The task of predicting the vessel kinematic parameters arises in the dead reckoning mode of its track calculation. This task is solved in the framework of the traditional approach based on using the ordinary differential equations. As a rule, while constructing these equations, the difficulties arise. The difficulties result from selection of the algorithms which are used for the certain forces calculation. These algorithms are not universal, and their working ability could not be guaranteed for all sailing conditions. The task of predicting the vessel kinematic parameters can be performed as the task of approximation of multiple variables functions. Neural networks are known as universal algorithms of such approximation. In the paper, a generalized model of the vessel dead reckoning on the basis of neural networks is performed. An algorithm of its operation is performed as well. The base of the model is formed with deep neural nets which are constructed through a cascade connection between two-layered (shallow) networks. There are two types of neural networks in the structure of the model: main and auxiliary nets. The main nets predict kinematic parameters using the information about force influences on the vessel. The auxiliary nets use the information about only the ship kinematic history. The model configuration allows two modes of operation. The first mode is used when dead reckoning is performed in the usual way. The second mode is used when the reiable information from a log or (and) gyrocompass is unavailable. In the case of both sensors failure the model reproduces the vessel dynamics in the horizontal plane (with three degree of freedom) thus substituting the system of corresponding differential equations. The input signals of the main nets are formed in accordance with the configuration vector of the model. The capabilities of learning the model and its using in practice are also analysed.

This paper is about navigation safety of marine traffic at sea areas. In addition to traditional approach of danger situation detection based on vessels approaching, the current paper introduces another metrics derived from kinematic parameters of the vessel itself, to identify whether it follows patterns (rules) of the traffic at a certain sea area. Authors focused their efforts on analyzing existing traffic schemas in order to identify its danger level in general rather than scrutinizing on individual cases. Along with the traditional approach of sea traffic schema identifications, proposed original method of automated identification of sea traffic schemes based on clustering of movement parameters using historical AIS data. The kinematic model with additional clustering of the objects at sea area is used. Clustering is built up on identification of “typical” objects with splitting maritime area into subsets of arias with similar movement patterns. For the clustering decomposition Mountain clustering and Subtraction clustering algorithms were considered. The model under research is built depending on the heading parameter and is applicable for both unidirectional and bidirectional traffic. The historical AIS data of sea traffic at Tsugaru strait is used for identifying traffic schema with the model designed under presented research.The proposed model shows correct identification of the traffic schema, accurately identifies straight-line traffic clustering areas crossing likes traffic clustering areas and active maneuvering areas. Based on model output results, the algorithm is proposed to help with navigation decision making for safe ship traffic in certain sea areas. The calculation of deviation between identified clusters and real ship traffic shows that about 15% of the vessels are not following sea area specific traffic schema. As a part of the work there are analyses of relevant research with emphasizes on superior differences such as automated identification of vessel movement types and quantitative measure of overall danger for the traffic scheme based on clustering analyses. Study of proposed approach for safety measures on real navigation area proves its potential for future implementation in real applications to provide navigation schema for vessel navigators.

The existing narrowband direct data systems NAVTEX and TELEX which send information from shore stations to the ships at a low rate of 50 bps and parcels duration of 20ms are outdated already and do not meet modern requirements of information exchange. It is impossible to raise the rate by shortening a parcel duration due to the multipath effect and deformation defects of a message shape when signal passing through the Earth atmosphere. Deformation defects are resulted in extension of a message in time and superposition on each other. The KENTA Company (France) has introduced digital wideband system NAVDAT for MSI and security-related information. The system central frequency is 500 kHz with band of 10 kHz. 228 subcarrier frequencies are used. It is shown the dependency of a modulation mode and data transfer rate.They have refused from frequency modulation to reduce width of the signal spectrum in favor of multiply amplitude-phase encoding. The noise immunity of the system is solved with convolutional encoding which decreases the required signal-to-noise ratio at the receiver input by 6 dB. NAVDAT stations are deployed off the coast of Europe and Asia. NAVDAT data transfer rate in the presence of real interference increases hundreds of times in comparison with the existing systems. It has been shown necessity to increase signal-to-noise ratio at a signal reception area. Updated version of NAVDAT system is able to provide better data transmission rate due to some technological decisions: multifrequency signal transmission; multifrequency modulation (QAM) of signal; redundant convolutional coding. Digital wideband data transmission through updated NAVDAT provides a possibility to replace narrowband data transmission via TELEX.

