Navigation in the Arctic. How can simulator training be used for assessment and reduction of risk?

Over the recent years, the ship traffic in the polar areas has increased. There is reason to believe that this traffic, and especially the cruise traffic, will increase further as the ice retracts towards the poles. There is also reason to believe that with the continued focus and exposure of the Polar Region, the cruise tourism to the region will grow.The increased presence in the polar areas will create positive repercussions for several actors, both on sea and land. There will however also be negative consequences associated with the growing presence in the polar areas. Vessels will be operating with long distance to other vessels and land infrastructures. These vessels will also be operating in climate and conditions that will put extra pressure on both vessel and crew. These challenges need to be solved in order for the ship industry to operate safely in the Polar Region. The thesis is focused on navigation in the Arctic, and especially how the use of simulator exercises can be used for assessment and reduction of risk. The first part of the thesis is related to study of literature as a method for collecting theory and background information for the thesis. The theoretical basis is then used for performing a preliminary hazard analysis for navigation in the Arctic. Based on the results from the analysis it is described how simulator training can be used as a risk-reducing measure for operation in the Arctic. It is also described for which hazards simulator training is an effective measure and for which hazards other techniques will be more useful

Civil maritime GNSS combinations in arctic areas

Project thesis submitted to the University of Nottingham in partial fulfilment of the degree of Master of Science in Positioning and Navigational TechnologyGPS is the most used GNSS system on board civilian vessels using civil GPS signal L1 only. Since 2011, there have been two fully operational GNSS systems – GPS since 1995 and GLONASS since 2011. Both GPS and GLONASS conduct modernization programs involving new satellites, new signals and new ground segment stations. New GNSS equipment is needed to exploit the new signals and both GNSS systems in a combined positioning approach. Future GNSS systems are Galileo and BeiDou. The Northeast Passage (NEP) is the shipping route between Europe and Asia passing Norwegian and Russian territory. The NEP is about 40% shorter than the voyage through Suez channel. The reduction of sea ice in the arctic area around Svalbard and NEP has increased the use of NEP for civilian vessels. The cold and harsh environment in NEP demands robust and reliable navigation equipment for solving position solutions. The distinctiveness of the Arctic is the latitude. It is higher than the inclination angle to Equator of the GNSS satellites orbital planes and the arctic area has ionospheric irregularities due to Aurora Borealis. In the thesis, a GNSS measurement was conducted at Svalbard on 16 to 18 June 2015. The aim of the research is to compare the GNSS combinations positioning approach: GPS Single, GLONASS, GPS Dual, GPS+GLONASS combined and DGPS. The RTKLIB version 2.4.3, an open source GNSS processing software program was used to evaluate the solutions of the GNSS combinations by post-processing the data collected at Svalbard. The research compared the GNSS combinations in a long and short static test, in a dynamic ship moving simulation and during sun activity. The GPS+GLONASS combination has shown to be more robust in accuracy, precision, availability of all GNSS satellites and their signals during the static and dynamic test in the Arctic. Due to redundancy and robustness, it is advantageous to use the GPS+GLONASS combination for safe navigation in the arctic area around Svalbard and in the Northeast Passage for civilian vessels

Robust Multi-sensor Data Fusion for Practical Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) Navigation

