Selection of the best maintenance approach in the maritime industry under fuzzy multiple attributive group decision-making environment

Many maintenance approaches have been developed and applied successfully in a variety of sectors such as aviation and nuclear industries over the years. Some of those have also been employed in the maritime industry such as condition based maintenance; however, choosing the best maintenance approach has always been a big challenge due to the involvement of many attributes and alternatives which can also be associated with multiple experts and vague information. In order to accommodate these aspects, and as part of an overall novel Reliability and Criticality Based Maintenance strategy, an existing fuzzy multiple attributive group decision-making technique is employed in this study, which is further enhanced with the use of Analytical Hierarchy Process to obtain a better weighting of the maintenance attributes used. The fuzzy multiple attributive group decision-making technique has three distinctive stages, namely rating, aggregation and selection in which multiple experts’ subjective judgments are processed and aggregated to be able to arrive at a ranking for a finite number of maintenance options. To demonstrate the applicability in a real-life industrial context, the technique is exemplified by selecting the best maintenance approach for shipboard equipment such as the diesel generator system of a vessel. The results denote that preventive maintenance is the best approach closely followed by predictive maintenance, thus steering away from the ship corrective maintenance framework and increasing overall ship system reliability and availability

Development of a holistic maritime energy management programme at the postgraduate level: the case of WMU

Energy efficiency in shipping is regarded as one of the most urgent tasks to which the industry needs to respond. According to the 2014 International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Green-House Gas (GHG) Study, the average respective missions from shipping accounted for approximately 3.1% of annual global CO2 during the period of 2007–2012. Mandatory technical and operational energy-efficiency measures adopted via Annex VI of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) entered into force on 1 January 2013. It is mandatory to implement the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) for certain types of new ships, as well as the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) for all ships. In order to support uniform implementation and to promote technology transfer, it is vital to educate and train personnel in Maritime Energy Management (MEM) in all the IMO member states. Notwithstanding, such educational opportunities tend to be limited to technical and vocational levels, and there was no course to educate maritime energy management professionals at postgraduate level until the World Maritime University (WMU) has launched its Master of Science course in the specific field. From the motivations to energy efficiency to modern technology, safety and security, economics, human element, and operations research, the WMU MSc programme is pioneering to foresee the need of higher education for future maritime leaders. This paper proposes an interdisciplinary approach to the course design and development in MEM and discusses the role of education to support the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs)

Decarbonising short sea shipping operations : examining the efforts and outcomes of a Finnish shipping line\u27s relevant initiatives

Decarbonisation of maritime transport operations has become a main priority for shipping companies around the world, especially after the adoption of the Initial International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Strategy on Reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions from Ships in 2018 that sets the goal of reducing the global shipping emissions by 50% by 2050, as compared to 2008. In a similar direction, the European Union’s (EU) Green Deal initiative was adopted in December 2019 and proposed, among others, the inclusion of shipping in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) as an additional tool for the achievement of climate neutrality in Europe by 2050. The most recent UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) that was held in Glasgow also increased the momentum for global decarbonisation efforts highlighting the important role and contribution of maritime transport in these overall efforts. This paper discusses the efforts and initiatives undertaken by a Finnish shipping line (Viking Line) for the improvement of its fleet energy efficiency, along with the decarbonization of its operations; initiatives that encompass various technical and operational measures along with the employment of alternative fuels and/or energy sources (such as wind power). According to the findings, significant energy consumption reductions can be achieved at the company level from the implementation of a number of energy efficiency initiatives that presuppose a company organization model focused on sustainable development. Global and regional regulations/guidelines definitely initiate the introduction of energy efficiency measures, but their effective implementation depends largely on the organizational structure and priorities of individual shipping companies

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as a Marine Fuel: Optimising the Associated Infrastructure in the Baltic Sea Region

International and national policies and regulations call for faster transition to sustainable energy production and use. Within the shipping industry one way forward is the use of LNG. Despite being of fossil origin LNG is considered to be an important step towards cleaner shipping given the better properties of the exhausts. The Go LNG initiative is focused on the development of demand and accessibility of LNG in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR). Activities associated with this strategic-in-nature project aim to promote the implementation of EU’s Clean Fuel Strategy and boost LNG usage through the whole transport chain. This paper will present the development of the Go LNG Blue Corridor Strategy for a continued deployment of LNG in the BSR. Important parts of the strategy will include transport flows, LNG infrastructure developments, and the by inclusion of a wider potential value chain that incorporates all transport modalities as well as industries that today use other sources of energy. The strategy will further provide LNG stakeholders with a knowledge base on policies and regulation as well as on technological standards, and describe well-functioning solutions and business models already present in the BSR transport sector

A hybrid approach for multi-objective combinatorial optimisation problems in ship design and shipping

