of manual navigation, and therefore reduces human labor, increasing navigation security and profit margin. On autonomous shipping technologies, small ship detection is vital in ensuring shipping safety. With this motivation, this paper presents an efficient optimal mask regional convolutional neural network (Mask-CNN) technique for small ship detection (OMRCNN-SHD) on autonomous shipping technologies. Primarily, the data augmentation process is performed to resolve the issue of the limited number of real-world samples of small ships and helps to detect small ships in most cases accurately. Besides, the Mask RCNN with SqueezeNet model is used to detect ships and the hyperparameter tuning of the SqueezeNet model takes place by the use of the Adagrad optimizer. Furthermore, the Colliding Body's Optimization (CBO) algorithm with the weighted regularized extreme learning machine (WRELM) technique is employed to classify detected ships effectively. The comparative results analysis demonstrates the betterment of the OMRCNN-SHD technique over the current methods with the maximum accuracy of 98.63%.

Eastern Arctic Sea Ice Sensing: First Results from the RADARSAT Constellation Mission Data

Sea ice monitoring plays a vital role in secure navigation and offshore activities. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) has been widely used as an effective tool for sea ice remote sensing (e.g., ice type classification, concentration and thickness retrieval) for decades because it can collect data by day and night and in almost all weather conditions. The RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) is a new Canadian SAR mission providing several new services and data, with higher spatial coverage and temporal resolution than previous Radarsat missions. As a very deep convolutional neural network, Normalizer-Free ResNet (NFNet) was proposed by DeepMind in early 2021 and achieved a new state-of-the-art accuracy on the ImageNet dataset. In this paper, the RCM data are utilized for sea ice detection and classification using NFNet for the first time. HH, HV and the cross-polarization ratio are extracted from the dual-polarized RCM data with a medium resolution (50 m) for an NFNet-F0 model. Experimental results from Eastern Arctic show that destriping in the HV channel is necessary to improve the quality of sea ice classification. A two-level random forest (RF) classification model is also applied as a conventional technique for comparisons with NFNet. The sea ice concentration estimated based on the classification result from each region was validated with the corresponding polygon of the Canadian weekly regional ice chart. The overall classification accuracy confirms the superior capacity of the NFNet model over the RF model for sea ice monitoring and the sea ice sensing capacity of RCM.

An overview of the legal search and rescue framework and related infrastructure along the Arctic Northeast Passage

A quite extended number of commercial flights are transiting today through the Arctic Ocean. In addition, activities like tourism, fishing and local communities’ resupply needs, along with various planned and already existing maritime transport endeavors further point towards the direction of future higher demands on the Search and Rescue (SAR) infrastructure of the wider region. The "Agreement on Cooperation on Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue in the Arctic" that coordinates international SAR coverage and response efforts in the region under discussion and establishes the area of (SAR) responsibility of each state party was the first legally-binding instrument negotiated and adopted under the auspices of the Arctic Council; this has been a very decisive step for the establishment and enhancement of SAR infrastructure in the Arctic. Through an exploratory review of various sources (resolutions and legislative documents of the International Maritime Organization, government policy documents of the Arctic Council Nations, academic literature) and primary data from institutions located in Norway and Russia, this paper aims to provide an overview of the existing SAR infrastructure of the countries in close proximity with the Northeast Passage, identify current deficiencies and propose ways forward for safe and sustainable voyages in the region. Valuable outcomes for policy-makers and relevant stakeholders come about from necessary investments in advanced SAR infrastructure to enhance safe and secure navigation in the Arctic, including the use of satellite-based Automatic Identification System (AIS) for monitoring vessel activities and improving awareness of their location and strengthened cooperation among the Arctic Council Nations to address the increased challenges of SAR operations in this remote geographical region.

Filtering based multi-sensor data fusion algorithm for a reliable unmanned surface vehicle navigation

When considering the working conditions under which an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) operates, the navigational sensors, which already have inherent uncertainties, are subjected to environment influences that can affect the accuracy, security and reliability of USV navigation. To combat this, multi-sensor data fusion algorithms will be developed in this paper to deal with the raw sensor measurements from three kinds of commonly used sensors and calculate improved navigational data for USV operation in a practical environment. Unscented Kalman Filter, as an advanced filtering technology dedicated to dealing with non-linear systems, has been adopted as the underlying algorithm with the performance validated within various computer-based simulations where practical, dynamic navigational influences, such as ocean currents, provide force against the vessel’s structure, are to be considered.