The problem of adaptive control system synthesis using the local criterion is considered. The criterion selection allows you to take into account ship course errors and desired small deviations of rudder. The theoretical basis for solving this problem is the velocity gradient method. To obtain laws (algorithms) for adjusting the regulator parameters, a local quadratic quality criterion that is oriented on ensuring small deviations from the set course and keeping the ship’s heading has been chosen. Adaptive course control systems, obtained on the basis of theoretical research, are modeled in the MATLAB environment. It is shown that the originally obtained adaptation laws can be modified by coarsening due to introducing a negative feedback on the tunable parameter. The results of modeling the ship course control system under the influence of an external disturbance are also presented in the paper. The algorithm developed in the paper for setting the regulator parameters allows controlling the ship movement along the course under wind-wave action with wave amplitude of 6 degrees and the constant wave component of 6 degrees. The results of modeling the ship course control system without setting the regulator and with the setting enabled confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

The safety of ship operation is a priority for container shipping. Its provision is inseparably linked with proper container ship stowage planning. At the beginning of maritime container shipping evolution, container ship stowage planning was a fairly simple task, which could be solved without using complex computers and specialized software, in a relatively short time. With increasing ships container capacity, this task has become more complex and time-consuming. The complexity of container ship stowage planning is due to the fact that it is necessary to simultaneously take into account many factors that can have the opposite effect on the planning result. At the same time, normalization of one factor can lead to the fact that another factor will take an unacceptable value. The container capacity of the largest vessels today is 24,000 units in twenty-foot equivalent. Stowage planning of even an average feeder container ship with a capacity of 2000-3000 units in twenty-foot equivalent, in the modern conditions of container lines operation, requires the use of automated planning tools. Automation of this task solution has been attracting the researchers’ attention for nearly forty years. However, there were no outstanding successes. At the same time, the existing technical and software tools for container ship stowage planning, although allow you to solve this problem, but not to a sufficient level. It is important that the solution of the problem aims to achieve the greatest economic effect from stowage planning. It is noted that despite the fact that transportation safety is taken into account in the proposed models, these solutions are not enough. A mathematical model for solving the container ship stowage planning, based on setting the objective function and corresponding restrictions is offered in the paper. The maximum priority in the model is given to the safety of transportation. The importance of the economic effect from the stowage planning is recognized, but is not considered in this paper.

It is proposed to optimize a posterior accuracy estimation of the navigation parameters cluster by spline synthesis of the isosurface of the digital array in order to search for errors in the measurement database. Structured numerical information is visualized by means of computer graphics in an evident geometric form. Reliable error detection from the base of navigation data based on the wavelet fluctuation of an erroneous geometric image is provided. Axonometric visualization of the navigation isosurface on a computer screen is based on the parallel projection method. A gallery of six display copies demonstrates the productivity of the numerical experiment. In parallel, two tables present fragments of a hypothetical base of accurate and erroneous data. The essence of the performed test is to artificially initiate two errors simulated by manual correction of the digital data file. Detected graphical improvisations of errors can be operatively corrected in the numeric data file, since the approximate segment of the tabular errors presence sets their geometric image. The absence of peaks on the computer display guarantees synchronous absence of errors in the database and in this case there is no need to carry out search activities. In order to implement the practical possibility of manipulating the synthesized isosurface, four coefficients for controlling the shape of the geometry of the engineered electronic perspective are introduced into the software module. Variation of one of the four coefficients assists to conduct the further analyzing the measurement data in order to distinguish the heterogeneity of digital values from their error. The proposed approach allows you to obtain a compromise solution if it is impossible to formulate formal criteria for fuzzy logic of searching for errors in the database. Based on empirical analysis, an expert assessment of the accuracy of any base of navigation data is performed.

