Accurate and reliable determination of the ship position coordinates is one of the most important tasks for ensuring the safety of navigation at sea. A significant condition that contributes to the effective solution of this task is the use of redundancy in measurements of navigation parameters. The implementation of this redundancy allows the navigator or automatic navigation aid to control the trueness of measurements; eliminate gross and systematic errors; reduce the effect of random errors; apply various methods of analysis and algorithms for processing information in order to obtain the most accurate and reliable ship position. Adequate redundancy of navigation measurements makes it possible to obtain asymptotically unbiased estimates of coordinates, as well as to solve other navigation tasks based on redundant data. The results of a study on the probability of finding the true coordinates of the ship’s position in a geometric figure formed by random measurement errors are presented. It has been shown in the study that a single redundancy of measurements is not enough to achieve the required level of probability. Elements of classical combinatorics based on the Bernoulli scheme and including Newton’s binomial and Pascal’s triangle as tools are used as a mathematical apparatus for the study. These tools allow us to effectively analyze combinations of mathematical signs, such as plus and minus, of random measurement errors, reducing them into binary sequences, which are described by binomial coefficients. It has been argued in the paper that the low level of probability of finding the true values of the coordinates in the geometrical figure of measurement errors is a strong signal that any method of averaging the measurement results can lead to asymptotically biased estimates of the ship position coordinates. This is analogous to the influence of systematic errors on the coordinates within a certain time interval. From the point of view of navigational safety, a low probability can be qualified as a near-miss situation, which can lead to incorrect control of the ship position. The probabilistic criteria for the necessary redundancy of measurements to approach asymptotically unbiased estimates of ship position are presented in the paper.

A seabed relief-based vessel position fixing system on the basis of a neural network is proposed. The neural network satisfies the conditions of the universal approximation theorem and has one hidden layer. The hidden neurons have hyperbolic tangent activation functions. The model is constructed for 1-D case that can be considered as vessel motion throw a narrow channel or fairway. A sequence of depth derivatives (in relation to the coordinate) is fed to the network input. The depth is assumed to be measured with an echo-sounder. The vessel linear coordinate registered for the last depth derivative is formed on the network output. The training set contains not only data presumably registered at the stage of preliminary depth survey but also their noise-added versions obtained with the use of a random number generator. The validation set contains the survey data only. The Adamax algorithm is implemented for the neural network training. The maximum of absolute value of the prediction error is used as a performance criterion of the net. Modeling has been conducted in Python with Tensorflow. The depth is considered to be a polynomial function of the coordinate at each path region. So, the depth derivatives can be calculated analytically. As the result it is possible to state that the neural network predicts a vessel position with acceptable accuracy even in input signal noise conditions. Moreover, the neural network architecture of the radial-basis functions has been examined, but it is not possible to achieve acceptable accuracy by using it. The conducted investigations of the influences of a mini-batch size and learning rate values on the accuracy has shown that these parameters have the significant impact and an issue of their choice remains opened and actual in the framework of the task.

The subject of the research is the development of technologies for automated and automatic ship traffic control systems, which is of great importance in modern shipping conditions. At the same time, special attention is paid to intelligent control systems based on artificial intelligence methods, such as artificial neural networks, fuzzy logic, machine learning, evolutionary computing and genetic algorithms. As a result, integrated information navigation systems, which provide decision-making on all aspects of navigation tasks, primarily where reception, processing, storage and transmission of navigation information is required, are being created and widely used in practice. However, in such developments, due importance is not given to the human factor, namely, it is often not taken into account that the control system of a moving object is a man-machine and consists of a regulator, which includes a human operator (navigator). The inclusion of the navigator in the vessel control link leads to the need to simultaneously take into account the human factor and the characteristics of the vessel controllability, i. e. human and machine factors in their unity. In connection with the development of artificial intelligence, the concept of “human-machine symbiosis” is becoming increasingly relevant in the study of human-machine systems. The problem is that there is still no single point of view on this issue due to the lack of reasonable methods for taking into account the human factor in the process of controlling the movement of moving objects. The results of the theoretical research on the formalization of some aspects of human mental activity and their implementation in the conceptual scheme of an intelligent vessel control system are reflected in the paper. The results obtained may be of interest to specialists in vessel traffic control automation, artificial intelligence, the creation of intelligent control systems and navigation safety.

