Short Sea Shipping Research Articles

A Multi-Objective Tri-Level Algorithm for Hub-and-Spoke Network in Short Sea Shipping Transportation

Hub-and-Spoke (H&S) network modeling is a form of transport topology optimization in which network joins are connected through intermediate hub nodes. The Short Sea Shipping (SSS) problem aims to efficiently disperse passenger flows involving multiple vessel routes and intermediary hubs through which passengers are transferred to their final destination. The problem contains elements of the Hub-and-Spoke and Travelling Salesman, with different levels of passenger flows among islands, making it more demanding than the typical H&S one, as the hub selection within nodes and the shortest routes among islands are internal optimization goals. This work introduces a multi-objective tri-level optimization algorithm for the General Network of Short Sea Shipping (GNSSS) problem to reduce travel distances and transportation costs while improving travel quality and user satisfaction, mainly by minimizing passenger hours spent on board. The analysis is performed at three levels of decisions: (a) the hub node assignment, (b) the island-to-line assignment, and (c) the island service sequence within each line. Due to the magnitude and complexity of the problem, a genetic algorithm is employed for the implementation. The algorithm performance has been tested and evaluated through several real and simulated case studies of different sizes and operational scenarios. The results indicate that the algorithm provides rational solutions in accordance with the desired sub-objectives. The multi-objective consideration leads to solutions that are quite scattered in the solution space, indicating the necessity of employing formal optimization methods. Typical Pareto diagrams present non-dominated solutions varying at a range of 30 percent in terms of the total distance traveled and more than 50 percent in relation to the cumulative passenger hours. Evaluation results further indicate satisfactory algorithm performance in terms of result stability (repeatability) and computational time requirements. In conclusion, the work provides a tool for assisting network operation and transport planning decisions by shipping companies in the directions of cost reduction and traveler service upgrade. In addition, the model can be adapted to other applications in transportation and in the supply chain.

Optimization of a Japan-Europe multimodal transportation corridor

Based on the export demand from Japan to the EU, we propose a sea-rail multimodal transportation corridor, with the China Railway Express (CR-Express) as the backbone. We conduct revealed preference (RP) and stated preference (SP) surveys of Japanese shippers and forwarders, and then integrate this data to build a utility function and route choice model of containers exported from Japan to Europe. We then construct a programming model to optimize a Japan-Europe, sea-rail transportation corridor in terms of ship size and sailing speed, operating frequency for Japan-China short-sea liner shipping and the needed CR-Express trains, with the objective of maximizing transportation profits from the multimodal system. Our model demonstrates that Japan’s high value exports to Europe prefer the multimodal route. In addition, three ships of 500 TEU each, with a sailing speed of 21 knots and departing 3 times per week, should be used for the short-sea liner leg of the route. We project the realized benefit at 2.0807 million USD/week (equivalent to 108.19 million USD annually). In the optimal case, 3 CR-Express trains with available capacity of 69 TEU containers will be necessary to connect the short-sea liner ships to the overland route.

The Impact of Shipping on Air Quality in the Port Cities of the Mediterranean Area: A Review

Shipping emissions contribute significantly to air pollution at the local and global scales and will do so even more in the future because global maritime transport volumes are projected to increase. The Mediterranean Sea contains the major routes for short sea shipping within Europe and between Europe and East Asia. For this reason, concern about maritime emissions from Mediterranean harbours has been increasing on the EU and IMO (International Maritime Organization, London, UK) agenda, also supporting the implementation of a potential Mediterranean Emission Control Area (MedECA). Many studies are concerned with the impact of ship emissions in port cities. Studies of the contributions of ship emissions to air quality at the local scale include several monitoring and modelling techniques. This article presents a detailed review of the contributions of ship emissions of NO2, SO2, PM10, and PM2.5 on air quality in the main ports in the Mediterranean area. The review extracts and summarises information from published research. The results show a certain variability that suggests the necessity of harmonisation among methods and input data in order to compare results. The analysis illustrates the effects of this pollution source on air quality in urban areas, which could be useful for implementing effective mitigation strategies.

