Probabilistic Assessment Method of Hydrometeorological Conditions and their Impact on the Efficiency of Ship Operation
Svitlana Onyshсhenko, Oleksiy Melnyk
Abstract
Among the most important ship operational characteristics, that determine the carrying capacity as well as the time of cargo delivery is speed. The speed depends on not only ship's main engine specification and design solutions in respect of hull form and general architecture, but also on cost and consumption of fuel, lubricants, level of freight rates, daily operating costs and a number of other variable factors. The issues concerning substantiation of ship operating speed are determined considering fuel consumption, cargo capacity and tonnage at the stage of ship designing. The efficiency of slow steaming ship operation is determined by the fact that the dependence of fuel consumption on speed is non-linear. The exact relation of fuel consumption dependence on ship speed can vary depending on, type of engine, current condition of vessel hull and weather conditions on the shipping route. Modern hydrometeorology successfully copes with tasks of forecasting of dangerous sea phenomena and protecting a vessel from getting into force-majeure navigation conditions and thereby providing safety of crew, passengers and a vessel as a whole. Ships of modern fleet possess excessive reserve capacity of main engines which reliable work allows the navigator to manoeuvre actively for prevention of flooding of the hull by a storm wave, and at inevitable occurrence of a dangerous pitching and rolling to recuperate the chosen operating mode.