It is my great pleasure to introduce the latest issue of the Scientific Journals of the Maritime University of Szczecin number 51 (123). Taking advantage of this opportunity, I would like to share with you some news about the journal. Scientific Journals of the Maritime University of Szczecin have set sail to wide international waters thanks to the Web of Science Core Collection – a database in which they have been indexed since July this year. Until 2014, articles published on the pages of the Scientific Journals of the Maritime University of Szczecin (SJ) were indexed in bibliometric databases such as BazTech, EBSCO, Google Scholar and Index Copernicus. In recent months, the journal has been registered in new bases (Chybowski, 2016b), which resulted from the inclusion of SJ in the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) last October. This database is a part of the prestigious Web of Science platform (Chybowski, 2016a). A calendar of the major events related to the activities of SJ, from January 2015 is shown in Table 1.

Over the past decades, demand for innovation in diverse industries, including the maritime industry, has been steadily growing. One of the primary sources of innovation has been the finding of inventive solutions to the most challenging problems. Until recently, the search for inventive ideas relied heavily on random and chaotic methods of boosting creative capabilities, thus drastically reducing productivity in the generation of new concepts and solutions. With the emergence of systematic methods for generating inventive solutions, the situation has changed. Modern methods such as TRIZ suggest a process of solving problems in a systematic way whereby each phase of the process is supported by the relevant analytical techniques and heuristic tools. This article presents Root Conflict Analysis (RCA+), a technique for problem analysis developed for the top-down decomposition of problems to chains of causes and contradictions. The article provides an example of applying RCA+ to discover the causes and contradictions which led a ferry to lose stability at sea.

Although various methods of using new techniques and technologies in ship fire alarm systems have been developed to date, some of which have made significant improvements in the functioning of such systems, in practice there is still plenty of room for further research regarding the operational efficiency of ship fire alarm systems and its impact on crew, passenger and overall ship safety. The application of electronic and computer technologies enables the development of intelligent solutions to improve the efficiency of ship fire alarm systems. Besides the economic justification, this paper presents a comparative analysis of classical and modern approaches based on video detection and computer vision in the detection of early phase smoke as a precursor to fire incidents. The economic justification of the new approach is concerned with decreasing the costs incurred by the untimely detection of the early stages of fire in ship engine rooms.

The Miniature Dwarfs method is one of the tools used by the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) used in the process of modelling and seeking solutions to conflicting situations. This article describes the origin of the Miniature Dwarfs method. The process flow of the usage of the Miniature Dwarfs method was presented both in its original version, suggested by Altshuller, as well as in its recently modified version. The usage of the Miniature Dwarfs method was presented here to minimize the marine hull resistance of a passenger ship in the conflicting situation, where there is a simultaneous necessity to provide both large ship capacity as well as high speed. The issue and the conflicting situation were both presented and modelled. The Operational zone and Operational time were described and modelled with the use of the Miniature Dwarfs method before and during the Conflict, and the desired situation. The search of the potential solutions was carried out with the use of miniature dwarfs; the findings were interpreted with respect to the system under analysis and the stated technical issues. Imagined situations described in individual diagrams are included in the issue under investigation. Selected solutions to the problem were presented. The advantages of the method were indicated and presented as an addition to other methods used in the process of designing new engineering solutions.

One of the most effective methods to diminish the drag of a planing craft is to use a step at the bottom of the hull. A stepped hull causes a reduction of the wetted area and, as a result, a decrease in the drag. The step may be designed as a straight line through the entire width of the hull or may be V-shaped with a forward or backward swept angle. In this paper, the effects of the step forward swept angle on the hydrodynamic performance of a hard chine planing vessel are investigated by finite volume method (FVM). Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) equations with a standard k-ε turbulence model coupled with volume of fluid (VOF) equations are solved in order to simulate a transient turbulent free surface flow around the hull with the help of Ansys CFX software. In order to predict hull motions, equations of rigid body motions for two degrees of freedom (2-DOF) are coupled with fluid flow governing equations. To validate the presented numerical model, first the numerical results are compared with available experimental data, and then the obtained numerical results of the drag, dynamic trim, sinkage, wetted keel length, wetted chine length, pressure distribution on the hull, wetted surface and wake profile at different Froude numbers and step angles are presented and discussed.

Various methods of trajectory determination are used for finding solutions to collision situations involving ships. This applies to avoiding collisions with other ships or stationary objects. In addition to the methods generally used, new or modified versions of methods derived from other modes of transport are proposed. One of the algorithms for route determination serving to avoid obstructions is the method of artificial potential fields, used for determining routes of mobile robots. The method is used in maritime transport, for instance for detecting anomalies in ship movement. The article presents the method of potential fields used for solving the problem of route selection avoiding navigational dangers and obstacles. This article presents an algorithm of route determination based on the said method, its implementation in the MATLAB program and examples of application for the ship’s safe trajectory determination in some navigational situations.

