1,720,962 research outputs found
Wing in ground vehicles operating as high-speed passenger ferries: A feasibility and profitability study
No full textWing-in-ground (hereafter referred to as WIG) vehicles operate a few meters above water. The vehicles make use of the ground-effect (an effect where the drag is reduced, and the wings of the vehicles generate an increased lift). The unique speed and distance range of a WIG vehicle — a vehicle that, in functionality and appearance, sits somewhere between a ship and an aircraft — could be an ideal option for high-speed passenger transport on routes with ‘medium’ distances. That said, WIG vehicles have hardly ever been seen in civilian applications, such as high-speed passenger transport. This report answers the question: can WIG vehicles operating as high-speed passenger ferries, be feasible and profitable? This feasibility is assessed on the basis of literature research and real examples of WIG performance, functionality and profitability. Suitable routes and vehicles are selected based on criteria analyses. Using financial estimations, the profitability of two suitable WIG vehicles on two separate routes is investigated.The specifications of recently built WIG vehicles and their design drivers are analyzed by performing a literature research. This information reveals that WIG vehicles have one main limitation: a low seaworthiness. It is then likely that this limits the seakeeping operability for a number of vehicles. To deal with this limitation, suitable vehicles are selected using a criteria analysis. The literature research shows that the WSH-500 and the Aron M80 both have a relatively good seaworthiness. The vehicles differentiate in size (48p & 6p). The costs of the vehicles are estimated by using general aviation cost estimation theory. A criteria analysis based on seakeeping operability and number of passengers and distance, shows two suitable routes: ‘Buenos Aires – Montevideo’ and ‘Helsinki – Tallinn’. The potential demand for WIG transport on these routes is estimated by creating demand curves of transport. The strategy to market WIG transport on these routes is estimated by using a market research to gage the potential demand. A suitable strategy is to target the top niche of customers on these routes. The profitability is estimated by combining the suitable vehicles, cost of vehicles, routes and strategy. The net present value and internal rate of return is calculated for a number of cases that are explained in this paper. The cases vary mainly on the following aspects: vehicle, total investment and route. In conclusion, WIG vehicles operating as high-speed passenger ferries can be feasible and profitable. The technology behind WIG vehicles has a technological readiness level of 8 out of 9. There are multiple, full-scale prototypes made and tested. Suitable vessels and routes have been selected to deal with the primary limitation that comes with WIG vehicles; they have low seaworthiness capabilities. The seakeeping operability rates of the selected vehicles and routes range between 91% and 100%. The net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR) of investments made in a WIG transport company can be positive in a number of cases
An Applicability Study of Data Mining to Improve the Secondhand Market Model of the Maritime Business Game
No full textThis study aims to improve of secondhand market model used in the Maritime Business Game (MBG) & to judge the relevance of three data mining algorithms. Pruyn developed MBG to simulate the long term consequences of various shipping scenarios. MBG consists of three multilevel models to represent the maritime economy. Starting from the Multi Country model, it goes down to the shipping markets model & ends at the fleet scheduling model. Secondhand market is a sub-part of shipping market module, where the shipowners trade their old ships. In real life, the valuation is done by shipbrokers under the assumption that vessels are in good working condition. Thus’s, physical characteristics have a little influence on the sales price. A structural model based on the physical characteristics can be a good complement to the broker’s judgment.Marine Technolog
The development and evaluation of a modular well intervention business concept
No full textThe subject of this thesis is the development and evaluation of a modular well intervention business concept. The concept aims to bridge the gap between surface and subsea well intervention markets, currently served by different vessel types, using a platform vessel and equipment modules. The regional scope is South-East Asia, due to its low subsea intervention demand making it difficult for dedicated subsea intervention vessels to operate all-year round. The concept is evaluated from the point of view of the vessel owner and is limited to light and mediumwell interventions. The thesis consists of concept developmentMarine Technolog
Selection of cost-effective emission abatement options for early-stage ship design: A selection tool implemented for a road ferry and workboat
No full textThe maritime emission regulations and incentives require and motivate the selection of different types of energy systems, fuels, and abatement options. In early-stage ship design, the design space of possible combinations can be significant. Therefore, a selection tool has been developed to find the most satisfactory combination of abatement options at minimum costs that at least meet the emission requirements. This decision problem is studied from a general perspective to develop a universal selection tool to enable a widespread application in the maritime industry. The selection tool contains datasets with decision parameters of different energy systems, fuels, and abatement options. The energy systems, including reference fuels, can be selected and assessed on their annual economic and environmental performance. Both upstream and operational emissions are considered and, in addition, the external costs of the emissions are quantified. The abatement options, including fuels, have different effects on fuel consumption and emissions. Moreover, interaction effects occur when combining alternatives. The identified problem is a combinatorial optimisation problem and the objective space is constrained by the emission and compatibility constraints. It is formulated as a multi-objective optimisation problem, whereby the annual internal (investment plus operational) costs and external costs are simultaneously minimised. The external costs can serve as a balancing approach for emission reduction. Furthermore, it can encourage the reduction of the overall environmental impact beyond the regulatory emission constraints. A genetic optimisation algorithm is integrated into the selection tool, which optimises the combinations of abatement options that are subject to the applicable constraints. The functioning of the methodology is evaluated by case studies for the NAVAIS subjects: a battery-electric road ferry and a diesel-electric workboat, both for European waters. The results can provide useful insights into the concept design space of feasible combinations that comply with emission regulations.Marine Technolog