Numerous real-world problems relating to ship design and shipping are characterised by combinatorially explosive alternatives as well as multiple conflicting objectives and are denoted as multi-objective combinatorial optimisation (MOCO) problems. The main problem is that the solution space is very large and therefore the set of feasible solutions cannot be enumerated one by one. Current approaches to solve these problems are multi-objective metaheuristics techniques, which fall in two categories: population-based search and trajectory-based search. This paper gives an overall view for the MOCO problems in ship design and shipping where considerable emphasis is put on evolutionary computation and the evaluation of trade-off solutions. A two-stage hybrid approach is proposed for solving a particular MOCO problem in ship design, subdivision arrangement of a ROPAX vessel. In the first stage, a multi-objective genetic algorithm method is employed to approximate the set of pareto-optimal solutions through an evolutionary optimisation process. In the subsequent stage, a higher-level decision-making approach is adopted to rank these solutions from best to worst and to determine the best solution in a deterministic environment with a single decision maker

The development of a decision making framework for evaluating the trade-off solutions of cleaner seaborne transportation

Abstract The general rise in marine fuel prices in combination with ever-more stringent environmental regulations resulting from IMO conventions and EU Directives have become the main industry drivers for seaborne transportation to become cleaner and more energy efficient. Compliance with existing and soon-to-be-enacted regulations requires evaluating the trade-off between often-conflicting options to select the best available technology or fuel source. Although the traditional way of dealing with this issue has been to apply a cost benefit analysis, this kind of analysis does not adequately consider the complexities of the problem, such as incorporating linguistic preferences or interrelations amongst attributes, experts and their preferences. The challenge in such an analysis corresponds to that of a multiple attribute decision-making problem in which a finite number of alternatives are assessed with regards to a finite number of attributes and experts and ranked from the best to the worst. In this paper, a comprehensive and holistic decision-making framework is proposed to overcome the barriers of cost-benefit analysis techniques, facilitating the inclusion of all possible combinations of decision-making parameters and their discrete values, which will eventually help the industry achieve cleaner seaborne transportation. To demonstrate the applicability of the proposed framework, this paper focuses on a real-life study case involving an environmental compliance problem in the Port of Copenhagen, Denmark, in relation to a particular EU Directive. In conclusion, the proposed framework can be applied as a generalised decision-making model to similar compliance issues encountered within other modes of transportation such as rail and road

Managing people and technology: The challenges in CSR and energy efficient shipping

This paper addresses the challenges of managers in the shipping industry to implement energy efficient measures in ship operations and their roles of managing both people and technology under the fulfilment of their corporate social responsibility (CSR). An increasing pressure on shipping companies to concern about marine environment, including energy efficiency, has led managers to consider CSR as their ethical business practices. It is an accepted norm that shipping is generally the most environmentally friendly mode of transport in terms of CO2 produced per ton nautical mile. Despite an extensive amount of research available to improve energy efficiency in shipping, the implementation of such measures has not been progressed by the industry as expected. This problem can be attributed to human element, which is connected to technology through designing and using it. In this context, it is problematic to understand that CSR is an inclusive set of corporate responsibilities in ‘all-in-one’ box. Hence, examining human element will help understanding the complexity of management in energy efficiency in shipping. The paper also identifies the limitations of CSR in business practices and the need of interdisciplinary research between people and technology in order to respond to managerial challenges in energy efficient shipping

Are battery-powered vessels the best solution for the domestic ferry segment? Case study for the domestic ferry segment in the Philippines

The Philippines is aiming to significantly reduce its carbon footprint by 75% by 2030 as part of its Nationally Determined Contribution. One way the country is focusing on achieving this goal is by making its domestic ferries emit zero emissions. To this end, the use of electrified and battery-powered vessels is being explored, especially for short sea shipping. A life cycle analysis of diesel-powered ships and battery-powered ships for five different energy sources for electricity generation was carried out using the GABI 2020 software. The results showed that the environmental friendliness of a vessel depends on the primary source of electricity generation. While electrified ships can be environmentally friendly, they are not necessarily better than diesel-powered ships, particularly if the source of electricity is coal or heavy fuel oil. Based on the data obtained from the Philippines, transitioning to battery-powered ships necessitates the expansion of the national grid and the utilization of natural gas as an interim solution, while focusing on renewable energy sources for the medium and long term. Sustainable infrastructures such as shore power and smart grids in ports are crucial during this transition. To expedite the process, implementing effective policies like pay-for-pollution principles and providing incentives such as carbon levies, low-risk loans, and state contributions are essential

Techno-economic-environmental feasibility of photovoltaic, wind and hybrid electrification systems for stand-alone and grid-connected port electrification in the Philippines

Although domestic ferries play an important role in the economy and security of the Philippines, they have serious negative environmental impacts on cities and society due to the use of fossil fuels. There is a great potential to use battery and hybrid vessels in the segment. However, the necessary infrastructure, such as cold ironing technology in ports, is not available and the source of the national grid (coal) is more polluting than the ships' fuel (diesel oil). It is therefore important to replace the existing energy sources with renewable energy. In this study, the potential use of solar and wind power and generators in six different stand-alone and grid-connected systems for a major port in the Philippines was assessed in 1423 simulations using a smart grid optimization software and a Python program. Grid-connected systems were more cost-effective and environmentally friendly than stand-alone mode systems, and wind power systems with a Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) of 0.081 ($/kWh) were the most cost-effective system. The sensitivity analyses showed that switching from diesel generators to gas generators led to a 67.63-75.2% reduction in the related LCOE and a 78% and 73% reduction in the operating cost and total net present cost of the stand-alone systems, respectively.</p