The vulnerability of the global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) requires development of a resilient positioning system. One of the possible cost-effective approaches is the combination of ship’s GNSS receiver with navigation radar. The key problem to be solved is the identification of echo signals of charted landmarks among all other radar conspicuous objects observed by means of the radar. The effectiveness of a new method of automatic identification of radar conspicuous landmarks and so the automatic position fixing, based on the use of the properties of the intrinsic geometry of the polygon formed by such objects is discussed in the paper. Identification of charted radar conspicuous objects that can be used as landmarks belongs to the class of tasks - “elimination of ambiguity”. It is proposed to form a triangulation polygon formed by the stable echo signals from the radar objects. The identification of navigational landmarks among all observed objects is solved in local isometry, where affine transformations are valid and the main parameters of the internal geometry are preserved. Mathematical modeling performed for 5 objects has showed stable recognition of three of them (given ones). To get closer to the real situation, noise modeling is also performed. With significant random errors in the simulated directions and distances, a decrease in the significance of the objective function is observed, that is, the recognition of objects decreases. To reduce the impact of this effect, it is advisable to arrange the navigation landmarks so that small changes in the measured navigation parameters correspond to small changes in the parameters of the internal geometry, that is, to improve the conditionality of the task.

Ensuring the proper stability of the vessel is the core of its safe operation. Metacentric height is one of the most important and most indicative criteria of stability. Accepted standard values of the container center of gravity are currently used for calculation of the metacentric height of a container ship. This is due to the fact that manual calculation algorithms and stability calculation programs are based on the use of the final value of the center of gravity of the container stack in each bay, but do not take into account the actual height of center of gravity of each individual container. The aim of the study is to compare the influence of the standard and actual center of gravity of the container on the metacentric height of the container ship. For this purpose, the recommended schemes for general cargo stowage in containers, given in the “Rules for the transport of goods in containers by sea”, are analyzed in the paper. The heights of the actual centers of gravity of containers for each case of cargo stowage are calculated. Experimental loading of a large-capacity container ship is carried out using standard and actual values of the containers centers of gravity heights. As a result, it is found that in the vast majority of cases, the containers center of gravity is below the accepted standard position. It is concluded that the actual center of gravity of the container has a significant influence on the metacentric height of the container ship, so that its actual value becomes greater than the standard calculated value. The expediency of specifying the heights of the actual center of gravity of the container in cargo documents for further consideration when drawing up a cargo plan and calculating stability is justified. Recommendations for updating some regulatory documents governing and concerning position of the container center of gravity are proposed.

Improving the safety of waterways in the operation of the water transport facilities is the most important task today. Tourist activity on water transport is of great importance for the development of the attractiveness of the waterways of the Russian Federation in the service sector and gives a certain impetus to the development of shipbuilding. Currently, in St. Petersburg there are global efforts to attract the foreign travel companies and individual travelers by developing and implementing the various types of services and events: long-term or short-term. Such activities cannot be carried out without water travel on the various types of vessels. A systematic view on improving the waterways safety, the water tourism organization and the environmental protection problem is presented in the paper. The algorithm of environmental protection measures for the water tourism objects is presented. All kinds of water tourism objects of the various types and purposes, which can be used both for short-term tourist events and for long trips, are described. The general assessment of the main features of different types of water tourism and their impact on the surrounding water environment is given. Factors of forming the water tourism negative influence are established; this fact provides purposeful and effective nature protection activity. All kinds of pollution generated on ships during their operation are presented. The sequence and content of actions for the development of environmental support for tourist activities aimed at improving the waterways safety are proposed.

A container strategy based on information about container damage is considered in the paper. The container terminals operators frequently use special sections in container yard, dedicated only for the damaged containers. It is suggested in the paper that this strategy leads to the minimization of additional movements in container selection operations. At the same time, the fact that container owners do not repair all the damaged containers is proved in the paper. This leads to the necessity to select containers from the specialized section with additional movements. This selection can be avoided if the specialized section consists of the containers that will be certainly repaired. One of the hypotheses of the research is that the effectiveness of this strategy can be improved if a statistical classifier is used for the prediction of container repair. This classifier can be based on the information about the price of container repair and container exploitation time. The linear classifier educated on the small statistical data is considered in the paper. It is proved that such model could effectively classify 40 % of containers that will be repaired. In order to analyze the effectiveness of suggested strategies the simulation model is used. There are three strategies, that are considered in the paper: the specialized stack is used only for the container classified with statistical model; the specialized stack is used for all damaged containers; containers are stacked to the stack minimum positions. It is proved that the first two strategies increase the number of additional movements in the non-specialized stack. The results of analysis have showed that the hypothesis of statistical classifier utilization in order to improve stacking strategy effectiveness is not practically useful. The most useful strategy in the case of the research is containers even distribution in the stack.