A method for choosing optimal shipping routes and determining the conditions under which the Northern Sea Route can be used year-round is developed in the paper. The topic and purpose of the study are directly related to the tasks, the implementation of which is provided by the Development Plan of the Northern Sea Route, approved by the decree of the Government of the Russian Federation on August 1, 2022, confirmed by the financing program for the development and implementation of the digital board of the Northern Sea Route, approved by the Government in mid-January, 2023. The assessment of the current state of the network of shipping routes, navigation, hydrographic and hydro meteorological support, as well as the structure and composition of the Arctic icebreaker and transport fleet is given. The main factors affecting the implementation of the year-round navigation program in the eastern sector of the Arctic include severe ice conditions, unreliable forecasts of the ice situation, the lack of a sufficient number of icebreakers and transport vessels capable of overcoming thick ice fields in the Arctic shallow waters. Based on the results of the review of existing methods for determining safe and cost-effective shipping routes, the basic requirements for methods of choosing optimal routes in the waters of the Arctic seas have been developed. Using the method of multi-criteria evaluation of alternative routes according to a variety of safety criteria depending on the navigation period and the method of transport vessels navigation in ice is justified. A list of information necessary for implementation of the developed multi-criteria method for finding optimal routes and a list of the main stages of its implementation have been compiled. The results of testing the method of comparative evaluation of alternative routes using a set of simulation models are presented. Recommendations on the use of the developed method are given. The main directions of further research are determined.

The topic of the study is to prevent damage to the ships hulls when sailing in polar waters in severe ice conditions, which is a dangerous situation that threatens environmental pollution and possible death of the vessel, its passengers and crew. It is noted that the intensive development of ice navigation in the development of the Arctic regions of the Russian Federation and other polar waters requires the development and improvement of methods for freeing ships trapped in heavy ice. Navigation of vessels in severe ice conditions is accompanied by significant difficulties and dangers for the vessel, its passengers and crew. This situation can be significantly aggravated if, at a certain stage of navigation in ice conditions, heavy ice begins to move, leading to compression of the ice channel in which the vessel is located. At the same time, the risk of the vessel hull destruction, the creation of water leakage and the possible death of the vessel, its passengers and crew increases, as well as environmental pollution occurs. The theoretical foundations of freeing a vessel from severe ice conditions, based on the principles of rocking and pushing, as well as cutting ice, clamping the vessel, which have proven their effectiveness in other fields of science and technology, are discussed in the paper. The use of the vessel theory apparatus and the experience of ice-breaking assistance make it possible to substantiate the possibility of effective application of methods of rocking, pushing and chopping ice to release ships caught in severe ice conditions. The theoretical possibility of using combinations of the operation of the ballast system, cargo booms and cranes, special actions of the crew trapped in the ice of the vessel, as well as its interaction with icebreakers and other vessels for cutting the clamping ice, rocking and pushing, increasing the efficiency of freeing the vessel from severe ice conditions, is shown. The materials of the paper can be used to develop practical recommendations for freeing ships from heavy ice conditions independently and using icebreakers and other vessels.

The current trends in interannual changes in the frequency of winds that pose a danger to navigation on shipping routes of the Barents and Kara Seas in the winter-spring months are identified in the paper. Winds are considered dangerous if their average hourly speed over the water surface exceeds 15 m/s. The factual material is based on information from the ERA5 global reanalysis. The research methodology involves the use of standard methods of mathematical statistics. Trends are assessed for the time periods of 2001–2021 and 2010–2021. The study has allowed us to identify the water areas of the Barents Sea, where in December, January, April and May, significant rising trends in the frequency of dangerous winds are presented. No similar trends during the months of the winter-spring navigation period are found in the water areas of the Kara Sea in the modern period. It has been established that in December storm risks exhibit rising trends on the waterways of the Barents Sea passing north of Cape Zhelaniya. At the same time, in the area of the Kara Strait and its approaches, the tendencies of changes in the frequency of dangerous winds are more favorable. In January, the wind regime in this strait, on the contrary, has a clear tendency to worsen. The persistence of the identified trends in the region under consideration in the future is not guaranteed. Therefore, further development of its observation network remains an urgent problem of hydrometeorological provision of navigation in the Barents and Kara seas.

