Delft University of Technology
FACULTY MECHANICAL, MARITIME AND MATERIALS ENGINEERING
Department Maritime and Transport Technology
Mekelweg 2 2628 CD Delft the Netherlands Phone +31 (0)15-2782889 Fax +31 (0)15-2781397 www.mtt.tudelft.nl
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Specialization: Transport Engineering and Logistics
Report number: 2016.TEL.8065
Title:
Logistic management for maritime
accidents at port
Author:
Pritish Bose
Assignment: Literature
Confidential: No
Initiator (university): Dr. Xiaoli Jiang Initiator (company): --
Supervisor: Dr. Xiaoli Jiang
Delft University of Technology
FACULTY OF MECHANICAL, MARITIME AND MATERIALS ENGINEERING
Department of Marine and Transport Technology
Mekelweg 2 2628 CD Delft the Netherlands Phone +31 (0)15-2782889 Fax +31 (0)15-2781397 www.mtt.tudelft.nl
Student: P. Bose Assignment type: Literature
Supervisor (TUD): Xiaoli Jiang (TU Delft) Credit points (EC): 10
Supervisor (Company) -- Specialization: TEL
Report number: 2016.TEL.8065 Confidential: No
Subject: Logistic management for maritime accidents at port
Maritime accidents and incidents, such as ship to ship collision or ship grounding, most often occur near ports due to the intensive water traffic and shallow water depth. The occurrence of those accidents would place the port in a very dangerous situation, since the port could suffer from a high risk of blockage of port entry, and the consequent economic loss can be substantial. Nowadays, constrained by size extension, many ports will increase the capacity or throughput by making smarter use of the port system. This means that the chance of maritime accidents becomes even higher than before. At the moment, research on the logistic control and management of ports concentrates on the normal operation of the port. A collaborative and fast emergency logistic response system to maritime accidents and incidents has not yet been well established.
This literature assignment aims to make an overview of the development of logistic management of ports and explore the feasible way to integrate emergency response to maritime accidents into routinely logistic management of ports. The following aspects are required to be illustrated in the report:
The state of the art - emergency response to maritime accidents at port Types of maritime accidents.
Consequence of those accidents related to cargo, vessel, waterway, oil spills. etc. Emergency response, i.e. rules, method /modelling, technique and resources.
To explore the feasible way(s) to integrate emergency response to maritime accidents into routinely logistic management of ports
To propose a simple logistic model to demonstrate the integration.
This report should be arranged in such a way that all data is structurally presented in graphs, tables, and lists with belonging descriptions and explanations in text.
The report should comply with the guidelines of the section. Details can be found on the website. The professor,
Summary
Globalization is shaping the economy of the world and maritime transport is playing a vital role in it. Every year the number of maritime vessels are increasing in number and sizes to aid the increasing trade of goods and services. Being one of the cheapest modes of transports, the affinity towards maritime transport is increasing. Port has thus become one of the important players in any country’s economy. However, as the number and sizes of maritime vessels keep increasing, it has become more and more difficult to monitor and guide vessel traffic inside the port. This trend has also increased the density of maritime traffic inside the port, thereby, leading to an increased chance of accident. As the channel and the waterways of the port cannot be broadened, it has become necessary for the ports to find smart solutions to manage vessel traffic and to provide efficient emergency response in the event of a maritime accident.
Many studies have been conducted on the type and causes of maritime accidents. A review of these studies show that foundering is the major type of accident that occurs at sea whereas at port, grounding of ship is more common. Although, interesting to note here is that most accident, whether it is at sea or at port, is caused due to human errors. Miscommunication between the bridge and the crew remains one of the major causes of accidents. According to the statistics, in a port, most of these accidents occur during the transport. This is understandable because while transport within a port, the vessels have to perform a lot of maneuvers. Information from these studies can be used to determine the accident hotspots and to determine an effective emergency response plan. Such accidents should be avoided or addressed quickly to restore normal operation of the port.
