Maritime Perspective of Panama Interoceanic Railway

In 1977, when the American historian David McCullough wrote a book called ”The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914”, about the social and geographical environment during the Panama Canal construction, he described the transisthmic railway as a complement of the engineering department that French’s company did not know how to take advantage of, because with the Californian gold fever decadence and with the Canal works it would not have had any commercial purpose other than the ridiculous price of passenger tickets. He never imagined that 100 years later this complement will be a key fact in the supply chain of the Latin-American and worldwide trade. In this paper, we will focus in the logistical map of America, where Panama is the centre. Being the way to connect Asia and America, also both coasts of the American Continent, and the begin/end place of four of the five Feeders highways of Latin America, it turns in the link with the others and with the rest of the world. But they are separated by 76 kilometres that a logistical system converts this distance into a one-hour travel to the next connection. The challenges of this system are raising everyday as result of di_erent regional trade facts. The Panamanian complex is playing an important role with the trade balances, the growing economies and transoceanic services with stop in Panama, generating disequilibrium (empty containers problem). The empty containers must follow the empty container cycle since the container is emptied and the customer returns it to the owner, it’s taken to the depot for maintenance, step that is mandatory in order to return to the cycle of export

Maritime studies and shipping bussines: a trend research on education programs

The Schools of Maritime Engineering & Business of the Spanish Universities forms the future professionals of the Spanish Merchant Marine who will sail the seven seas transporting goods in all its various forms. This remains a very important profession however, the importance of these activities it is not usually well known by the rest of the society not directly involved with the maritime world. The professions have been evolving, and the maritime job is not an exception. The marine professionals had opened new gates to develop new activities in other di erent positions which traditionally were busy by others carriers, for example, shipping companies. However, training in this sense is lacking, nautical students in most of the cases are not trained and specialized in this regard. The idea of this research paper is to quantify and identify the needs for the training and propose a training plan according to current needs in this area. The methodology of this work, has consisted of comparative analysis based on the results obtained from di erent surveys. The first survey has been conducted in several schools of nautical and maritime studies, considering the di erent levels existent at training programs, perception from students in relation to major weaknesses and missing elements. The second survey focused on experts in shipping & maritime logistics considering their experience from the trainee students with the objective to identify the core skills that will be required from a professional point of view. The results of both surveys have been combined, performing a comparative analysis in order to define a curriculum model that should cover the academic and business abilities gaps identified during the study

Induced maritime accidents

Humanity system of life is highly supported by maritime transport when circa 8 thousand million people require about 8.800 million tons of merchandises by sea, going in some 105.000 merchant ships of over 100 GT, sailing every thinkable dangerous waters 365 days year 24 hours day. All that Enormous activity plus others different factors produce accidents, as is shown in an ascendant 1.7 rate related to ships lost with big number in life, cargoes losses, and pollution. That is why this study pretend to detect causes factors of maritime accidents, to try to reduce them, and with that target in mind it was tested the new theory of Induced Maritime Accidents, crossing its proposals with relevant sinister of different times and circumstances, as Andrea Doria, Torrey Canyon, Costa Concordia, among others. Those cases were re evaluated to establish the key points of such theory, as they are the Production Pressure, the Risk Homeostasis, technological advances and the rupture of safety margin. Cases studies gave as result the existence of referred key points, in a manner combined that the chain of events derived to the fatality, and more than that highlights the possibility that been suppressed to acceptable limits the production pressure or the risk homeostasis, a permissible safety margin were been maintained, avoiding catastrophe.Postprint (published version

Efficiency of the cathode protection inthe sports crafts, fishing and cabotage boats

This paper studies the efficiency of sacrificial anodes in nautical engineering, marine and maritime. The anode design, quality manufacturing process and proper installation are critical processes for maximum protection of equipment and vessels. The damage, which causes corrosion, can be reduced; can even be avoided by protection methods economically profitable. The predictable future savings will come by the correct use of the current state of knowledge. This acquired knowledge is not always used rationally despite the great progress and current knowledge we have about the physical-chemical corrosion phenomena. Aspects relating to the assembly, distribution and support must be optimized for optimum performance and facilities are properly protected. Determine guidelines to consider in the design of the equipment (compatibility and incompatibility of the materials), the manufacturing quality of the elements to prevent galvanic corrosion, as in the embodiment of different patterns of maintenance in the case of pleasure craft, fishing boats and coastal represent very substantial costs and losses of the life of the vessels and their vital components.Postprint (published version

Changes in Ro-Ro transport tendencies in Santander Port

In recent years the Ro-Ro traffic has undergone major changes being the most significant the heavy loads transport in break bulk or static cargo, in other words, that the transport of bulky and heavy loads in conventional general cargo ships has move to Ro-Ro vessels over rolling platforms. Nowadays due to the high cost and fragility of these goods is needed to be handled with the utmost care. In this article we describe the transformation suffered by this type of maritime traffic and the development in Ro-Ro vessels cargo equipment.Postprint (published version

Intercambiador de calor portátil para el ensayo de tubos extraibles de diferentes materiales