Implementation of ERIKA III, the third package of EU legislation intended to integrate international standards of marine accident investigation, has significantly changed the way Polish public authorities investigate marine accidents. Until the implementation, maritime chambers conducted the investigation of marine accidents. Since October 2012 there has been a dual system in place whereby public authorities are entitled to investigate marine accidents in Poland. This article reviews distinctive features of both approaches and the impact thereof on the system of investigating marine accidents. Beside a theoretical description of the legal basis for the functioning of both maritime chambers and the State Marine Accident Investigation Commission, this paper includes analytic data of investigations conducted by both these bodies in order to prove that the number of investigations conducted by maritime chambers has drastically decreased since the establishment of the State Commission, and that the number of investigations conducted by the State Commission itself cannot be sufficient, leading to a decrease of safety in maritime navigation.

The paper presents the application of cost-based, component-importance measures for complex technical systems. A stern tube sealing system installed on a sea vessel was used as an example of a complex technical system. Selected statistics of a ship’s operation losses were calculated. Selected, known-importance measures were presented and the authors’ own approach to cost-based, component-importance analysis was shown. The following measures were discussed: the operation-interruption cost index, the maintenance potential, the simulation- based maintenance index, and maintenance and operational costs. A description of factors influencing the importance of the technical system components was provided.

Seaports are important points in international supply chains. As hubs for several transport sectors, seaports are an essential element of transport corridors. Over the years, the types of cargo moving through the ports in Szczecin and Świnoujście have changed significantly. In the last two decades, the largest transhipments were typically coal, grain and other bulk cargoes; this is reflected in the share of total hinterland shipments transported by different transport methods. In 2005, more than 2/3 of the cargoes delivered to and from the ports of Szczecin and Świnoujście were transported by rail. Rail transport continued to account for the leading share of hinterland transport until 2011, when road transport started to dominate (46.3% of cargo carried by rail and 47.50% by trucks). This is indicative of a correlation between the type of cargo and its mode of hinterland transport. With an increase in general cargo transhipments, the share of shipments travelling to and from the ports by road transport has increased. In turn, the fall in coal shipments is reflected in rail transport’s share decreasing. In 2005, 3.8% of coal was transported by roads and 80% by rail. In the following years, despite the decrease in the share of global transhipments accounted for by coal, road transport’s use for coal transport increased. This indicates that the type of cargo is not the only factor influencing the relative contributions of different modes of transport to hinterland travel.

With regards to safety, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) regularly issue regulations and technical standards for the design and construction of ships in order to safeguard the crew and people on board. In light of these regulations, three issues concerning the properties of a bulk carrier are investigated. Initially the floodability of a bulk carrier is researched to investigate the largest possible volumes of compartments which can be flooded without causing a bulk carrier to capsize. The results are determined by means of a marine design software, Maxsurf Enterprise.

This article aims to present the results of the analysis of selected aspects of transport accessibility (from the land and water) of two coastal areas situated on the Baltic coast of the Western Pomeranian region. It was assumed that transport accessibility affects the number of tourists visiting the selected areas – Kołobrzeg County (mainly the city of Kołobrzeg) and Świnoujście. The analysis was based on econometric modeling. For the timescale investigated (1995–2016), linear and parabolic trends were estimated and, as a result of their extrapolation, tourism forecasts in both coastal areas were estimated up to the year 2020. Statistical data for the years 1995–2016 was collected by the Central Statistical Office of Poland. In addition, literature and online resource research was conducted.

Controlling the upper limb with force feedback requires the continuous measurement of multiple values, so it is necessary to use a specific measuring system. The position of the joints and the torque produced by the drives are the basic feedbacks necessary for control. Measurement of the joint positions does not cause complications, while measurement of the driving torque is much more complex. This article describes the methods of implementing an exoskeleton drive system through a closed loop conduit system based on Bowden cables, and the integration of a torque sensor within the wheel of the exoskeleton. The integration of the sensor within a mechanical part of the construction of the exoskeleton is the main advantage of the developed sensor because it does not affect the dynamics of the exoskeleton. This article presents the process of designing, calibrating and validating the proposed link wheel torque sensor.

A method of predicting the influence random events on the critical functionality of an object is discussed. Research is performed regarding the possibility of extending a prediction model to a prediction system by functionally uniting this model with additional models or recognizing the type of influence of a random event on a complex technical object. The proposed solution is importatnt because executing a prediction system instead of a prediction model allows one to detect critical situations that, when influencing technical objects, can result in the catastrophic loss of functionality of the corresponding objects.

Ocean mining systems that incorporate a single or double lift pipe are two methods used to obtain polimetallic nodules from the seabed. The pipe must be equipped with main cables and flexible pipe attached to the mining vehicle collecting nodules. While mining, the pipes in the vertical configuration are moving along with the ship above. They are subjected to currents in the water column. Such current-induced hydrodynamic drag results in a vertical deflection, which is dependent – among other factors such as varying current velocity at points along the length of the pipe. The present paper presents results of computer simulations using commercial CFD software to model the hydrodynamic forces acting on the vertical pipe of ocean mining systems. The results present the influence of the water flow direction in relation to the lift pipe on the hydrodynamic force and torsional moment acting upon the pipe.

In the modern economy, effective teamwork is essential in the majority of industries. Teams of specialists such as crewmen and software developers need to be able to work together properly. The appropriate selection of team specialists according to their soft competencies results in synergies, and streamlines tasks. This paper presents the results of studies aimed at assessing the impact of team role configurations on overall team performance.