The issues of creating an operating model of a technical facility with special floating aids to navigation fencing for information support for carrying out field tests of unpiloted and unmanned vessels and water transport vehicles in the test water area in the Volga-Baltic basin of the Russian inland waterways are discussed in the paper. This made it possible to create working models of technical facility, the special floating aids to navigation fencing and a remote workplace, which were subsequently tested in real operating conditions. The essence of the utility model is to expand the functionality of the navigation buoy, incl. the possibility of using in unmanned or autonomous navigation, increase in the accuracy of determining its location and simplifying the design, through the use of broadband wireless Wi-Fi and RTK technology means. This allows you to provide direct broadband wireless communication with ships, which is necessary for operational data exchange and for receiving, processing and transmitting RTK corrections to the GNSS receiver, which, in turn, allows ships to determine the position of the navigation buoy with higher accuracy. The use of a microcontroller with wireless Wi-Fi communication allows you to abandon external electrical or optical connectors for reprogramming (firmware) the device, which further simplifies the design. In addition, the introduction of an integrated 9-axis 3D position sensor and a water temperature sensor into the product makes it possible to determine the parameters of the surrounding water environment, i. e. identify navigational hazards of navigation and report them to approaching ships that further expands the functionality of the product.

The issue of improving the model of the transport of channel sediments in rivers is considered in the paper. To date, in practice, a large number of different formulas are used to calculate the discharge of bottom sediments in rivers. However, the reliability of channel forecasts carried out using the apparatus of mathematical modeling remains rather low. The quality of the results obtained during the creation and verification of numerical models of the discharge of channel sediments in rivers depends to a large extent on the reliability of the used field data. The traditional methods for measuring sediment discharge with bottom bathometers, which were previously used during observations at hydrometeorological stations and posts of Roshydromet, have a rather large error. It is necessary to improve the used database, focusing on other methods of measurement. Such work has been carried out in recent years by the State Hydrological Institute. This direction of research, based on the use of the methodology for calculating the discharge of channel sediments using the parameters of dunes, can objectively lead to increasing the quality of forecasts of channel transformations on rivers. For this purpose, it is necessary to study the dependence of the dunes parameters and the speed of their movement on the main determining factors. The dependences of the dunes parameters - the height, the length and the movement speed of the dunes, obtained in this work using the apparatus of multivariate regression analysis, as well as the formula for the bottom sediments discharge from the determining factors of the river flow, are tested on the basis of field and laboratory measurements materials. The new results make it possible to improve the quality and reliability of modeling sediment transport in natural channel flows and can be recommended for use in computational practice.

It is proposed to consider any movement of a vessel as passage in a three-dimensional navigation space and to identify bathymetric navigation with three-coordinate positioning of the vessel with a visual triaxial representation of the route with a constant indication of the depths field under the ship’s keel. The third coordinate is taken into account in the form of a depth mark, which is ignored when sailing on the high seas, but is mandatory in the coastal navigation for the accident-free transit of the vessel in the restricted navigation conditions. A scientific hypothesis about the prospects of mathematical operation of the bathymetric database from the standpoint of the theory of functions approximation is put forward. It is assumed that mathematical modeling of the seabed relief genesis can be effectively implemented on the basis of an adapted hybrid B-spline model with simultaneous display of underwater topography in the electronic mapping system. The expediency of using spline structures in the mathematical support of the on-board computer for creating a realistic synthesized image of the digital model of the bottom is substantiated. A virtual reconstruction of underwater topography is being tested on the basis of our own software developments with the actual refusal to appeal to the foreign applied projects. A three-dimensional computer visualization of a bathymetric chart fragment of the Chatham Strait is performed using the spline approximation method in order to demonstrate the principle operability of the proposed algorithm. It is concluded that when navigating with synchronous representation of bathymetry data, visual safe navigation is provided in conditions of a minimum under keel clearance based on the computer visual effect of the constant positioning of depth. A comparative assessment of methods for creating bathymetric charts is given, and the advantages and disadvantages of each mathematical approach are considered. The aspects of applying the mathematical apparatus of spline functions in the research of the problem of studying natural disasters of the Earth are expanded. The issue of applicability of digital bathymetry for numerical modeling of operational forecast of tsunami propagation is considered. It is assumed that the use of spline functions method in bathymetry will optimally update the planning horizon for creating a new generation of three-dimensional electronic navigational charts.

