Due to the economical crisis many ship owners introduced new ways of improving the economic efficiency of a ship. This has exerted an influence on main engine operating conditions due to the reduction in fuel consumption. The loading range of engines during sea passages has significantly changed. It has also changed operating conditions of the waste-heat boiler which is connected with ships prime mover. The following paper deals with operating conditions of the waste heat boiler powered by exhausts of the marine slow-speed long-stroke diesel engine of the ship which was operated under the “Super Slow Steaming” program in the tropical area

This study presents the results of research aimed at assessing the importance of a Voyage Data Recorder (black box) in an analysis of the ship conduct. The analysis was performed by teams of Polish maritime experts, judges, a ministry delegate and jurors of the Maritime Court in Szczecin, experienced captains, chief engineers and officers of the watch of the merchant fleet

The paper addresses the problem of verification of damage stability requirements of tank ships prior to depar-ture. The surveys conducted by some IMO Member Governments show that a considerable number of tank ships sail in loading conditions different from those contained in approved stability booklets and furthermore the masters have no means to check compliance with relevant damage stability criteria prior to departure. In this context the Sub-Committee on Stability and Load Lines and on Fishing Vessels Safety (SLF) was tasked by the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) to consider the matter and to elaborate proper guidelines for verification of damage stability criteria for tankers. It was decided that the guidelines would address both design and operational issues. The paper considers the current state of the Sub-Committee‟s work and in par-ticular the terms of reference for Intersessional Correspondence Group established at SLF 53 in January 2011

In the paper the hazard estimation method of assessment of risk on ship routes in terms of the random maps has been proposed. The two-dimensional, multimodal density function of hazard areas has been used. Furthermore, the application to identify the main threats, based on accepted minimum level of safety for particular navigational situation has been propose

The safe operations of LNG terminal in Świnoujście mainly depends on safe operations of LNG tankers. Manoeuvring the LNG tanker at the terminal entrance and basin is always connected with a risk of accident. Areas where the risk of accident is the greatest are those in the vicinity of entrance heads and the turning basin. Accidents within these areas are burdened with the most serious consequences. This article presents possible scenarios of LNG tanker accident consequences in the LNG Terminal in Świnoujście

The article briefly describes one of the modules of a Liquid Cargo handling Simulator operated by the Maritime University of Szczecin, designed to simulate the handling of liquid. It addresses shipping security issues in the context of ISPS Code requirements for port facilities and presents the applicability of simulation methods in the security plan development and verification

This article contains an analysis of the new inspection regime introduced 01/01/2011 by Port State Control affiliated to the Paris Memorandum of Understanding. Discusses the reasons for its creation, and presents its characteristics

A rapid development of information technologies opens increasingly wider opportunities for enhanced performance of all modes of transport, including carriage by sea. Such chances are offered by new and existing intelligent transport systems. The idea of creating a maritime intelligent transport system is convergent with the conception of e-navigation developed in recent years on the IMO forum. Navigational information systems, one component of the maritime intelligent transport system, support the process of ship conduct. We should expect that developments of these systems will be going towards decision support systems – intelligent navigational advisory systems. Apart from information functions, the tasks of these systems include hazard identification in ship movement (e.g. collision situations), warning against hazards and automatic generation of solutions (recommended manoeuvres). This article characterizes tasks of the maritime intelligent transport system and the place and functions of navigational decision support systems

Supervising ship stability during cargo operations poses many difficulties. Factors such as reduction of ship crew and constant pursuit of profit, resulting in increased cargo handling capacity in ports, put ship officers in an uneasy situation, which leads to accidents. This paper outlines the main problem of supervising ship stability in port, such as loss of stability and hull structural stress. It also shows how an LCHS simulator can contribute to examine the concepts of stability loss and hull loads

This article describes basic tasks to be done in the process of designing LNG terminals. In this connection various possible applications of computer simulation models are discussed. Dedicated methods for the selection of terminal site and the determination of parameters of approach channels, port areas and cargo handling facilities are presented. These methods make use of various models of computer-based simulation. The methods herein described have actually been used in the works on designing the LNG terminal in Świnoujście

The sequential method of emptying and filling of ballast tanks at sea may pose extra threats for ship’s safety. The prepared Ballast Water Management (BWM) Plan enables carrying out the operation so that negative effects of emptying each ballast tank are minimized. A large number of tanks and substantial volume of ballast water to be exchanged may create difficulties in preparing an optimized plan. The author proposes to use a liquid cargo handling simulator for the preparation of the BWM plan for selected LNG carriers

Problems concerning preliminary design of FPSO vessels are presented in view of their seakeeping ability. The article analyzes the presently applied approach in which seakeeping quality of FPSO vessels is taken into consideration and discusses possibilities of using this approach at the preliminary stage of design. Besides, the current approach used for predicting such phenomena as heaving, slamming and green water loading is discusse

An attempt is made to build a knowledge data base to be used a basis for a navigational situation assessment system. The system is based on Bayesian networks. A research experiment will be described, in which simulation tests were carried out to define a relevant data base. This article also presents a model for manoeuvre identification and a simulator application created for simulation tests. It has been proved that automatic identification of ships manoeuvres is possible and, so is the navigational situation assessment in view of navigational safety

The failure data available for power, navigation, propulsion and steering systems onboard LNG carriers, during critical manoeuvres in the final harbour and berth approach phase, are often accompanied with a high degree of uncertainty. For this reason the use of conventional probabilistic risk assessment methods may not be well suited. The approach described uses fault tree analysis to calculate the fuzzy probability of systems failure. The risks associated with failure events are determined by combining their occurrence likelihood (probability) and possible consequences to produce a risk ranking

One of the essential issues in the multi-criteria process of voyage planning is the safety of personnel, cargo and the ship itself, accounting for the optimized voyage time and costs. Apart from sometimes difficult weather and navigational conditions, pirates have been a new major threat to the safety of navigation since the beginning of this century. It is because of piracy, traditional routes of vessels differ from seasonal ones, and their threat is taken into consideration in decisions concerning the choice of the sea route of a ship. This article indicates the most dangerous routes in terms of pirate attacks occurrence over the last few years in the Indian Ocean. An attempt is made to relate the number of pirate attacks to hydrometeorological conditions and to define the effect of pirates activities on the problems of choosing the vessel sea route