The present work is devoted to the substantiation of the calculation method for determining the coordinates (abscissa and ordinate) of the general center of gravity of «the ships constant» - non-measurable load items whose total mass is determined by the difference between the actual (calculated from the draft) mass of the empty vessel and the mass of the empty vessel specified in the documentation, and is taken into account when determining the mass of the cargo according to the draft of the vessel (by draft survey method). To determine the coordinates of the center of gravity, it is proposed to use the software installed on the vessel for stability calculation (in terms of the International Code on Intact Stability, 2008 - part of the stability instrument). To determine the abscissa, one should use the draft of the vessel measured by the marks of the recesses, estimate the difference between the actual and calculated ship draft, by discrete change of the abscissa of the center of gravity, laid down in the program, and achieve equality of actual and estimated draft. As a result, the desired value will be the value of the abscissa at which the indicated equality of values of the vessel’s draft is observed. To determine the ordinate, the actual value of the transverse metacentric height (i. e. obtained differently than using a computer program) must be available. The captain formula is proposed to use for this purpose. The further algorithm is similar to the algorithm for determining abscissas - the desired ordinate value will be observed in the program when the actual and obtained using the stability instrument transverse metacentric heights are equal. The possibility of practical realization of substantiated method is demonstrated using real stability instrument applied in marine vessel (bulk carrier). During the computational experiment, it was found that the input of arbitrary or intuitively valid coordinates of the center of gravity of “dead load” can lead to significant errors in the calculation of the transverse metacentric height. In turn, these errors can become a source of error in assessing the vessel stability. Thus, the use of the substantiated method and the results of its application in calculating stability prevent the occurrence of such errors.

The emergence of “Industrialization 4.0” concept in Germany has received wide interest from European countries and Russia. The idea of creating a suitable digital platform that unites all sectors of the country economy in a single place is promising for the domestic transport industry development. In particular, the digitalization of chartering, operation and maintenance of the fleet within a single electronic platform could reduce the time spent on the certain operations, improve communication between shipowners and charterers, as well as between departments and technical services of the transport company, and convert most of the documentation to electronic format, reduce part of the company costs. In order to realize this idea, it is necessary to have a well-designed schedule of the decision chain of not only the office personnel of the shipowning company, but also of all structures involved in sea and water transport.In the framework of this paper, applying a network modeling method to build a model of the decisions sequence of office workers in water transport is proposed. For this, it is proposed to consider one of the commercial processes in sea and river transport, namely, chartering of tonnage. So, for the purposes of the study, a network diagram of the decision chain when the charter is being agreed and made is built, a series of experiments showing the rules of changing the temporal values of this process is carried out, an analysis of the reasons affecting these changes is made. Based on the work results, a forecast regarding changes in document management, in operational and communication processes after the electronic platforms introduction in the work of freight departments of the water transport enterprises is made.

The ways to effectively maneuver a tanker in a storm to preserve the ability to ensure the vessel safety and maintain the movement speed along a given route are suggested in the paper. Effective maneuvering can be understood as a timely change of the ship course to reduce the dangerous consequences of navigation under stormy conditions without significant reduce of the speed movement along the originally set path. Stormy navigation leads to adverse and sometimes disastrous consequences for the ship, its cargo and crew. High-amplitude rolling, especially, in resonant conditions, can lead to cargo loss, devices and equipment damage, and sometimes, in cases of reduced stability, the vessel capsizing. Bottom hitting the waves (slamming), hits into the collapse of the sides (slapping) can lead to the ship hull damage, the destruction of fasteners of ship mechanisms and devices, up to their complete separation, to water leakage, and in the most adverse conditions, to the shell break and/or the vessel break with its subsequent flooding. In similar stormy conditions, “Estonia” liner, “Erika” and “Prestige” tankers, “Mol Comfort” container ship and others were lost. From the point of view of a vessel operation by the ship-owners and the shipper, the most significant is an additional increase in resistance to the vessel movement in storm conditions, resulting in reduced vessel speed for a given route. The issues of ensuring the specified speed and safety of cargo delivery by sea, including stormy navigation, are becoming the main issues of transport logistics and the development of new ports. The method of effective sequential maneuvering of a tanker in a storm, called “12-60”, proposed in this paper shows the possibility of a comprehensive solution to the problems of safety and maintaining the speed of the vessel. The results of this paper provide ample opportunity for optimization of voyage costs and reduce the voyage time in storm conditions during cargo and ballast transitions in storm conditions for tankers and other ships.

