The present article addresses the issue of crossing time on the fairway, modeling in restricted areas, where vessel traffic flow is disturbed. Data of movement time on the Świnoujście–Szczecin fairway was grouped according to ship type. The probability distributions describing the crossing time of different ship groups were analyzed. Using the Pearson chi-square goodness-of-fit and Cramer–von Mises tests it has been shown that the best distributions describing traffic time of all ship groups are the generalized extreme value distri- butions.

Position determination of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) depends on the stability and accuracy of the measured time. However, since satellite vehicles (SVs) travel at velocities significantly larger than the receivers and, more importantly, the electromagnetic impulses propagate through changing gravitational poten- tials, enormous errors stemming from relativity-based clock offsets would cause a position error of about 11 km to be accumulated after one day. Based on the premise of the constancy of light, two major relativistic effects are described: time dilation and gravitational-frequency shift. Following the individual interests of the author, formulas of both are scrupulously derived from general- and special-relativity theory principles; moreover, in the penultimate section, the equations are used to calculate the author’s own numerical values of the studied parameters for various GNSSs and one Land Navigation Satellite System (LNSS).

This paper describes an application of the dynamic programming method to determine the safety of one’s own ship trajectory during encounter of other ships. A dynamic model of the process, with kinematic constraints of state and determined by a three-layer artificial neural network has been used for the development of control pro- cedures. Non-linear activation functions in the first and second layers may be characterised by a tangent curve while the output layer is of a sigmoidal nature. The Neural Network Toolbox of the Matlab software has been used to model the network. The learning process used an algorithm of backward propagation of the error with an adaptively selected learning step. The considerations have been illustrated through an example implemented in a computer simulation using the algorithm for the determination of the safe ship trajectory in situations of en- counter of multiple ships, recorded on the ship’s radar screen in real navigational situation in the Kattegat Strait.

This publication describes the factors governing the development of containerization in Szczecin and Świnou- jście Seaports Authority, together with their organizational infrastructure and economy. These factors include port access to transportation facilities, which has a major influence on economic development and strengthens the position in the Polish market. Geographic location of both the port and the status and functioning of the Szczecin-Świnoujście fairway were taken into account. The amount of container handling in the ports described in the years from 2004 to 2015 was examined. The Szczecin and Świnoujście Seaports Authority is discussed in terms of size and progress of its changes, and handling capacity compared to other marine container terminals in Poland.

A significant increase in demand for navigation support systems called Onboard Routing Systems (ORS) can be observed in the World’s merchant fleet. ORS is a navigation-support system that enables route programming to warn of dangers and navigation constraints and determine the required route-safety level directly onboard the vessel. In this article, an attempt to analyze and compare two ORS systems has been made: the Ship Per- formance Optimization System (SPOS), by the Meteo Consult Group; and the Bon Voyage system by Applied Weather Technologies (AWT). Individual items, methods, and criteria of both systems for optimization and weather forecasting models utilized have been compared. Particular attention has been paid to the usefulness of the systems regarding the problem of identification and avoidance of hazards such as tropical cyclones and wave resonance. Ergonomics of both systems has also been compared.

The article presents the origin of Emission Control Area (ECA) zones, a timetable for their enforcement, criteria of their implementation and the principles and rules of navigation in these areas. Plans and areas of the next ECA zones envisaged for the future are presented. Least fuel route programming was presented, together with a description of safety rules during the change-over procedure in operations concerning the main engine and other ship systems. An attempt to identify the problems that may be encountered when programming the routes with the use of on-board routing systems, like Bon Voyage of AWT, leading through the ECA zones, has been made. Examples of such problems, taken from a true voyage of a postpanamx container vessel on a transpacific voyage, have been presented. A generalized algorithm for programming the route leading through the ECA zone according to the least fuel criterion has been presented.

Being the cleanest mine fuel due to the release of low exhaust emissions into the atmosphere, natural gas has been utilised by many fields of transport. A rapidly growing world market of liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel has enabled to implement this fuel in urban transport. This article concentrates on presenting an alternative solution for the use of LNG fuel in urban buses to reduce exhaust emission using the example of Szczecin. On the basis of a significantly growing segment of the engines for the gas driven market, the article also shows the possible costs arising from the use of LNG fuel in urban buses of Szczecin. The impact to the natural envi- ronmental from the use of diesel fuel from vehicles was analysed. Based on the exhaust emission analysis this article shows the difference between using a fuel which emits less noise and is a cleaner energy source with high energy efficiency and the fuel used by carriers.

The article addresses the issue of the transport of goods on the Oder Waterway (Odrzańska Droga Wodna, ODW), in terms of its usefulness for the transport of containers in the face of limitations arising from the hydro- technical conditions of the river and the modernisation programme. A realistic estimate leads to the conclusion that by 2030 the CEMT Class III classification may be achieved in the upper and middle sections. Combined river and land transport of containers has been proposed as an applicable solution, considering the present condition and the predicted development and modernisation of the waterway within the next years. The main feature of this transportation concept is the principle of transporting multiple layers of containers on inland ships, reducing the cost of transport of individual containers. Sections of the ODW that meet the parameters of the CEMT Class III, or higher, will be used in such a way. In points of contact with sections that do not meet those parameters, loading points will be organised where the upper layers of containers will be removed from the barge and transferred either to land transport or a loading barge capable of going under low bridges. The article presents analysis of the effect of the main parameters of the river and land system of container transport on its economic effectiveness. Those parameters are: the number of layers of containers on a barge, percentage of the entire route covered by land transport means, number and time of transhipments, and speed relations. Relationships between these parameters have been established, together with the principles of their selection, assuming the main criterion to be gaining profit by using combined transport in comparison with land transport. Examples of combined transport have been presented on the Gliwice–Świnoujście and Gliwice– Hamburg routes, including progress in modernizing the Middle Oder.