A high-fidelity approach to modeling weather-dependent fuel consumption on ship routes with speed optimization

In this paper, we present the scheduling problem on a given route where speed optimization under various weather conditions is to be performed. Different approaches for calculating fuel consumption for vessels are introduced with a discussion of how this might influence the speed optimization strategies on predetermined multi-stop routes in a short sea shipping service within offshore logistics. Due to both spatial and temporal changes in weather conditions, fuel consumption as a function of speed becomes time-dependent as a vessel performs its route in varying weather. In our novel approach, the weather impact on fuel consumption for the considered vessels is modeled with a higher level of detail than in previously conducted studies, including both wave direction and wave period as input together with the wave height. We test our approach for optimizing schedules on a large set of routes of different lengths and number of stops, as well as for a set of different weather samples based on historical observations. When comparing the new approach to current industry practice, the computational study reveals on average a 4.5% reduction in fuel consumption across the different routes and weather scenarios. The magnitude of the reduction potential increases for worsening weather conditions. Furthermore, it is demonstrated how the approach commonly used for modeling weather impacts in the literature tends to greatly miscalculate the true cost of performing a voyage in realistic weather conditions. Finally, we discuss how the model fidelity is likely to affect the outcome of the routing decisions at a higher planning level, representing a potential for even further reductions of fuel consumption in various weather conditions.

Barge Planning for Covid-19 Patient Isolation

The ship is a means of water transportation that is widely used, one of its functions is to transport passengers. Barge is a type of ship with a flat hull or a large floating box, barges generally do not have a propulsion system but nowadays many barges have a propulsion system which is usually called a Self Propelled Barge. While barges are usually used to transport dry bulk goods or liquid bulk or recently also used to transport containers in connection with short sea shipping. So that in this study the aim is to design a general plan for room arrangement for the isolation room for COVID-19 patients. the need to design a room arrangement for the isolation room for covid-19 patients and the need to know the number of patients that can be brought. Equipped with several safety components, medical equipment, hospital facilities or a preventive measure that must exist in an emergency condition. The safety components on board must be managed as well as possible and must go through inspection procedures before being installed on the ship. This serves to ensure that everything is in good and optimal condition. This research will provide methods of data collection, design of plain lines and general plans, determination of load space capacity. The results obtained are barges with a capacity Alternative 1 patients amounted to 32 people and alternative 2 amounted to 48 people. From this capacity, the stability of the ship has met the requirements.

Are battery-powered vessels the best solution for the domestic ferry segment? Case study for the domestic ferry segment in the Philippines

The Philippines is aiming to significantly reduce its carbon footprint by 75% by 2030 as part of its Nationally Determined Contribution. One way the country is focusing on achieving this goal is by making its domestic ferries emit zero emissions. To this end, the use of electrified and battery-powered vessels is being explored, especially for short sea shipping. A life cycle analysis of diesel-powered ships and battery-powered ships for five different energy sources for electricity generation was carried out using the GABI 2020 software. The results showed that the environmental friendliness of a vessel depends on the primary source of electricity generation. While electrified ships can be environmentally friendly, they are not necessarily better than diesel-powered ships, particularly if the source of electricity is coal or heavy fuel oil. Based on the data obtained from the Philippines, transitioning to battery-powered ships necessitates the expansion of the national grid and the utilization of natural gas as an interim solution, while focusing on renewable energy sources for the medium and long term. Sustainable infrastructures such as shore power and smart grids in ports are crucial during this transition. To expedite the process, implementing effective policies like pay-for-pollution principles and providing incentives such as carbon levies, low-risk loans, and state contributions are essential.

Implementation of Zero Emission Fast Shortsea Shipping and Design of the Stavanger Demonstrator

_ The paper describes the implementation of state-of-the-art “Industry 4.0” methods and tools, of a holistic ship design optimization and of modular production methods, as well as of advanced battery technologies in the development of an innovative, fully electrical, fast zero-emission catamaran for waterborne urban transport. The design of a fast catamaran passenger ferry prototype (Medstraum), planned for operation as a waterborne shuttle in the Stavanger/Norway area, and of a replicator for operation at the Thames River/London are elaborated, including on land infrastructural issues that are necessary for their operation. The presented research is in the frame of the H2020 funded project “TrAM—Transport: Advanced andModular” (www.tramproject.eu). Introduction The international maritime community is amassing momentum in its efforts towards a drastic reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This is expected to be further accelerated after the upcoming COP261 (COP26: UN Climate Change Conference of Parties) in Glasgow in autumn 2021. The maritime industry is examining alternative ways to contribute actively to this endeavor, despite the additional challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Autonomy is not what you think: assessing the external costs of autonomous shipping through the AUTOSHIP IWW use case study

Autonomy is not what you think: assessing the external costs of autonomous shipping through the AUTOSHIP IWW use case study AUTOSHIP aims to speed up the transition towards the next generation of autonomous ships in the EU. The project will build and operate two different autonomous vessels, demonstrating their operative capabilities in short-sea shipping and inland waterways scenarios, with a focus on goods mobility.