The area of increased wear of the bronze sliding bushes of ship parts can be the outer or inner surfaces. For ship repair enterprises, it is preferable to restore the outer cylindrical surface of the part, which is much easier. Experience in the repair of propeller shaft linings and surfacing of hollow cylindrical bushings of the stock shows that surfacing on the outer surface leads to a decrease in the inner diameter of the part. This opens up the possibility of restoring the wear of the inner surface by surfacing the outer one. The conducted research is aimed at determining the maximum allowable wear on the inner surface, which could be restored by surfacing on the outer surface, and at the development of repair technology. To select the restoration technology, surfacing is carried out in three ways: automatic under a layer of AN-348A flux on alternating current - SAW; in an inert gas environment (Ar) with a direct current of reverse polarity - MIG-welding; and surfacing with a compressed arc with a current-carrying filler wire at direct current of direct polarity - plasma surfacing. In the course of research, when comparing three surfacing technologies, the number of surfacing turns, heat input, and cooling temperature are varied, the surface quality and changes in the inner diameter of the samples are assessed. Plasma cladding is the preferred restoration technology, which provides a high quality of the clad surface. However, its use for the considered standard size of the part is advisable only when the inner diameter of the sleeve is restored to 2.0 mm. After surfacing by all methods, the inner surface of the bushings has the shape of one-sheeted hyperboloid. The end portions that failed to weld up had practically no deformations. Elimination of this drawback is technologically possible by installing output “strips”, i. e. rings that will allow surfacing along the entire length of the sleeve surface. The analysis of the experiments results makes it possible to formulate the technological recommendations for the restoration of bronze bushings of ship parts. After production tests, this technology can be implemented at Kanonersky Shiprepairing Yard, JSC.

At present, with the rise in the cost of energy resources and the negative impact of the marine fleet on the environment, the problem of energy efficiency in the shipping industry is becoming important. Most of the technical processes carried out on a ship board are somehow associated with the consumption of electrical energy, which, in turn, leads to stricter requirements for the quality of electrical energy. This is explained by the fact that the various consumers of electrical energy are designed to operate at certain values of electrical parameters such as rated current, rated voltage, rated frequency of the electrical network. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the fact that, due to the inhomogeneity of current-voltage characteristics, a large number of consumers can adversely affect the symmetry of voltage and current. This phenomenon can be partially reduced by introducing electrical energy converters to power consumers, including electric motors, which also allows the speed to be controlled in a wide range. However, commutations occurring in conversion technology will be a source of higher harmonics. In order to minimize the influence of semiconductor converters of electrical energy on the network, manufacturers can implement the following technical solutions: increasing the number of voltage ripples in the input rectifier; installation of a network choke; the use of an active harmonic filter; the use of smoothing filters in the DC link. The ways to improve the quality of electrical energy by introducing higher harmonic filters are discussed in the paper. Equations are written to determine the parameters of the elements included in the filters. A computer model of the considered electric power plant in the environment of dynamic modeling of technical systems SimInTech has been compiled. The graphs of voltage and current changes at active-inductive load are taken.

A variant of solving the transport problem of Vladivostok, namely, its gas pollution by vehicle exhaust gases, high traffic density, traffic congestion, as well as reducing the congestion of coastal highways in the south of Primorye due to the development of coastal and intraport sea traffic is considered. A method and scheme of a power combined electric power plant for the hydrofoil ships, the use of which can significantly improve the environmental performance of existing plants, as well as reduce the consumption of fuel and lubricants, are proposed. The schemes of power plants that are most promising for the coastal and intraport navigation vessels are considered. It is shown that for ships with a traditional diesel installation, it is advisable to use a system of electric drive of the ship’s propellers - an electric propulsion installation with several diesel generators. At the same time, the most energy-efficient are combined electric power plants, which can be made of both parallel and serial types. In the latter case, it is advisable to perform the ship’s electric power system with DC buses. The performed economic calculation has shown that a ship with such installation has the lowest operating costs. A battery vessel with zero harmful emissions into the atmosphere has the highest construction cost and the highest operating costs when powered from the shore mains supply. Therefore, such vessels can be used either if there are subsidies or wind or solar power plants, whose electricity is used to charge the traction batteries. Despite the fact that the proposed option cannot provide year-round transportation of passengers due to the ice situation in winter, its implementation, however, will allow passengers to significantly reduce the travel time during the navigation period. And the cost of travel, due to the shorter sea route in almost a straight line, compared to the road, will not exceed the cost of driving by car.