Minimising transportation and installation operation cost and time for offshore wind turbine farms with the use of the wind turbine shuttle
No full textIn recent years, a rapid development of the offshore wind power market has taken place. The growing demand for more offshore wind farms and the desire to make this technology more cost-effective has created many challenges for offshore contractors and their technology, particularly for turbine installation vessels. Currently, the most widely used equipment is the jack-up type crane vessels. These vessels have been optimised for turbine installation operations but are now starting to reach their limits in performance, based on the further improvement of the wind turbines, the fact that the wind farms located further and deeper at the sea. As a result, new designs may be better suited to the challenging requirements of the wind farm developers. In practical terms, it is difficult to predict whether a new concept will perform better another. Operational data from past turbine installation vessel operations can be used to identify important parameters that influence performance but is not practical when applied to unconventional designs such as the concept ship, “Wind Turbine Shuttle” designed by Huisman Equipment in the Netherlands. An extensive study is necessary requiring perhaps the development of new analysis tools. This study attempts to identify the major parameters that influence the operations of turbine installation vessels. It investigates with the use of different operational scenarios, how the procedure of installation and transportation of these vessels are influenced by their parameters such as the pre-assembly method of the wind turbine or the wind turbine sizes and their operating environment, using a market and technology review of the wind farm market, a sensitivity analysis of various design parameters and different case strategies investigating the performance of different turbine installation vessels operating in a predefined wind farm location. Because several strategies have shown that weather delays have a major effect on the workability of the vessel, the simulation model uses wave height time series data from measurements made in the North Sea. For the sensitivity studies of design parameters, results show that for any scenario, an optimal value for both significant wave height tolerance and transit speed can be found. The optimal parameters for the scenario designed in this study are similar to the specifications of the Wind Turbine Shuttle. Overall, results show a definite advantage of using a turbine installation vessel such as the Wind Turbine Shuttle over traditional jack-up vessels. However, as the model is based on many assumptions, the accuracy of the results would be significantly improved with additional real life data. Regardless of this, the study has demonstrated the advantage of opting for a systems approach containing various models that are connected to each other. This methodology has many possible future applications, not only for the evaluation of wind turbine installation vessels but for any vessel type employed in the offshore construction segment.Mechanical Engineering
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Synergies in Liner Shipping: Integrating Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis in the Partnership Decision
No full textLiner shipping companies engage in strategic cooperation to deal with the market’s overcapacity, capital intensiveness and volatile freight rates. However, these partnerships do not reach their full potential and have lowered the level of service in the industry. To identify how carriers would be able to realise further synergies, this study has investigated the current performance of liner shipping companies and developed a model to identify and assess potential partnership opportunities. This model supports liner shipping companies in their decision of who to partner with and what kind of partnership to pursue. The study has been confined to a single transpacific route. On the basis is an overview of vessels that sail this route over a period of several years. This overview includes information on arrival dates, number of containers on board, capacity and operator for each vessel. This is used to examine local demand and deployed capacity, vessel utilisation and competition. The analysis confirms trends found in literature, such as the growing size of vessels that are enabled by strategic cooperation. Most importantly, it indicates flexibility on the side of vessel operators in their decision of which vessels they deploy per route during the year. A synergy model has been developed based on the findings in literature and the results of this analysis. This model uses the identified flexibility in vessel deployment and builds on the notion that liner shipping companies should pursue more integrated partnerships to realise further synergies. The model was also applied to the case of CMA CGM’s acquisition of APL in 2016. After calculating the costs for sailing each of the available vessels, potential partnerships were identified for the analysed route. This was done by optimising vessel deployment for the cargoes to be transported at minimum cost and with a limited number of partners. A strategic-level assessment was then performed to determine whether a partnership would be feasible among the identified companies and to what extent integration should take place. By including both the companies’ motivations (drivers) and factors that facilitate a positive environment (facilitators) for the partnership, this assessment brings multiple perspectives to the table. The conclusion is that carriers can adjust which vessels they deploy to match transport demand and that they can use this to realise further synergies. By using a model with both a quantitative and a qualitative component, it is possible to identify potential partnerships that result in cost reduction, maintain high vessel utilisation and allow for improvements in the level of service that companies offer to their customers. It is recommended to extend the coverage of the model to include more routes, ports and vessels for a more comprehensive analysis. Furthermore, using variable transit times in the model to determine when vessels are available would make the model more realistic and would also allow changes in vessel speed to be included in the analysis. It is also advised to explore opportunities for regulatory bodies to apply this model for monitoring and assessment of the effects partnerships have on competition per route
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