The current state and issues of the bathymetric investigations of the Arctic Ocean are examined in the study. The main sources of bathymetric data in the Central Arctic region and Arctic seas are characterized. The main possibilities to solve these issues in order to improve the efficiency of oncoming bathymetric investigation in the Russian Arctic sector for solving the urgent practical and scientific tasks of the Russian Federation in the Arctic region are discussed. The problem of hydrographic investigation and marine cartography of the new high latitude routes in the Northern Sea Route and bathymetric investigations of the South-Eastern part of Gakkel Ridge which are important for the Russian extended continental shelf submission is covered as one of the main issues. The importance of a new hydrographic investigation at the high latitude routes in the East Siberian Sea in order to provide the possibility of year-round navigation for the large-tonnage Arc7‑class icebreaking liquefied natural gas carriers is especially emphasized. The questions of geoformation and ice satellite support for efficient navigation along the Northern Sea Route are considered. It is concluded that the poor hydrographic knowledge of the new high latitude route in the East Siberian Sea and the lack of electronic navigation charts will prevent the possibility of establishing the year-round navigation for Arc7‑class icebreaking liquefied natural gas carriers during the coming several years. It is stated that hydrographic investigations carried out on the sections of the Northern Sea Route must adhere to the requirements of the International Hydrographic Organization. The urgency of developing the state integrated bathymetric database for the Arctic Ocean including the arctic seas data along with the necessity of providing all Russian bathymetric data acquired in the Arctic region to the assigned national center is discussed. The FKU 280 ZKP VMF is proposed as such national center. The importance of bathymetric maps of the Arctic Ocean is noted. The main role of creating the electronic bathymetric maps using modern technology and analytical geomorphological mapping on the basis of the system-oriented morphological approach in Earth science is emphasised.

One of the ways to reduce emissions of harmful substances into the environment is considered in the paper. This way is connected with the transition from liquid and solid hydrocarbon fuels to liquefied natural gas, which is one of the reasons for the increase in gas fuel consumption with the observed growth in the last decade for its transportation in liquefied form in tank containers. The main countries owning tank containers are the USA, Germany and the UK. It is noted that tank containers are used for transportation and storage of liquefied gas in small volumes for end users; this method of transportation is mobile, since sea, rail and automobile transport can be used for this; storage of liquefied gas in tank containers does not require the construction of additional infrastructure. Further prospects of tank containers for liquefied natural gas are considered. The possibility of supplying gas by tank containers, especially for autonomous remote settlements and regions of the Russian Federation with a low population density, while in these regions the population needs gas for heating residential buildings, is discussed. The use of tank containers, due to its advantages, may have the potential for use in the Russian Federation. Thus, within the framework of the review study, the issues of the current state and prospects for the use of tank containers for LNG transportation are considered in detail. It is noted that the mobility and flexibility of transportation ensures storage without additional refrigeration systems for about three months, including that LNG tank containers are used for gas supply to sparsely populated and hard-to-reach points without connection to main gas pipelines, satisfaction of short-term peak gas consumption in winter, and use of gas as motor fuel for the various types of transport.