Maritime accidents can cause damage to life, environment and economy. Studies show that such damages can be categorized into: Health damage, Material damage, Environment damage and Loss of profit. It was found that a single accident may simultaneously bring about all kinds of damage which can be direct or indirect in nature. Direct damage such as fatalities or injuries, loss or damage of vessel, impact on marine life etc. can be quantified to some extent, but indirect damages are more implicit and only an estimate of the cost of such effects could be made such as breakdown costs, cost of lost wages and costs involving the loss of image etc.. Oil spill was found to be one of the major accidents that can have huge impact on the socio-economic factors of the population near the accident area. However, it was realized that there are some positive outcomes of such accidents in the form of new regulations and safety guidelines which aim at making maritime transport safer and less risky.
Though such improvements have been made to make maritime transport safer, there is always a probability of a maritime accident occurring due to various factors. This gives a clear understanding that to minimize the extent of impact of maritime accidents, a quick emergency response plays a vital role. Due to increasing traffic, many ports have started using Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) to monitor and guide vessels safely though the port waters. Coupled with Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders installed on vessels, which continuously transmit the full details of the ship, cargo and
perform provide extended support or guidance to vessels if required. Port of Rotterdam (PoR) uses an advanced VTS Operator (VTSO) which was studied for this literature. Using another technology called Harbourmaster Management Information System (HaMIS), which uses AIS and Aramis V3000 (a constellation of radars and cameras that provide real-time dynamic image of all movements of incoming and outgoing vessels in the PoR region), PoR can plan the port operations and vessel routings and closely monitor vessels carrying hazardous materials. HaMIS is linked with VTSO to make PoR one of the safest ports in the world. In an event of emergency or distress, the vessels are advised to use VHF 11 channel (very high frequency radio) to inform VTSO personnel about the situation. A protocol is initiated by VTSO personnel and the patrol vessels are informed. PoR houses 10 patrol vessels which are equipped to address such emergency situations. 8 of the patrol vessels are always sailing in strategic regions to monitor the safety of port and have a maximum response time of 30 minutes in case of a maritime accident or incident. Simultaneously the VTSO should also reroute the other vessels in that region to avoid further escalation of damage and to minimize the effect on throughput of port.
Since all the above actions are taken manually there is always a chance of miscommunication. Moreover such emergency situation might disrupt the vessel traffic in that area. In order to mitigate these, a concept of an autonomous controller is recommended. The optimization model used is made by modifying the optimization model in a similar research carried out to optimize the resource allocation and emergency response operation in sea. The controller then will be able to optimize the port operations by minimizing the cost of emergency operation and vessel rerouting. These recommendations, however, are presently hypothetical and requires an in-depth research and study to design such controller.
Contents
Summary ... 3
List of figures ... 6
1 Introduction ... 7
2 Maritime Accidents ... 9
2.1 Accident types and causes ... 9
2.2 Consequences of maritime accidents ... 13
3 Emergency Response and Resource Allocation ... 16
3.1 Port of Rotterdam ... 21
3.1.1 Vessel Monitoring and Emergency Preparedness ... 22
4 Optimizing Emergency Response Operation: A Recommendation ... 27
5 Conclusions ... 33
List of figures
Fig 2.1 Growth of the world’s merchant fleet [5] ... 9
Fig 2.2 Annual growth of the world fleet, 2000–2014 (per cent of dwt) [1] ... 9
Fig 2.3 Causes of Total Losses 2005-2014 [7] ... 10
Fig 2.4 Distribution of the sample of the accidents by terminal event (sample period 1991–2001; HSC—N=41, commercial vessels—N=40) [8]... 11
Fig 2.5 Origin of the accidents in seaports [9] ... 11
Fig 2.6 Specific origin of the accidents in seaports. [9] ... 12
Fig 2.7 Percentage for the distribution of accidental events for the sample (NHSC=82; NCV=301) [8] ... 12
Fig 2.8 Percentages of Task Error categories for the location: Bridge [10] ... 13