Retrofitting measure of an ageing multi-purpose ship exposed to short-sea LNG operation

The objective of the present study is to analyse the retrofitting measure needed for an ageing multi-purpose ship exposed to a short sea LNG operation in the Black Sea region. Different technical aspects of the retrofitting related to using LNG as fuel for short-sea shipping, including the required volume of the liquefied natural gas, the appropriate type of tanks and the location of tanks on the ship, changes in the main engine and needed additional equipment, are discussed. The cost-benefit feasibility analysis is performed considering the historical and current price of LNG fuel and different taxes related to the generated CO2, examining the Varna-Poti-Varna and Varna-Istanbul-Varna routes.

Pathways towards carbon reduction through technology transition in liner shipping

ABSTRACT In order to achieve IMO’s carbon reduction targets in maritime transportation, it has become imperative for ship operators to make well-funded business decisions regarding ship technology and fuel selection. This paper proposes a decision-making model for the decarbonization of liner shipping from 2022 to 2050. The model integrates decisions about ship purchases and sales, together with retrofitting of ships, fleet deployment, speed optimization, and shore power utilization. All these decisions will heavily depend on the technology transitions of alternative fuels. According to the established framework, we derive a road map of technology transition, which put forward time-related response measures for ship operators in both short-sea and deep-sea shipping. Furthermore, we assess the impacts of different carbon reduction targets on technology transition. The results indicate that LNG will still play a leading role in the short term, however ammonia and hydrogen will serve as important transitional fuels in the medium and long term. Retrofitting will be the primary way for technology transition, while slow steaming and shore power utilization will also be important measures to reduce the carbon emissions of shipping.

Risk-informed collision avoidance system design for maritime autonomous surface ships

The maritime industry is paving the way towards developing Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASSs) through the adoption of key enabling technologies for safety-critical operations, which are associated with new challenges, especially at their early design phase. This study aims to develop a methodology to conduct the risk-informed design for the Collision Avoidance System (CAS) of MASSs. Pertinent regulatory instruments are reviewed to identify functional and system requirements and develop a baseline CAS configuration at the component level. Quantitative Fault Tree Analysis is performed to derive risk metrics, such as probability of failure, Importance measures, and Minimal Cut Sets, whereas criticality analysis is conducted to recommend risk-reducing measures. A Short Sea Shipping case study is investigated considering four operating modes based on various weather and illumination conditions. Results demonstrate that the developed Fault Tree diagram provides a robust representation of the CAS failure. The most critical components are found to be related to the Intention Communication and Situation Awareness Systems, the redundancy of which leads to 91% reduction of the CAS probability of failure. This study contributes towards the risk-informed design of safety-critical systems required for the development of MASSs.

A framework for the economic-environmental feasibility assessment of short-sea shipping autonomous vessels

Despite the pursued autonomous ships initiatives, the lack of information on emerging technologies and their costs along with the limited investigations of the autonomy effects on logistics render these vessels feasibility assessment challenging. This study aims at developing an overarching framework to support decisions for the transition to autonomous shipping. The ship lifetime capital, operational and voyage expenditures are estimated to quantify the economic-environmental impact and required investments. Several scenarios are defined to address the input data uncertainty. The case of a short-sea shipping cargo vessel operating in the Norwegian waters is studied, considering its conversion to operate autonomously, as well as the next generation crewless ship design. The derived results demonstrate that the converted autonomous ships can reduce the lifetime present value by 1–12% and the carbon emissions by 4%, whereas the next-generation autonomous ships design leads to their further reductions by 3–4% and 4–7%, respectively. These savings can further increase by 6–7% by reducing the autonomous ships sailing speed, as crew replacement periods are not required. The estimated economic margin indicates that the next-generation autonomous ships can adopt greener technologies, such as hydrogen or green ammonia, to achieve the targeted carbon emissions reduction.

Slow steaming application for short-sea shipping to comply with the CII regulation