The development of practical Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) are attracting increasing attention driven by their assorted military and commercial application potential. However, addressing the uncertainties presented in practical navigational sensor measurements of an USV in maritime environment remain the main challenge of the development. This research aims to develop a multi-sensor data fusion system to autonomously provide an USV reliable navigational information on its own positions and headings as well as to detect dynamic target ships in the surrounding environment in a holistic fashion. A multi-sensor data fusion algorithm based on Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) has been developed to generate more accurate estimations of USV’s navigational data considering practical environmental disturbances. A novel covariance matching adaptive estimation algorithm has been proposed to deal with the issues caused by unknown and varying sensor noise in practice to improve system robustness. Certain measures have been designed to determine the system reliability numerically, to recover USV trajectory during short term sensor signal loss, and to autonomously detect and discard permanently malfunctioned sensors, and thereby enabling potential sensor faults tolerance. The performance of the algorithms have been assessed by carrying out theoretical simulations as well as using experimental data collected from a real-world USV projected collaborated with Plymouth University. To increase the degree of autonomy of USVs in perceiving surrounding environments, target detection and prediction algorithms using an Automatic Identification System (AIS) in conjunction with a marine radar have been proposed to provide full detections of multiple dynamic targets in a wider coverage range, remedying the narrow detection range and sensor uncertainties of the AIS. The detection algorithms have been validated in simulations using practical environments with water current effects. The performance of developed multi-senor data fusion system in providing reliable navigational data and perceiving surrounding environment for USV navigation have been comprehensively demonstrated

Virtual aids to navigation

There are many examples of master, bridge crew and pilot errors in navigation causing grounding under adverse circumstances that were known and published in official notices and records. Also dangerous are hazards to navigation resulting from dynamic changes within the marine environment, inadequate surveys and charts. This research attempts to reduce grounding and allision incidents and increase safety of navigation by expanding mariner situational awareness at and below the waterline using new technology and developing methods for the creation, implementation and display of Virtual Aids to Navigation (AtoN) and related navigation information. This approach has widespread significance beyond commonly encountered navigation situations. Increased vessel navigation activity in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions engenders risk due, in part, to the inability to place navigational aids and buoys in constantly changing ice conditions. Similar conditions exist in tropical regions where sinker placement to moor buoys in sensitive environmental areas with coral reefs is problematic. Underdeveloped regions also lack assets and infrastructure needed to provide adequate navigation services, and infrastructure can also rapidly perish in developed regions during times of war and natural disaster. This research exploits rapidly developing advances in environmental sensing technology, evolving capabilities and improved methods for reporting real time environmental data that can substantially expand electronic navigation aid availability and improve knowledge of undersea terrain and imminent hazards to navigation that may adversely affect ship operations. This is most needed in areas where physical aids to navigation are scarce or non-existent as well as in areas where vessel traffic is congested. Research to expand related vessel capabilities is accomplished to overcome limitations in existing and planned electronic aids, expanding global capabilities and resources at relatively low-cost. New methods for sensor fusion are also explored to vi reduce overall complexity and improve integration with other navigation systems with the goal of simplifying navigation tasks. An additional goal is to supplement training program content by expanding technical resources and capabilities within the confines of existing International Convention on Standards for Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) requirements, while improving safety by providing new techniques to enhance situational awareness

THE GEOPOLITICS OF POWER: UNDERSTANDING CHINA’S MILITARIZATION OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

The South China Sea (SCS) has become an international focal point in recent years largely due to China’s reclamation and militarization of island features in contested waters. Many pundits, journalists, analysts, and researchers distill the motivation behind China’s activities, and the broader SCS international disputes, down to control of and access to resources—primarily fisheries and hydrocarbon reserves—and shipping routes. Most scholars and experts on the region agree that these factors play an important role; however, many also point to broader motivations for China’s staunch defense of its “national sovereignty.” Nonetheless, a key element is often lacking in many of the most thorough analyses of the SCS conflicts: the geographic perspective. A wide range of publicly-available spatial data makes such an assessment possible. This thesis examines the existing body of scholarly work on the SCS, its significance, and causes of conflict; assesses the main hypotheses for China’s militarization of contested features in the SCS geographically; and ultimately places each hypothesis within the broader framework of China’s practical and strategic considerations