The traditional method for calculating the parameters of the electric movement of sea vessels in auxiliary-emergency modes at low vessel speeds, which is supplemented by design ratios that allow the correct calculation taking into account the power of the ship’s power plant and fuel consumption, is considered in the paper. Other, simplified methods do not require a lot of information and auxiliary diagrams to determine the power of the drive motor, depending on the resistance to the vessel movement. As an example, a container ship with a capacity of 16,000 containers with the 12 RTflex-96C main engine from WÄRTSILÄ-SULZER with a power of 61776 kW, the synchronous shaft generator/motor from SIEMENS with a electrical power of up to 6.6 MW is considered. The calculation is performed in accordance with the considered methods and the possibility of providing auxiliary-emergency electric propulsion of the vessel for the considered schemes is substantiated. Thus, when modernizing a propulsion system or designing new ships, it is advisable to compare the results of methods for calculating the power of diesel generators on the verge of the minimum stable speed of the main engine and choose a higher value. Comparison of specific and absolute fuel consumptions, carried out on the basis of well-known approximation polynomials for low- and high-speed diesel engines during auxiliary-emergency driving, has shown that fuel consumption when driving in the considered mode to ensure the minimum stable speed of the main engine is less, which also allows you to save the main engine service life. This ratio is observed on most sea transport vessels. Considering also that diesel generators operate at almost optimal load, and the main engine is idling, electric propulsion provides a significant reduction in harmful emissions into the atmosphere. The paper will be useful for specialists involved in the technical operation of the fleet.

In this study, the energy characteristics of jet engines with a toothed stator and a toothed rotor are considered. These are active power, total power, power loss, power factor, first harmonic power factor (cosφ), and efficiency. It is shown that the power factor and the power factor for the first harmonic cannot exceed the values of 0,27 and 0,5, respectively. The study is performed with the representation of all variables of the electric drive with a jet engine in the coordinate axes d-q. Based on the expression for the total power losses, an algorithm for energetically optimal control of the electromagnetic torque of a jet engine is formed. At the same time, energetically optimal control is understood as providing a given electromagnetic torque with minimal power losses. The algorithm of energetically optimal control is found using the method of indefinite Lagrange multipliers. The solution of the system of Lagrange equations allows us to find expressions for the signals of setting to the control circuits of the magnetizing current and load current. Based on these setting signals, an optimal control algorithm is formed, where two control modes are implemented: the energetically optimal control mode on a linear section of the magnetization curve and the mode with constant nominal magnetization in the magnetic saturation zone of the magnetic circuit. A block diagram of the system of energetically optimal control of the electromagnetic torque, as well as the modeling results performed on the basis of this scheme is presented. The conditions under which energetically optimal control is provided are indicated. The results of modeling and limiting characteristics of the algorithm of energetically optimal control of the electromagnetic torque with the control algorithm with permanent magnetization are compared.

The experience and results of dock and sea trials of the unified electric power system with electric propulsion system of the passenger ship “Knyaginya Olga”, which is the first river vessel where the electric power system with electric propulsion system is installed, are discussed in the paper. A feature of the electric propulsion system is the use of a semiconductor frequency converter based on an active rectifier. There has been no experience in testing electric power system with electric propulsion system and azimuth thrusters for ships of this type in Russia. The procedures of checking the electric power quality in the ship power mains, the stability of the autonomous and parallel operation of diesel generators, the distribution of active and reactive loads are considered; when testing the electric propulsion system, the transient processes of acceleration, deceleration and reverse of the electric propulsion system are oscillographied by turning the azimuth thruster, the time of transient processes is measured. Successfully carried out tests have confirmed the compliance of the developed unified electric power system with electric propulsion system with the customer’s requirements and the rules of the Russian River Register. In all operating modes of the vessel, the unified electric power system with electric propulsion system operates steadily, no oscillations of reactive and active power between the main diesel-generators and the electric propulsion plant are observed. The coefficient of non-sinusoidal shape of the voltage curve in the process of testing the unified electric power system with electric propulsion system does not exceed 6.5 %. It should be noted that frequency converter with the active rectifier connected directly to the main switchboard is used as part of the electric propulsion system. Significant scientific and technical experience has been gained in developing programs and test methods and conducting mooring and sea trials of the unified electric power system with electric propulsion system with azimuth thruster and frequency converter based on the active rectifier.