Since middle 1960s methods of network planning and running have become one of the decision-making tools. The networks (graphs) are used to formulate and solve different practical issues connected with implementation of activities (events) sequence. Some of these issues have become axiomatic. Development of programming tools led to these methods recovery based on the modern technologies, which allows a researcher to provide fast and reliable forecasts of the understudy processes behavior. The Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) have been developed and widely used. BPMN is notation of business processes modelling, which is the interface between business process formalization and its practical implementation. The notation is represented as the number of graphical elements which are used in business processes description. It is often used for description and formalization of business processes on easy-to-understand level. But BPMN also allows you to automate the company activity. The algorithm of object-oriented network model is considered in the paper. The model is applied to maritime transport business processes which conveniently can be described in BPMN. Application of the approach particularly means building the networks simulation model. This allows you to provide stochastic analysis of business processes in the case of stochastic nature of the processes implementation and alternative critical paths. The authors believe that the model can be widely used. The stochastic nature of the weights of the network model edges, as shown by experimental tests of the approach presented in the paper, allows one to observe changes in the critical path. This ambiguous solution allows, in principle, to rationally reserve the necessary resources.

New approaches to the information support of navigators are considered in the paper. They can positively influence the increase in the level of providing the modern navigators with the navigation information necessary for making decisions that make it possible to safely perform maneuvers when passing navigational hydraulic structures on inland waterways using 3D electronic navigational charts. As such approaches, a number of constructive proposals for the following methods modernization have been proposed: controlling the vessel in course, controlling the vessel in speed, controlling the velocity vector of the vessel, as well as controlling the bow and stern ends of the vessel. When navigating a vessel in course, a sequence of actions when the vessel is turning is disclosed. When considering the control of a vessel in speed, an example of displaying information on a change in the navigation situation with a change in the water level, which is important in ensuring the safety of navigation, is considered. When considering the control of the ship’s velocity vector using the 3D image of the Bagaevsky waterworks as an example, the possibility of performing a visual assessment of the spatial dimensions of objects and ships when implementing the method is emphasized. In addition, the fragments of 3D electronic navigational cartography those display the maneuvers of vessels entering a double-lane lock, showing the implementation of controlling the bow and stern ends of the vessel are presented. In the proposed study, based on the application of elements of situational analysis and methods for assessing the navigation situation by the skipper, when performing maneuvers, the recommendations that will improve the navigation safety through the use of standard electronic navigational charts and the latest 3D navigational charts are suggested.

It is emphasized that the Russian complex of “KRAB-400” seismic bottom stations was developed for hydrocarbon survey on the continental shelf of the Russian Federation within the framework of import substitution program. The tests carried out on a limited sample of 10% of the complex bottom stations in the first stage have revealed unavailability of the complex for further tests. This fact has dictated the necessity to develop procedures for hardware integrated check to identify engineering faults. The second stage of full-scale tests performed on the basis of the developed integrated check procedures is described in the paper. The test procedures to validate the key parameters of bottom stations are explained. They include the adjustment of seismic signal source, accuracy assessment for seismic station timer, identity evaluation for bottom station seismic channels, assessment of station displacement on the seabed with respect to the shipboard launch point, analysis of station compass and tiltmeter indications on the seabed, definition of hydrophone channel optimum gain. The technology of seismic profile mapping using MultiChannel Seismic (CDP method) at test range is offered. The performed tests have revealed that the overall reject rate of stations by the various parameters (failed hydrophones, reversed polarity of connection, channels nonidentity, failure to meet timer specifications) is 9.18% of total number of stations. This reject rate is unacceptable for the field trials. Regardless of hardware engineering deficiencies the second stage of tests has validated the general system availability to gain high-quality seismic data. Hardware performance is rated at the level of the best world-class products. The processed seismic data has enabled evaluating the accuracy of the obtained results, developing recommendations for designer to enhance reliability and efficiency of the stations ready for pilot testing at one of the licensed areas of the continental shelf of the Russian Federation.