ДЕРЖАВНЕ РЕГУЛЮВАННЯ ДІЯЛЬНОСТІ МОРСЬКИХ ПОРТІВ У СИСТЕМІ ЕКОНОМІЧНОЇ БЕЗПЕКИ УКРАЇНИ

The article defines Ukraine as an independent European country with the status of a maritime state, access to the Seas of Azov and the Black Sea, a long coastline, and a significant area of water space. Economic security in maritime transport is interpreted as a subsystem of economic security of the state, and its objects are defined as: security of port infrastructure, security of navigation, anti-terrorist security of transportation, man-made and ecological security of functioning of sea ports. The advantages, opportunities, weaknesses and threats of the port infrastructure of Ukraine are summarized. A conclusion was made about the low ratings of Ukraine in the Global Index of Competitiveness of Countries according to the indicator «Efficiency of Sea Ports» of the quality of transport infrastructure. It is shown that the criteria for the efficiency of the functioning of seaports are: the state of their material and technical base (quality), as well as quantitative indicators of the volume of export, import, transit, cargo turnover, the number of processed vessels, etc. An assessment of informational changes in the Register of Seaports of Ukraine has been provided. It is shown that at the moment only half of them are working due to the military aggression of Russia and the temporary loss of control over the seaports of the AR «Crimea» and the Sea of Azov, as well as the blocking of the Black Sea ports. The shift of business activity to the ports of the Danube region is shown. The measures of the state to reduce the danger of sea transportation in the conditions of martial law in terms of loss compensation, risk insurance, implementation of the multilateral agreement on the export of grain and food products from Ukrainian ports have been systematized. Organizational models of regulation of seaport activity are characterized. It is proved that their domestic form of state unitary enterprise of commercial type, managed by the Administration of Sea Ports of Ukraine, gravitates towards the «port-instrument» model. Reasonable expediency of transition to the «port-owner» model, which provides for the concession of port assets and infrastructure owned by the state, development of competition between sea ports, simplification of customs procedures when crossing borders, reduction of port dues rates, etc.

Implementing a self Driven Edge Avoiding Robot ------------ Using Arduino

Robot navigation requires the guidance of a mobile robot through the desired path to the desired goal avoiding obstacles and hazards encountered in an unknown environment. Detection and avoidance of obstacles, collisions and hazardous situations are in the first place. However, path planning and arrival at the desired goal is also an essential part of the reliable and secure navigation of mobile robots. Planning the optimal path requires optimization of specific navigation performance, such as the minimum time until the robot reaches desired goal with a minimum of control, but also requires to comply with certain restrictions in robot motion, such as avoiding obstacles with the maximum speed of the robot. Now, the requirement for avoiding the collision with obstacles in the environment, the robots should be equipped with a sensor system that will enable the detection of these obstacles. Information obtained from sensors is used in obstacle avoidance strategies or in strategies for finding the best solution in case of the robot's emergency stop before the collision. In this research paper authors have tried to develop an edge avoiding robot and explained clearly the usefulness of the newly developed robot.

Socially Compliant Robot Navigation in Crowded Environment by Human Behavior Resemblance Using Deep Reinforcement Learning

Social robots have evolved in diverse applications with the emergence of deep reinforcement learning methods. However, safe and secure navigation of social robots in a complex crowded environment remains a challenging task. The robot can safely navigate in a crowd only if it can predict the next action of humans, however this task becomes difficult because of the unpredictable human behavior. To address the issue of socially compliant navigation, the robot needs to learn real-time human behavior. This manuscript models Danger-Zone for the robot by considering all possible actions that humans can take at given time. The Danger Zones are formulated by considering the real time human behavior. The robot is trained to avoid these danger zones for safe and secure navigation. The proposed model is tested on the three state of art methods, Collision Avoidance with Deep Reinforcement Learning (CADRL), Long Short Term Memory Reinforcement Learning (LSTM-RL) and Social Attention with Reinforcement Learning (SARL) in multi-agent navigation. Experimental results signify that proposed model can understand human behavior and navigate in a socially compliant manner with safety as the highest priority.