Slow steaming is an effective operational measure that reduces fuel consumption and thus emissions on board. With the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) regulation coming into force in 2023 from the International Maritime Organization (IMO), ships will have to reduce their CO2 emissions even more. The practice of slow steaming is an important measure to comply with this regulation. In this study, real voyage data of a general cargo ship was used. The changes in fuel consumption, CO2, CH4, N2O, and BC emissions, 20-year global warming potential (GWP20), and 100-year global warming potential (GWP100) of the ship were analysed under different scenarios (75%, 38%, 27%, and 19% main engine load), and the voyage expenses and cost-benefit ratio were calculated. At 38% main engine load, 31.5% less emissions were released than at 75% main engine load. At 27% and 19% main engine load, the emission reduction was 40.6% and 50.1%, respectively. The CO2 reduction target of 40% by 2030 and 50% by 2050 compared to 2008 levels in the IMO Initial GHG Strategy was achieved with slow steaming. As CO2 emissions decreased due to the application of slow steaming, this had a positive impact on the ship's CII rating and it remained at the A rating without further action. Nevertheless, it remains at the A rating with slow steaming, the amount of emissions varies depending on the rate of application of slow steaming in three different scenarios, and this shows that the environmental impact of each A rating is not the same. The results of the economic analysis show that operating costs increase and fuel costs decrease when the travel time is extended with slow steaming. As a result, the total voyage expenses decreased by up to 23.3%.

Carbon dioxide mitigation from public procurement with environmental conditions: The case of short-sea shipping in Norway

We investigate the potential for greenhouse gas (GHG) emission cuts for the Norwegian short-sea (domestic) maritime segments of express boats, offshore support vessels, and aquaculture support vessels in comparison to ferries in Norway. Public procurement conditional on climate-friendly operation is catalyzing a transition to battery-electric operation, where most ferries will be battery-electric or fueled by hydrogen by 2030. The comparison to ferries is performed with the help of a methodology inspired by the multi-attribute utility method, which contains 11 features related to technology, operation, and acceptance. This score is used to adjust the 70% CO2 emission reduction achieved by ferries. Based on this methodology, the CO2 emission reduction potential for express boats, offshore support vessels, and aquaculture support vessels is estimated to be 46%. Consequently, these short-sea shipping segments could reduce CO2 emissions by 0.8 million tonnes from 2017 to 2030, which is equivalent to 1.5% of Norwegian emissions in 2017. Norway's experience indicates that there is a sizable potential for reducing CO2 emissions for public procurement conditional on climate-friendly solutions for short-sea shipping in other shipping nations.

Development of short sea shipping in the north coast of Java Island, Indonesia as a potential market

The island of Java is the smallest of the six major islands in Indonesia. It is, however, the centre of national economic activity because 75% of industrial areas are located on this island, accounting for 59% of the national gross domestic product. The movement of goods on the island of Java reached 160.5 million tons, with trucks accounting for 90.3% of the total, contributing to traffic congestion. The ratio of road capacity to traffic volume on various major roads reached 1.3. This study aims to investigate how to reduce this ratio to 0.8 on the roads of Java by developing a short sea shipping transportation route from Jakarta to Surabaya. This study has never been conducted by the Ministry of Transportation of the Republic of Indonesia. According to the findings of the study, the potential cargo for short sea shipping reached 3.98 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). One of the most suitable types of vessels to be developed is the motorised container barge (MCB), which could operate on 88 voyages per year and have a capacity of 900 or 1,000 TEUs. The freight rate for short sea shipping ranges from $ 447 to $ 458 per TEUs, resulting in a benefit-cost ratio of 1.5 at a load factor of 70%. The freight rate is less expensive than the truck freight rate after adding the cost of trucking to and from the hinterland.

Potential impact of shipping on air pollution in the Mediterranean region – a multimodel evaluation: comparison of photooxidants NO2 and O3

Abstract. Shipping has a significant share in the emissions of air pollutants such as NOx and particulate matter (PM), and the global maritime transport volumes are projected to increase further in the future. The major route for short sea shipping within Europe and the main shipping route between Europe and East Asia are found in the Mediterranean Sea. Thus, it is a highly frequented shipping area, and high levels of air pollutants with significant potential impacts from shipping emissions are observed at monitoring stations in many cities along the Mediterranean coast. The present study is part of the EU H2020 project SCIPPER (Shipping contribution to Inland Pollution Push for the Enforcement of Regulations). Five different regional chemistry transport models (CAMx – Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions, CHIMERE, CMAQ, EMEP – European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme, LOTOS-EUROS) were used to simulate the transport, chemical transformation and fate of atmospheric pollutants in the Mediterranean Sea for 2015. Shipping emissions were calculated with the Ship Traffic Emission Assessment Model (STEAM) version 3.3.0, and land-based emissions were taken from the CAMS-REG v2.2.1 dataset for a domain covering the Mediterranean Sea at a resolution of 12 km × 12 km (or 0.1∘×0.1∘). All models used their standard setup for further input. The potential impact of ships was calculated with the zero-out method. The model results were compared to each other and to measured background data at monitoring stations. The model results differ regarding the time series and pattern but are similar concerning the overall underestimation of NO2 and overestimation of O3. The potential impact from ships on the total NO2 concentration was especially high on the main shipping routes and in coastal regions (25 % to 85 %). The potential impact from ships on the total O3 concentration was lowest in regions with the highest NO2 impact (down to −20%). CAMx and CHIMERE simulated the highest potential impacts of ships on the NO2 and O3 air concentrations. Additionally, the strongest correlation was found between CAMx and CHIMERE, which can be traced back to the use of the same meteorological input data. The other models used different meteorological input due to their standard setup. The CMAQ-, EMEP- and LOTOS-EUROS-simulated values were within one range for the NO2 and O3 air concentrations. Regarding simulated deposition, larger differences between the models were found when compared to air concentration. These uncertainties and deviations between models are caused by deposition mechanisms, which are unique within each model. A reliable output from models simulating ships' potential impacts can be expected for air concentrations of NO2 and O3.