The main features of an efficiency evaluation of positional (stationary and autonomous) sonar systems at the design stage and deciding on the coordinates of the antenna installation site based on modeling and visualization of the expected surveillance zones using intelligent geographic information systems are considered in the paper. The issues of intellectual decision support for the rational spatial distribution of receiving antennas are considered. The influence of the information support quality of geographic information systems on the calculations accuracy of expected surveillance zones of the sonar systems under the various hydrological and acoustic conditions is assessed. A new performance indicator in the form of spatial volume of the expected surveillance zone is proposed. A method for solving the optimization problem of finding the maximum volume of the illuminated space as a coordinates function of the antenna placement within a given observation area, with fixed technical characteristics of the monitoring system and given noise conditions, acoustic characteristics of the detection object and the observation time has been developed. The proposed approach to selecting the rational variant of the receiving antennas location of positional hydroacoustic facilities and systems in the interests of dispatching geospatial processes using as a mean of intelligent support the modern hardware and software complex realizing the specified selection by such efficiency indicator as volume of illuminated space, in the conditions of a two-dimensionally inhomogeneous model of medium, close to real hydrological-acoustic conditions, allows to increase the accuracy of assessing the illumination efficiency of underwater environment of positional hydroacoustic means and systems and significantly reduce the design and development time as compared with the traditional approach, requiring expensive field observation over a long period of time.

A difficult ice situation had developed during the winter navigation of 2017/2019 in the waters of the seaport of St. Petersburg, near the St. Petersburg oil terminal and in the Golden Gate area of the St. Petersburg sea channel. Large and small ships had been getting stuck in the channel with fast ice and icebreakers and tugboats had been having to free the ice channel. The use of radar equipment for remote measurement of the ice thickness in the channel with fast ice had helped to solve this problem. In the winter navigation of 2017/2019 in the water area of Saint Petersburg marine port the series of telemetering of ice thicknesses was executed from the boards of sea vessels and ice-breakers. Researches of ice thickness, conducted with using «PikoR-ICE» radar device, are considered. Measurements, conducted on the channels with fast ice and at port berths, are explored. Of greatest interest are measurements of ice thickness in the area of the Golden gate and Petersburg Oil Terminal, where ballast bulkers and dry-cargo ships were often stuck. The measured thickness of pressed ice is 140-200 cm. Overcoming such ice thicknesses is only possible for the powerful icebreaker fleet. Information about measuring the ice thicknesses is studied on the courses of training of marine navigators on ice courses to the program of the Arctic Polar Code at the Admiral Makarov Training Center. Taking into account the opinion of navigators, it has been decided that such measuring device of ice thickness is needed on ships board in Polar waters and it is advisable to know the ice thicknesses along the vessel route at distances of 5-10 cbl with using the flying apparatus.