Development of Optimal Parameter Estimation Methodologies Applied to a 3DOF Autonomous Surface Vessel

Autonomous Surface Vessels (ASVs) are reliable and robust vehicles. They perform autonomous missions in lakes, rivers and even open waters. Those are dangerous environments that requires precise and secure navigation. Under these conditions, the knowledge of a robust and accurate mathematical model is a fundamental aspect for adjusting the control system for reaching safety and performance. Moreover, traditional mathematical models disregard assimetries and coupling between the degrees of freedom. While those models work fine for bigger vessels, to ignore these characteristics in small ASVs compromises the model's quality. In this context, this work presents a new methodology for modeling and identifying the dynamics of ASVs along with the uncertainties arising from disturbances and non-modeled dynamics. As for the uncertainties and disturbances, this work considers the coupling parameters into the mathematical modeling, which synthesizes the divergences between the model and the real application, allowing to incorporate asymmetries and model deficiencies. Regarding the parameter identification, the proposal is based on (i) the design of optimal input excitation signals from a double layer optimization methodology and (ii) a parametric estimation concept in two steps, dividing the original set of parameters into two partially coupled sub-problems. Finally, this work also presents a full discussion and analysis about the importance to manage the trade-off between precision and complexity of mathematical models, its respective solution spaces and the impact over the optimization algorithms. To validate the approach, a real 3 Degree of Freedom ASV with aerial holonomic propulsion system is used. The results show that it is possible to successfully capture the complex set of parameters and identify physical characteristics not considered by the model.

Behavior Prediction of Traffic Actors for Intelligent Vehicle Using Artificial Intelligence Techniques: A Review

Intelligent vehicle technology has made tremendous progress due to Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques. Accurate behavior prediction of surrounding traffic actors is essential for the safe and secure navigation of the intelligent vehicle. Minor misbehavior of these vehicles on the busy roads may lead to an accident. Due to this, there is a need for vehicle behavior research work in today’s era. This research article reviews traffic actors’ behavior prediction techniques for intelligent vehicles to perceive, infer, and anticipate other vehicles’ intentions and future actions. It identifies the key strategies and methods for AI, emerging trends, datasets, and ongoing research issues in these fields. As per the authors’ knowledge, this is the first systematic literature review dedicated to the vehicle behavior study examining existing academic literature published by peer review venues between 2011 and 2021. A systematic review was undertaken to examine these papers, and five primary research questions have been addressed. The findings show that using sophisticated input representation that includes traffic rules and road geometry, artificial intelligence-based solutions applied to behavior prediction of traffic actors for intelligent vehicles have shown promising success, particularly in complex driving scenarios. Finally, the paper summarizes the most widely used approaches in behavior prediction of traffic actors for intelligent vehicles, which the authors believe serves as a foundation for future research in behavior prediction of surrounding traffic actors for secure and accurate intelligent vehicle navigation.

Risk evaluation system of navigation security based on coupled wind and wave model: a case of study of Qiongzhou strait

With the development of water transport, there is a rapid increase in maritime traffic density. Therefore, navigation security should be given adequate attention. In this study, a risk evaluation system combining wind field model, wave model and standards of risk grades was proposed and applied in the Qiongzhou Strait (QS), China. Based on meteorological data, a wind filed model was established by Fujita-Takahashi formula and was verified using observed data set of typical typhoon process. Then, a simulation wave nearshore wave model which was used to simulate the significant wave height (SWH) was established with bathymetry data. In addition, through the analysis of the types and quantities of wrecks and ships in the research area, the typical ship was selected and classified by tonnage. Combining the as low as reasonably practicable with wind speed and SWH, the risk evaluation system for navigation security was proposed. Applications on QS showed that the system could provide an hourly reference of risk grades to water traffic safety early warning. Also, the conclusions of this study could serve as recommendations for Maritime Administration to manage navigation safety.