Seaports occupy one of the leading places in the foreign trade turnover of Russia. It is emphasized that the strategy of maritime activity of the Russian Federation provides for an increase in competitiveness through the modernization of existing and the construction of new terminals and seaports, which will give impetus to the development of ports and container terminals. The process of determining the port specialization and organizing its work, which is one of the initial stages for the planning process of the port construction or reconstruction, is investigated. The factors influencing not only economic and financial decisions, but also the introduction of information technologies that contribute to the automation of technological processes of the port, are also investigated. It is noted that new technologies have found application in ports where the production of loading and unloading operations is a repetitive process that can be modeled and programmed. It is indicated that most of the technological operations for the production of loading and unloading operations on modern lifting and transport equipment are automated, which increases the port efficiency, but not all ports can be automated, this is due to the possibility of accounting and control of the cargo unit, its location and shelf life, as well as identification. At terminals specializing in the bulk cargo transshipment, there are no such tasks for the management of lifting and transport equipment as at container terminals and terminals for the transshipment of bulk cargo and liquefied natural gas, which are initially automated. Automation is incorporated into the project during the construction of a new or reconstruction of an existing port or container terminal. The main documents that guide designers in the development of the project have been analyzed. Among them are “Set of rules 316.1325800.2017. Container terminals. Regulations of projecting”, “Set of rules 350.1326000.2018. Norms for technological design of sea ports” and “Set of rules 262.1325800.2016. Container yard and terminal devices in industrial and transport manufacture. Terms of design and construction”. They are obsolete and do not reflect modern requirements for technological processes. Special attention is paid to the fact that modern documents meeting the latest technological and technical requirements are necessary for the design of modern ports and terminals.

Some aspects for improving the technical level and flexibility of assembly and welding production of domestic shipyards are discussed in the paper. It is noted that a number of shipyards have integrated mechanized production lines of foreign manufacturers: for metal processing, manufacture of ship hull structures, their painting, etc. As a rule, such lines are equipped with high-performance technological equipment; however, they are ineffective in conditions of small-scale production. The main reason is insufficient line loading. An alternative to such lines can be multi-functional complex mechanized and partially automated assembly and welding manipulators, which are a flexible production module equipped with an assembly and welding portal (or semi-portal) and a set of replaceable mounted assembly and welding equipment. The research purpose is an increase in the technical level and flexibility of assembly and welding production of domestic shipbuilding enterprises in the short term by replacing resource-producing and inefficient due to insufficient loading of mechanized production lines of foreign production with import-substituted multifunctional complex-mechanized assembly and welding manipulators. The subject of the research is a flexibly reconfigurable production system of a shipyard. Mechanized production lines of assembly and welding production and complex mechanized assembly and welding manipulators are accepted as objects of research. As a result of the research, the functionality of assembly and welding manipulators for the assembly of ship hull structures and a set of factors influencing the choice of their design schemes are determined. It is concluded that due to the extreme urgency of the issue considered in the paper, it is necessary to conduct a set of special studies on the theoretical justification of replacing inefficient mechanized production lines with complex mechanized multifunctional assembly and welding manipulators, and a range of priority tasks to achieve this goal is defined.

A set of problems of a shipbuilding and ship repair plant in terms of production preparation efficiency, focusing on such issues as import substitution, modernization, the introduction of innovative solutions in production, digitalization of production, is studied in the paper. Considerable attention is paid to the real state of the shipbuilding industry, the difficulties it faces, and the prospects for restoring specific positions. A set of issues related to the shipbuilding and ship repair production organization is considered. Attention is paid to the production efficiency, taking into account the fact that the efficiency of shipbuilding and ship repair production in modern Russia is characterized by the development of high-tech science-intensive industries and the introduction of innovative technologies. It is concluded that modern high-tech shipbuilding and ship repair production requires the involvement of significant financial and intellectual resources, and production facilities must be provided with modern, mostly automated production equipment, slipways, docks, boathouses, so it is necessary to take specific measures towards a significant improvement in performance, characterizing the state of fixed production assets. On the example of Onego Shipyard, JSC, the trend towards production modernization and the prospects for production and economic development are shown; it requires significant investment in the technical re-equipment and production modernization, and also contributes to the creation of a new production infrastructure and a significant renewal of fixed assets. Considerable attention should be paid to the issues of a systematic approach to solving the problems of shipbuilding and ship repair production, taking into account the organizational and technical component.

