Narrow Results

A multi-state approach to defining basic notions of the system safety analysis is proposed. A system safety function and a system risk function are defined. A basic safety structure of a multi-state series system of components with degrading safety states is defined. For this system the multi-state safety function is determined. The proposed approach is applied to the evaluation of a safety function, a risk function and other safety characteristics of a ship system composed of a number of subsystems having an essential influence on the ship safety. Further, a semi-markov process for the considered system operation modelling is applied. The paper also offers a general approach to the solution of a practically important problem of linking the multi-state system safety model and its operation process model. Finally, the proposed general approach is applied to the preliminary evaluation of a safety function, a risk function and other safety characteristics of a ship system with varying in time its structure and safety characteristics of the subsystems it is composed of.

Even though that there has been increasing focus on the energy-efficient operation of vessels and that the knowledge of cost-effective improvements is widespread in the industry, energy-efficient operation is only a minor topic on board many working vessels. A significant reduction in fuel can be achieved through changes in the operational practices, but to establish a successful system for best practices within energy-management the installation of a decision support system is essential. This article presents a decision support system for working vessels to determine best practice for the reduction of fuel consumption. Requirements for the system are defined through interviews with crew and observations on board vessels. Case studies are used for illustrating the usefulness. The use of generators onboard is analyzed using the software. It is found that the generators are not running optimally, but the crew can use the software to re-organize and find the most fuel-efficient loading range for the generators on board.

This chapter will aim to present a broader picture of the current situation in the Arctic region, including military, economic, minority security etc. Considerations will be given to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and as a result, this chapter will present a more pessimistic assessment concerning the potential for cooperation and engagement between the western countries and Russia in the light of the Russian aggression. The combination of threats to and in the Arctic region will accelerate global warming and natural disasters in a way that could further increase the security threats and necessitate new and stronger measures form the international community.

Emissions from shipping have increased significantly since the beginning of the millennium and are expected to continue growing. This is particularly worrying for the Arctic where greenhouse gas emissions have a higher environmental impact than in other regions and where shipping is projected to increase in the following decades. Arctic states have expressed their interest in reducing the emissions from shipping in the region and the majority have pledged to work towards making the industry zero-emissions by 2050. However, the concept of zero-emission shipping is relatively new and only a limited number of demonstration and pilot projects have been launched. This chapter provides an overview of the meaning and scope of the concept of zero-emission shipping with the aim of identifying the benefits and opportunities that it represents for the Arctic. The most relevant benefits would come from reducing the emissions of black carbon and greenhouse gases as well as other air pollutants emitted by shipping, such as sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter. These emissions have a higher environmental impact in the Arctic than in other regions which highlights the relevance of prioritizing the Arctic for the adoption of zero-emission shipping. An initial step towards it could come from the creation of green shipping corridors considering that most of the Arctic states have pledged to help establish at least six such corridors by 2025. Another option could be through the establishment of a zero-emission controlled area which is an innovative concept brought forward by this chapter and that could result in significant benefits for the Arctic.

Forward Freight Agreements or FFAs are futures contracts that allow shipping industry participants to trade in future level of freight rates. Freight is a physical commodity that, unlike others, cannot be stored. Therefore, the traditional arbitrage free model cannot be used for freight futures pricing. The pricing method used relies exclusively on the expectation of what the spot (underlying) freight price will be during the time of the settlement and, subsequently, the supply and demand for a contract at a specific price. This chapter aims to give an overview of the development of the freight futures market and describe pricing and trading strategies for hedging freight exposure both from the ship-owners' and shippers perspective. Given the limited history and depth of the container and tanker freight derivatives market, the focus of this chapter is primarily on the dry bulk futures.