Evaluation of satisfaction with geospatial assistive technology (ESGAT): a methodological and usability study

Purpose Manual wheelchair users are more vulnerable, in situations such as road crossings, hazardous sidewalks or curbs and crossing of buildings and facilities threshold. Geospatial assistive technology (GAT) can help with route planning. However, it is important to ensure the usability of such products, as well as the satisfaction of persons with reduced mobility. The study’s aim was (1) to develop and validate a questionnaire on the satisfaction of GAT, in English and French, and to (2) assess satisfaction, efficacy and efficiency of a GAT with manual wheelchair users following a filmed trial in a dense urban area. Method A methodological study was conducted (development of the questionnaire, assessment of its content validity, feasibility and practicability) followed by a trial and post-observations with the videos. Two questionnaires (English, French) were concurrently validated by two groups of experts (n = 8), and then field-tested by wheelchair users (n = 8), using Google Maps Pedestrian routeing tool. Results The Evaluation of satisfaction with geospatial assistive technology (ESGAT) consists in a user profile and their experience with the technology, followed by 12 satisfaction criteria rated from 1-not satisfied to 5-very satisfied. Both questionnaires were rated as feasible and practicable to complete. The usability of Google Maps Pedestrian routeing tool was measured as “moderate” by manual wheelchairs since the total satisfaction score at the ESGAT was 3.9/5 (quite satisfied). The items with the lowest score were navigation assistance, hands-free function and security. The GAT was effective (87.5% have completed their destination) but not efficient (37.5% needed help). IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION For manual wheelchair users paired with geospatial assistive technology: • A 10 minutes questionnaire was developed and validated to assess their satisfaction after testing aid in an urban area. • Satisfaction criteria to address are ease of access (service), learnability, hands-free function, ease of use for planning as well for navigating, transportability/ appearance, content, geographic information, effectiveness, efficiency, navigation assistance and security • A field test is necessary to ensure the effectiveness of the technology in avoiding or announcing potential obstacles such as sidewalk crossing ramp, damaged and congested sidewalk; sidewalk tilt (side slopes); thresholds at destination; verbal indication too soon or too late; incorrect indication; the arrow does not indicate the right direction; readjustment of the route needed; a lack of indication; and human intervention needed.

Reactive control scheme based on fuzzy behaviors for mobile robot

This paper presents the design and implementation of a behavior-based control scheme. The construction of the set of behaviors is based on the use of fuzzy logic as a means for materializing the designer’s knowledge into the behaviors. The behavior set was established by left and right wall following and obstacle avoidance. These three behaviors were programmed and coordinated by a subsumption architecture or behavioral inhibition. Behavior simulations and coordination scheme design were tested by means of real experiments using a mobile robotic platform. Finally, the results are presented, where the control actions are executed by the robotic system achieving a secure navigation.

Iraq's alternatives in light of the challenges surrounding the security of the Arabian Gulf: the challenges of security of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz

The Arab Gulf region in particular, and with it the entire Arab region in general, is witnessing multiple challenges and conflicts, escalating, in a way that reflects the presence of overlapping in the dimensions: internal, regional and international, which imposes important effects on Iraq.
 Iraq is part of the Arab Gulf region, and it interferes with it: historically, geographically, ethnically, and politically. It cannot be overlooked that Iraq was in historical stages that was considered the dominant force in this region, especially in the stage of the civilization’s dominance before the role of Iraq and its place in civilization declines.
 Today, the region is witnessing multiple challenges, which began with the escalation of regional sectarian political events associated with the event of the occupation of Iraq, with a tendency to disturb the regional balance due to the dismantling of the capabilities of Iraq, and the matter came to the loosening of regional conflicts due to what the region is going through, and the perspective of the active forces in it, which has overcome the perspective The struggle for cooperation.
 The entry or presence of the international worker in the regional conflicts in the Arab Gulf region caused the intensity of the conflicts to multiply instead of settling them, and Iran has presented on more than one occasion that it has the capabilities to implement the option of closing the Strait of Hormuz or impeding the freedom and safety of maritime navigation in international waters in the Arabian Gulf, And the matter was not related to the US sanctions regime on Iran in the year 2018 and beyond, but it is before it.
 