The advantages of multihulls over monohulls are better running characteristics at high speeds and a larger deck area, which is critical for passenger ships. When designing, it is necessary to choose geometric parameters, which include the distance between the hulls. A brief description of the existing methods for calculating the towing resistance of multihull vessels is provided in the paper. New results of an experimental study of the effect of transverse clearance and the ratio of the one hull width to draft on the resistance of a displacement catamaran are also provided. The studies are carried out by testing a small non-self-propelled model of a multihull vessel in the towing tank. The model length is 1.84 m; the width of one hull is 0.15 m; the draft varies from 0.07 m to 0.11 m. The experiment is carried out in the towing tank of the Admiral Makarov State University of Maritime and Inland Shipping. The results are processed according to the Froude method without taking into account dynamic heel and they are presented as a dependence of the residual resistance coefficients on the Froude number. By approximating the experimental data, an expression allowing evaluating the influence of these parameters on the value of the residual resistance in the range of Froude numbers 0.30–0.70 is obtained. One hull is also tested at two draft values in the same speed range. These data are not approximated, but they are presented in the paper in the form of experimentally obtained points. The results of the work can be used at the initial stages of designing catamarans and at studying the influence of these factors on the residual resistance.

The issues of heat removal efficiency of cladding heat exchangers of closed cooling systems of ship power plants are considered. The use of such systems allows obtaining technical and environmental advantages in the operation of the vessel. The latter ensures the conservation of fish resources of the seas and continental waters. It is shown that the worst conditions for heat removal take place when the vessel is parked. In this case, heat transfer to outboard water is carried out with free convection. This mode is the main calculation mode. In the case of vessel movement, heat removal increases significantly, since it is carried out with forced convection. For the case of the ship berthing, the results of experimental thermal engineering studies on a model of 1m² are presented. It is shown that the efficiency of heat removal significantly depends on the orientation of the ship’s plating of the temperature difference in the apparatus. The transition from the bottom location of the apparatus to the side, as well as an increase in the temperature difference, provide greater thermal efficiency. Generalizing similarity equations are obtained for the case of the ship berthing. Based on them, a method for the calculation has been developed. The reliability of this technique is fully confirmed by the results of testing such a heat exchanger, with an area of 100 m², on a self-propelled floating crane of project 15201. It is shown that the obtained generalizing similarity equations have their own characteristics compared to the known ones. This is a consequence of the peculiarities of the processes taking place in such devices. For the case of vessel movement, generalizing similarity equations are also obtained. In this case, the authors have used the results of their own tests of such devices on the floating crane of project 15201, as well as the tests results of other researchers on various ships.

The specifics of modern information and telecommunication networks in transport, as an object of information security control, are investigated. The main trends in the development of information and telecommunication network protection technologies (TNPT) have been identified. The presence of the interrelation of the main integrative properties: readiness, mobility, throughput, stealth, accessibility, manageability, which is a consequence of the convergence of information transmission and processing technologies, is noted. A new integrative property of ITCS has become the presence and characteristics of distributed system memory, which allows storing transmitted messages for a certain time. An important feature of modern TNPT is the presence of artificial intelligence, which is formed on the basis of information and algorithmic support of modern TNPT, providing flexibility of the system behavior. These trends indicate the transformation of TNPT into a supersystem, the management tasks of which are insufficiently investigated at present. The purpose of this work is to study new approaches to ensuring the safety management of modern TNPT critical infrastructure, which includes modern systems of sea and river transport, taking into account their features. The object of the study is the information security control system of modern TNPT. The subject of the study is the scientific and methodological support of the TNPT critical infrastructure control. The research objectives are to analyze existing and develop new conceptual frameworks, as well as approaches to improving the TNPT information security control system based on intellectualization methods. The analysis of the existing methodology for managing complex organizational and technical systems and information security control technologies is carried out. The concept of TNPT information security control is formalized schematically. The analysis of the existing approach to the organization of the TNPT information security control process is carried out. The tasks of control intellectualization are defined. The problem of ensuring the efficiency and reliability of the TNPT control is formulated. The main scientific tasks of the development of the TNPT information security control methodology are defined.