Ro-ro and lo-lo alternatives between Mediterranean countries: Factors affecting the service choice

A relevant portion of the scientific literature on Short Sea Shipping (SSS) focuses on the competition of SSS against land transport. In the field of competition, great importance assumes the presence of international programmes that define land and maritime corridors as the TEN-T.The SSS market is defined by two main services: roll on–roll off (ro–ro) and lift on–lift off (lo–lo) services, differing in the typology of loading/unloading of units of load to/from the ships. The paper analyses the competition inside the maritime SSS market, comparing ro-ro vs lo-lo.A discrete choice model, simulating the split between ro–ro and lo–lo services of freight flow exchanged by sea between some Mediterranean countries has been developed, updating old values, previously calibrated, by means of a new dataset. New data, regarding freight flows exchanged by sea between Italy and some MENA countries, transported by lo–lo and ro–ro services, were obtained from EUROSTAT (year 2019).The paper presents the advancement of a research line whose general objective is the evaluation of geographic factors affecting the maritime services in (closed) sea basins.The proposed analysis could support the decisions of maritime transport operators (e.g. shipping lines, carriers, …), who operate with unitised cargos. It could be also suitable to support the analysis of market penetration of the analysed maritime services in other sea basins, such as the Baltic or the Northern ones in Europe. At the end, it could contribute to provide quantitative support to transport planning activities in progress at Euro-Mediterranean level.

Paving the way for the future of Short Sea Shipping: The MOSES project

As the European Union (EU) has aimed for a modal shift from road transport to other more sustainable transport modes, such as rail or waterborne transport, Short Sea Shipping (SSS) has gained more attention. In order to provide an overview of SSS component in the European supply chain, the current status, established networks and legislative drivers for its promotion are analyzed, as well as relevant shortcomings and potential market opportunities. In parallel, the contribution of MOSES project to SSS is examined, through the development of innovative solutions aiming to address the vulnerabilities and strains related to the operation of large containerships and the engagement of port community stakeholders. Finally, associated business cases are presented, along with the expected results of MOSES project and the foreseen benefits towards SSS promotion and enhancement.

Impact of external cost internalization on short sea shipping – The case of the Portugal-Northern Europe trade

Impact of external cost internalization on short sea shipping – The case of the Portugal-Northern Europe trade

Prediction of the Estimated Time of Arrival of container ships on short-sea shipping: A pragmatical analysis

Fighting against climate change and global warming is one of the biggest challenges faced by the Maritime Industry nowadays to make the supply chain greener and environmentally sustainable. Cutting greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions and decarbonizing the international shipping has been a paramount activity for the International Maritime Organization (IMO) since the first set of international mandatory measures to improve ships' energy efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions per transport work, as part of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) released in 2011. Besides that, changes in consumption habits around the globe (i.e., digitalization and growth of e-commerce) plus disruptive events like the COVID-19 or the blocking of the Suez Canal, to name only a few, have also highlighted the need for building more resilient maritime transport networks. In this work, a pragmatical analysis of the principal machine learning algorithms has been carried out to provide a qualitative prediction of the Estimate Time of Arrival (ETA) of container vessels applied to short-sea shipping where the distance between ports is reduced. By exploiting both, the Automatic Identification System (AIS) and meteorological data gathered over a desired area of interest, the developed approach delivers a model capable of predicting the ETA of ships where the reaction time of the stakeholders involved in the management of the Port Call is very reduced (i.e., less than two hours of sailing between ports) and therefore, tolerance for error is low. Very positive results were obtained for the training dataset collected under real conditions for more than a year. The best results were obtained by the RF model with a Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 11.31 and 19.56 minutes respectively.