 
 The Iranian threat to close the Strait of Hormuz at the very least, or any development in the regional conflict in the region, can damage the interests of Iraq and its security, for two reasons: First, most of Iraq’s trade passes through the waters of the Persian Gulf, and the second is that there is an overlap between Iraq and peoples and countries The region, and just as sectarianism moved from Iraq to the region after 2003, the Gulf conflict and tension can move into Iraq or affect Iraq’s policy.
 Iraq should search for political alternatives that help it in dealing with the developments of the conflict in the Arab Gulf region. Perhaps this research presents some of the options and alternatives that can help the Iraqi decision-maker, if there is an important development in the Gulf-Western conflict with Iran

Implementation of optimized dynamic trajectory modification algorithm to avoid obstacles for secure navigation of UAV

To develop escape manoeuvre from obstacles and to find new waypoints for dynamic trajectory modification of UAV, a novel Particle Swarm Optimization based Collision Avoidance algorithm (PSO-CA) is presented in this paper. The proposed “obstacle sense and avoid” algorithm and the logical decision-making system aids the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to re-route its current path to a safer flight course when an obstacle pops up along its intended path. A radar with 10 km range identifies obstacles and the UAV manoeuvres based on radar data, making it suitable for any unknown environment. The proposed system would manoeuvre the UAV autonomously along optimized alternate path to avoid the conflicting traffic. New waypoints are identified and the waypoint list is modified dynamically to avoid collision with stationary threats like hill, tree and moving intruders like other UAVs. The proposed algorithm steers the vehicle safely along alternate path with less change in intended trajectory while avoiding all potential threats. As the PSO-CA algorithm detects obstacles and identifies alternate path well in advance for unknown pop up threats, the UAV is safe and is suitable for real time environment. The proposed algorithm has considered obstacles with different positions, different sizes and random motion. Experimental results conducted on 6-DOF model UAV with different obstacles clearly justify the efficiency of the proposed method in comparison with other planners.

ЕТАПИ ФОРМУВАННЯ СЕРЕДЗЕМНОМОРСЬКОЇ ПОЛІТИКИ США В ХІХ СТ.: ГЕОПОЛІТИЧНІ КОНТУРИ ТА ЕКОНОМІЧНІ ІНТЕРЕСИ

The Mediterranean Sea is an important geopolitical region which defines the economic and strategic interests of the world powers, including the USA. The author`s vision of the US Mediterranean policy and its periodization was presented in the article. Research objective: the paper is devoted to the problem of the US Mediterranean policy in the 19th century. The purpose of the presented study is to research origin and development of the US Mediterranean policy taking into account the context of the European and world historical processes. Scientific novelty: the innovative nature of the article lies in the revision of the approach to the US Mediterranean policy`s timeline. The author`s periodization of the US Mediterranean policy was presented in the research. A special attention was focused on the US economic and geopolitical interests` transformations at each stage. Research methods. The history and genetic method was used in the article. It helps to research the origins of the US Mediterranean policy and to separate this policy into self-contained stages. Author`s periodization of the US Mediterranean policy became practical results of the mentioned method. The author demonstrated connections between all stages as holistic process of the American foreign policy`s evolution. An accent is done on research of geopolitical and economic interests of the USA in the field of the system analysis. That allows to consider connection between American foreign policy and European and world historical processes. The influence of the Concert of Europe and the Doctrine of Monroe on the US Mediterranean policy was taken into account also. Conclusions. In contradiction with widespread vision of the US Mediterranean policy in the 19th century as an unseparated historical period, it is possible to defined three stages. The first period (1776–1823) represented the early vision of the American state`s economic interests. The US Mediterranean policy until 1823 was characterized by intensive commercial, political and military activity in the region. The first military conflict in the history of the USA as an independent state was connected with the trade routes and security of navigation in the Mediterranean Sea. The second period (1823–1898) was characterized by principles of the Monroe Doctrine. During the period of isolationism, the USA maintained diplomatic and economic ties with the Mediterranean countries. A main aspect of the US Mediterranean policy at the mention period consisted of the humanitarian and commercial efforts in the Northern Africa and The Middle East. The third period (1898–1914) showed a gradually revision of the Monroe Doctrine. The transformation of the American political course was observed after the Spanish war and in the eve of the First World War. It was concluded that the Mediterranean policy of the USA in 19th century had an evolutional character and corresponded with inclusive European and American policy. Each of the mentioned stages represented an important period of history of the American diplomacy and foreign policy, that is why a research has a prospect for a future survey.