The dynamic development of road transport has caused an imbalance in transport systems. For the balance of the transport system, an increasingly important role should be played by networks such as railways and inland waterways, which, due to ecological aspects and minimal participation in the generation of external costs, are the most socially friendly. The layout and length of inland waterways in Poland has remained at a similar level for years. The specificity of the waterway infrastructure influences the factors that shape the demand for transportation by inland waterways. The navigation conditions impact directly the main design parameters of the ships used for transportation on inland waterways, including the relatively small carrying capacity of the barges, as well as the volume of traffic. An inadequate development of navigable waterways in Poland, con- cerning both natural elements (channeled rivers, free-flowing channels) and shipping parameters (discharge dimensions, depth and width of the trail, height of bridges), affects the specificity of inland navigation and relegates it to a marginal role in the Polish transport system. The share of inland waterway transport for total freight decreased from 0.8% to 0.4% between the years 2000 and 2014. The aim of this article is to draw attention to the fact that inland shipping services, in the transport market, are sufficient to determine the existence of waterways. All other factors only stimulate or restrict its place in the transport system. The preferential use of natural waterways is the essential limitation which restricts their adaptation to the changing transport needs. Thus, the density of waterways is much lower compared to other transport networks and the development of potential inland waterway transport is primarily determined by the quality and spatial arrangement of the existing waterways.

The seven-year period to adapt internal law to EU regulations was given to new Member States on 1 May 2004 and ended in 2011. The highly-developed western states, fearing that their internal markets in fields such as transport services may be threatened, adopted a number of new regulations. Regulation (EC) No. 1072/2009 of the European Parliament is on common rules for access to the international road-haulage market, and despite introducing numerous restrictions, was to regulate cabotage operations in all Member States. However, the pro- tection of each State’s own interests proved more important than the integrity of the Community and therefore some of the states, including Germany, have introduced severe limitations for foreign carriers, forcing them to observe the Minimum Wage Act (MiLoG).

This article analyzes the concept of multipurpose inland residential platforms. It presents the existing solutions and the applications of floating residential structures in Europe, including houseboats and floating barges. Further on, the paper describes the possibilities and main purposes of using multipurpose inland platforms (residential, tourist or military). In addition, an algorithm is presented for selecting the right concept depending on the demand and the infrastructural conditions of inland harbors and marinas. Three variants of residential platforms are identified and the features of some of the solutions are discussed. The expected benefits for dif- ferent sectors of the economy derived from using residential platforms are also explored. The aforementioned analysis prescribes the directions for further research aiming to ensure effective implementation of the present- ed concepts.

Despite the assumption of government documents to support inland waterways, degradation of the technical condition of waterways and depreciation of fleet ship-owners is actually occurring. At the marginal importance of inland waterway transport policy, the government also shows a negligible share of the transport sector in the use of EU funds. The Sectoral Operational Programme Transport 2004–2006 does not provide for EU funds to co-finance investments for inland waterway transport. Small funds for this purpose were obtained only in the framework of the Operational Programme Infrastructure and Environment 2007–2013. It should be noted, how- ever, that during the control of the Ministry of Transport, Construction and Maritime Economy – in cooperation with the National Water Management – efforts were led to ensure that the new 2014–2020 financial perspective for the tasks related to the improvement of infrastructure of inland water transport were granted before aid. Against the background of European trends in developed countries of the European Union (EU), the Polish inland waterways are not important in the transport of goods, but instead the transport of persons confined to tourism and local – to supplement the motor transport infrastructure (river ferries). For many years Poland has experienced a decrease in both freight and inland waterways, as well as in their participation in all transport modes. The aim of this article is to assess the activities of government administration in the performance of statutory tasks related to the development and operation of inland waterway transport in Poland.

The aim of this article is to point to the phenomenon of increasing concentration of tourism in the Polish seaside regions. The study involved four port cities, located in two seaside voivodeships: West Pomeranian (Szczecin, Świnoujście) and Pomeranian (Gdańsk, Gdynia). They are cities where seaports of major importance for the national economy are located. The analysis of tourist traffic in these cities covers the years 1995–2014. This analysis formed the basis for the forecast to 2020. The results of extrapolation of trends are presented in the figures. Moreover, the procedure employed and structure of the article were adapted to the aim of this work.

This paper proposes a model of the interactions between surface currents and small, moving objects. These objects are immersed in water so that the part extending above the water is no larger than a human head. These interactions are defined as the weighted-directed graph. The basis for determining the edge weights are the directions of the surface currents. The speeds of these currents are used to calculate the time of moving objects. According to the modelling method of the surface-current influence on small objects, presented in this paper, it is possible to implement an application supporting search-and-rescue-operation planning. This method can be used to locate small objects, such as survivors, when planning search-and-rescue operations. Thus, the routes of these objects moving together with surface-water masses can be predicted using this method.

One of the most significant phases for automation of communication processes in shipping is building a knowl- edge base for inference processes. Communication processes include: exchange of information, perception of communication and interaction between navigators. Computing with words has been used to represent infer- ence processes covering imprecise concepts that are characteristic of natural languages. Elements of classical predicate calculus were adopted as a basic form of writing inference rules. Methods for constructing a knowl- edge base were chosen. The knowledge base architecture was proposed. This article also presents examples of inference rules in a knowledge base for automatic communication in shipping.