The atmospheric air used to burn any organic carbon-containing fuel contains two main macrocomponents by volume: 79.03 % nitrogen and 20.92 % oxygen, the rest is carbon dioxide, argon, xenon, krypton, ozone, helium, hydrocarbons in the amount of 0.05 %. In the process of fuel oxidation, nitrogen is an inert substance, does not support the process of fuel oxidation, and at high temperatures and pressures in the combustion chamber, nitrogen is oxidized by oxygen with the formation of highly toxic nitrogen oxides. To increase the degree of oxidation of marine fuel in the fuel-air mixture, a high coefficient of excess air is maintained, which leads to an even greater increase in the mass of nitrogen. In the combustion chamber, the nitrogen contained in the fuel-air mixture is heated to 850-1000 ° C, which leads to unproductive consumption of marine fuel. The dimensions and metal consumption of the ship power plant (SPP) are therefore high. An alternative solution for air replacement with oxygen, used as an oxidizing agent in the ship power plants is proposed in the paper. This decision has been stimulated by a number of technical advantages in replacing air with oxygen, namely, reducing the metal consumption of the SPP, reducing marine fuel consumption, reducing the emission of carbon dioxide, which is the main component of «greenhouse» gases - harmful toxic components, in particular, the complete elimination of nitrogen oxides with exhaust gases of the ship power plant. As a result of this proposal implementation the economic and environmental problems of maritime transport can be solved. Using a specially developed computer program, the calculations of the SPP energy efficiency have been made; they have showed that in the case of replacing air with oxygen, the SPP efficiency increases by 25%, which, accordingly, leads to reducing marine fuel cost and reducing the harmful toxic components emission, in particular, carbon dioxide, which is the main component of “greenhouse” gases. Based on the analysis of scientific, technical, patent materials and our own scientific research, the process of obtaining oxygen on the alternative basis from water and carbon dioxide is of scientific and practical interest. Two schemes for obtaining oxygen from water and carbon dioxide, including heterogeneous catalytic processes, plasma-chemical installations, are proposed.

Reduction of the resources consumption for generating the electric power, improving the parameters of a vessel electric network is one of the purposes of sea transport development. A direction of researches is hybridization of generation sources and the electric energy accumulation devices. The given concept is based on division or simultaneous use of several various energy sources, the choice and combination of which are intended for improving the power systems parameters. The overwhelming majority of modern sea-crafts use the systems of distribution of an alternating current. However, with introduction of power electronic converters into the power supply systems, the direct current networks with integration of sources and devices for accumulating electric energy, connected to a distributed DC bus, are increasingly being used in the fleet. This direction is one of the decisions for fuel consumption minimization, especially, for the vessels demanding high degree of maneuverability and various running cycles. The possibilities of a ship hybrid electric power system are defined in the paper. Comparison of various architectures of the given system is performed. The block diagram of the hybrid electric power system is considered. Formulas for calculating static load are given. The equations describing electromagnetic processes of the asynchronous electric motor as the propulsion electric motor are written down. The device for accumulating electric energy is considered. The calculation of the energy released by the propulsion electric motor during braking or reverse, which can be directed both to the braking resistor and stored in special systems of electric energy storage. The computer model of considered hybrid electric power installation on the basis of computer program SimInTech is made.

Vector control of the electromagnetic moment of a reactive machine is considered. The control task is to eliminate pulsations of the electromagnetic moment. It can be shown that to achieve this goal, sinusoidal currents must flow through the windings, whose inductance must pulse according to the sinusoidal law. It is shown that when sinusoidal currents flow through the phase windings, the voltage of the main and third harmonics occurs on them. At the same time, in a three-phase machine whose phase windings are connected to a star, the third harmonic disappears as part of the line voltage. In this case, a standard frequency converter can be used to synthesize the voltages applied to the stator windings using pulse-width modulation, which makes it easier and cheaper to practically control the reactive electric machine with concentrated phase windings.The ratio of size of the stator and rotor teeth, at which the coefficient of non-sinusoidal pulsations of the phase windings inductances during the rotor rotation will be minimal, is found. Electromagnetic processes in the reactive machine are described by the linear differential equations with periodic coefficients. Lyapunov transformations for differential stress equations, which allow converting the initial equations with periodic coefficients into stress equations with constant coefficients, are found. The resulting Lyapunov equations are the basis for the synthesis of a system for controlling the dynamics of electromagnetic processes, which allows sinusoidal currents to flow through the phase windings of the machine. The control system of the reactive electric machine is represented by a structural diagram. An algorithm for controlling the electromagnetic moment of the reactive machine with a constant magnetization current is considered. The use of this algorithm allows to obtain the maximum performance of the management. A virtual scattering loop is also used to increase the speed of load current regulation. Simulation of electromechanical processes at the reactive electric machine control is carried out.