Intercambiador de calor portátil para el ensayo de tubos extraíbles de diferentes materiales, que comprende: - una pieza hueca abierta por ambos extremos; - al menos dos tubos situados en el interior de la pieza hueca: al menos un tubo de ensayo y al menos un tubo de control ; - al menos una toma de entrada: - al menos una toma de salida; - una placa que comprende tantas aberturas como tubos comprende el intercambiador de calor, situada en cada extremo de la pieza hueca, y que se encuentra unida al extremo de la pieza hueca mediante una pluralidad de elementos de sujeción; - una junta elástica unida a cada placa en su lado en contacto con la pieza hueca mediante una pluralidad de elementos de sujeción; - El doble de racores de presión que tubos comprende el intercambiador de calor, tal que cada racor de presión se encuentra unido a una de las aberturas de las placas, y tal que cada extremo final de cada tubo se encuentra unido a un racor de presión diferente.Solicitud: 201600940 (03.11.2016)Nº Pub. de Solicitud: ES2598122A1 (25.01.2017)Nº de Patente: ES2598122B2 (20.09.2017

How the Manila amendments to the STCW code enhance training in maritime safety and security

This paper shows the changes that have occurred to the Manila Amendments to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers Code (STCW 2010 Code). In the School of Maritime Engineering of the University of Cantabria with the degrees in Nautical Engineering and Maritime Transport (Deck Officers), Marine Engineering (Engine Officers) and Maritime Engineering (Naval Engineering), we have taken into consideration all these changes and have adapted them to the academic training of the STCW 2010 Code. We recognize the need to train our maritime protection students (future officers, Captains and Chief Engineers of the Spanish Merchant Marine) with the latest and most effective tools and protocols. Thanks to the Maritime Collaborative Website of the Spanish Navy (ENCOMAR) we can complement and ensure the theoretical and practical training of our students to improve their knowledge on Maritime Security.Postprint (published version

Dispositivo portátil para la monitorización, ensayo, incorporación de aditivos y control de tuberías, sus materiales y fluidos

Dispositivo portátil para la monitorización, ensayo, incorporación de aditivos y control de tuberías, sus materiales y fluidos, configurado para albergar en su interior una probeta del material de estudio y monitorizar los parámetros de un fluido que circula por su interior proveniente de una instalación o equipo al que se encuentra conectado, que comprende: - un primer elemento consistente en una pieza hueca, donde uno de sus extremos se conecta a la instalación por medio de un racor de conexión con cierre mecánico, donde el extremo restante está abierto y comprende unos medios de unión configurados para unirse a un segundo elemento, y donde en el interior de dicha pieza hueca se aloja una membrana flexible, de material plástico o polímero flexible, mecanizada y empotrada en el contorno interior de la pieza hueca cubriéndolo en su totalidad; - un segundo elemento consistente en una pieza hueca, donde unos de sus extremos está abierto y comprende unos medios de unión configurados para unirse al extremo del primer elemento no conectado a la instalación, y donde dicho segundo elemento comprende conexiones mecanizadas a lo largo de su contorno con el objetivo de conectar sensores.Solicitud: 201700443 (29.03.2017)Nº Pub. de Solicitud: ES2646732A1 (15.12.2017)Nº de Patente: ES2646732B2 (30.07.2018

Dispositivo manual y portátil para el enrollado y la deshidratación de mangueras planas

Dispositivo manual y portátil para el enrollado y la deshidratación de mangueras planas, que comprende:- una varilla configurada para que, durante el funcionamiento del dispositivo, ésta gire sobre la base de la varilla, donde la varilla presenta al menos tres tramos, a) un tramo inferior comprendido entre la base de la varilla y un punto de doblado inferior; b) un tramo superior comprendido entre la parte superior de la varilla y un punto de doblado superior; y c) al menos un tramo intermedio comprendido entre los puntos de doblado superior e inferior;- al menos dos dientes situados en la parte inferior del tramo inferior de la varilla, tal que los dientes se unen a la varilla de manera perpendicular y presentan a su vez un curvado hacia la base de la varilla cuyo ángulo está comprendido entre 75º y 95º, tal que los dientes se sitúan equidistantes con respecto a la varilla, tal que los dientes tienen una separación entre sí de 360º/número de dientes, y tal que existe un desfase de medida entre la base de la varilla y la base del diente de al menos 1 centímetro.Solicitud: 201601108 (23.12.2016)Nº Pub. de Solicitud: ES2608844A1 (17.04.2017)Nº de Patente: ES2608844B1 (26.12.2017

Reactor para crecimiento de bioincrustación en condiciones controladas

Reactor para el crecimiento de bioincrustación, configurado para reproducir diferentes entornos en condiciones controladas de laboratorio, que comprende: - un depósito abierto por su parte superior; - al menos una abertura de entrada situada en el depósito, tal que durante la realización del ensayo una tubería de alimentación se introduce en la abertura de entrada: - un intercambiador de calor situado en la tubería de alimentación, fuera del depósito; - al menos una abertura de salida situada en el depósito; - una tubería de rebose, situada tal que uno de sus extremos atraviesa la abertura de salida, y su extremo restante se encuentra conectado a un rebosadero; - al menos una abertura de vaciado situada en el depósito, tal que durante la realización del ensayo una tubería de vaciado se introduce en la abertura de vaciado; - una estructura portaprobetas situada en el interior del depósito; - un agitador de paletas; - un sistema de iluminación regulable.Solicitud: 201600942 (03.11.2016)Nº Pub. de Solicitud: ES2601930A1 (16.02.2017)Nº de Patente: ES2601930B1 (16.10.2017