engleski

Ecological sustainability of maritime transport with an emphasis on the surface current routing as a part of the voyage planning optimization

The world economy and globalization depend heavily on transporting goods by sea since global trade is predominantly seaborne. Therefore, great efforts and resources are invested in developing modern technologies to improve the safe and expeditious transportation of goods. Nevertheless, the negative impact of shipping on the environment has been ignored for a long time. The maritime industry adversely affects the environment and human health in many different ways. Thus, stakeholders need to find ways to reduce or eliminate its negative impact. Sustainable shipping is the goal of all stakeholders, but the system’s complexity makes it challenging to find the optimal solution. The introduction of new green technologies along with the optimization of ship management systems, and the training of seafarers on sustainability are possible solutions to reduce the environmental impact of shipping. In this paper, the authors analyzed voyage planning with surface currents and estimated reductions in fuel consumption taken into account, and thus reducing harmful gasses emissions. This case study involved the analysis of a cruise ship voyage from Miami (USA) to Norfolk (USA). A brief overview of the IMO e-Navigation concept that is being developed is also presented, and its complete application is expected to facilitate voyage planning using surface and tidal currents and enable cost savings and environmental protection.

voyage planning ; Gulf stream ; optimization ; fuel-saving ; energy efficiency

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