Civil maritime GNSS combinations in arctic areas

Project thesis submitted to the University of Nottingham in partial fulfilment of the degree of Master of Science in Positioning and Navigational TechnologyGPS is the most used GNSS system on board civilian vessels using civil GPS signal L1 only. Since 2011, there have been two fully operational GNSS systems – GPS since 1995 and GLONASS since 2011. Both GPS and GLONASS conduct modernization programs involving new satellites, new signals and new ground segment stations. New GNSS equipment is needed to exploit the new signals and both GNSS systems in a combined positioning approach. Future GNSS systems are Galileo and BeiDou. The Northeast Passage (NEP) is the shipping route between Europe and Asia passing Norwegian and Russian territory. The NEP is about 40% shorter than the voyage through Suez channel. The reduction of sea ice in the arctic area around Svalbard and NEP has increased the use of NEP for civilian vessels. The cold and harsh environment in NEP demands robust and reliable navigation equipment for solving position solutions. The distinctiveness of the Arctic is the latitude. It is higher than the inclination angle to Equator of the GNSS satellites orbital planes and the arctic area has ionospheric irregularities due to Aurora Borealis. In the thesis, a GNSS measurement was conducted at Svalbard on 16 to 18 June 2015. The aim of the research is to compare the GNSS combinations positioning approach: GPS Single, GLONASS, GPS Dual, GPS+GLONASS combined and DGPS. The RTKLIB version 2.4.3, an open source GNSS processing software program was used to evaluate the solutions of the GNSS combinations by post-processing the data collected at Svalbard. The research compared the GNSS combinations in a long and short static test, in a dynamic ship moving simulation and during sun activity. The GPS+GLONASS combination has shown to be more robust in accuracy, precision, availability of all GNSS satellites and their signals during the static and dynamic test in the Arctic. Due to redundancy and robustness, it is advantageous to use the GPS+GLONASS combination for safe navigation in the arctic area around Svalbard and in the Northeast Passage for civilian vessels

Control of position sensor input to Ecdis on high speed craft

Project thesis submitted in part fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Position and Navigation Technology at The University of NottinghamBy 2018 all larger ships are to be equipped with Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS). The paradigm shift from paper charts to electronic charts has been a technological leap for mariners, and the Integrated Navigation Systems (INS) are getting more and more complex. This leads to new challenges for the navigators of today. Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) such as GPS are the primary position sensor input for ECDIS, and it has since its early beginning in the middle of the 1990s been very reliable. National and worldwide statistics show that there has been a slight increase in navigational accidents since the introduction of ECDIS, but the reasons for this is not clear. In the literature review it is laid down that position sensors have its potential fault, and GNSS and its augmentation systems is described to better understand its advantageous and limitations. Control of ECDIS with position control methods are explored, and divided into two methods of control: Visual- and Conventional methods. Through field work, simulator tests and interviews the findings are clear. The navigators of today rely too much upon their primary position sensor which normally is a GNSS such as GPS. A questionnaire reveals that the navigators have insufficient deeper system knowledge of the navigation aids in use. This can lead to a potentially serious accident with loss of lives and large environmental damage. To achieve safe navigation it is important to continuously conduct control of primary position sensor input to ECDIS with a secondary position sensor by visual- and/or conventional control methods. The advantages and limitations with the different methods of control are discussed. Position sensors such as GNSS can fail, and navigators of today and tomorrow need to monitor the position sensor input to ECDIS with other means than GNSS

Cyber Security in the Maritime Industry: A Systematic Survey of Recent Advances and Future Trends

The paper presents a classification of cyber attacks within the context of the state of the art in the maritime industry. A systematic categorization of vessel components has been conducted, complemented by an analysis of key services delivered within ports. The vulnerabilities of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) have been given particular consideration since it is a critical subcategory of many maritime infrastructures and, consequently, a target for cyber attacks. Recent research confirms that the dramatic proliferation of cyber crimes is fueled by increased levels of integration of new enabling technologies, such as IoT and Big Data. The trend to greater systems integration is, however, compelling, yielding significant business value by facilitating the operation of autonomous vessels, greater exploitation of smart ports, a reduction in the level of manpower and a marked improvement in fuel consumption and efficiency of services. Finally, practical challenges and future research trends have been highlighted