Fig 2.9 Percentage of the principal causes of ship accidents (Source: UK P and I Reports) [11] ... 13
Fig 2.10 Types of damages originated by major accidents. [12] ... 14
Fig 2.11 Summary of the Literature on Oil Spills [15] ... 15
Fig 3.1 Total Losses by Year a declining trend [7] ... 16
Fig 3.2 AIS Overview [19] ... 17
Fig 3.3 The five main steps of Formal Safety Assessment [17] ... 17
Fig 3.4 Operational focuses for each Vessel TRIAGE category. [24] ... 20
Fig 3.5 Map of Port of Rotterdam (Source: https://www.portofrotterdam.com) ... 21
Fig 3.6 Structure of throughput Port of Rotterdam 2002-2014 (measured in ton, percentages) [26] . 22 Fig 3.7 Screenshot of HaMIS (2011). The port and traffic image shows real-time movements of vessels based on radar and AIS data. The supporting data around it provides details on the voyage, the cargo, intended inspections and reference data for each vessel. A mouse click on the vessel in the image immediately makes the vessel, voyage and cargo related data available, it is shown in the tables. Alternatively, a mouse click on the vessel in the table will mark the vessel in the image. [27]23 Fig 3.8 A screenshot of the traffic image based on Aramis (2011). Aramis V3000 is used by VTSO’s in the Traffic Centres from January 2012, to monitor the traffic and identify individual vessels, tracks, intended routes, ATA’s, ATD’s, CPA’s and TCPA’s, amongst others. [27] ... 24
Fig 3.9 Incident reporting protocol to be followed by VTS Operator when an incident is reported from a vessel over VHF. (Source: Port of Rotterdam) ... 26
1
Introduction
Maritime transport is one of the most important players in facilitating international trade and maintaining global economy. Over the years, due to increasing demands and supplies, maritime transport has witnessed a huge increase in maritime traffic. According to a yearly report by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), in 2014, there was an increase of 3.4% in the volume of world seaborne shipments which resulted in a total trade volume of 9.84 billion tons which constitutes about 80% of the global sea trade volume [1]. For instance, in 2014, looking at the development in Chinese shipping and port industry over the past few decades have resulted in a total freight volume of shipping industry of 5.98 billion tons and a total throughput of ports in China of 12.45 billion tons, higher than that in 2013 by 6.9% and 5.8% respectively [2].
In order to accommodate these increasing demands and throughputs, more and more vessels are produced each year. In 2015, according to UNCTAD the world fleet grew by 3.5% and the world commercial fleet consisted of 89,464 vessels [1]. With such growing traffic, it is imperative to study the marine traffic risk and develop technology to make marine transport safer and more efficient. Between 2011 and 2014, 9180 occurrences have been reported by the EU Member States on the European Marine Casualty Information Platform (EMCIP) [3]. According to EMSA, only in 2014 there have been 3025 reported accidents that involved 3,399 ships. In these accidents, 51 ships were lost, 1,075 people were injured and 136 fatalities were reported [3]. For some ports, maritime safety has become a major concern because of increasing traffic and lack of traffic management technology. Taking the example of Korea, within a period of 4 years from 2008 to 2012, 722 maritime accidents were recorded with an estimated 132 people being reported dead or missing annually [4]. Similarly, in China, 260 maritime accidents occurred resulting in loss of 247 lives in 2014 [2]. Maritime accidents, thus, result in huge losses of life and economy as well as inflicting damage to the environment.
The prevention of maritime risks and accidents have been a topic of extensive research over the years. Owing to the availability of a huge database and case studies, many researchers have carried out investigations to minimize the risk of accident. However, the emergency response to such maritime accidents and incidents also play a vital role. It is of utmost importance that the emergency response unit reach the site as early as possible to initiate Search and Rescue (SAR) operations. SAR operations for maritime accidents occurring at deep sea or coastal waters have different approaches than accidents occurring in port waters. The risk of affecting the vessel traffic is higher inside the port and the risk of damage to property along with economic losses are also some important factors that are taken into consideration.
This literature review discusses the developments and researches which enable an efficient utilization of the emergency response unit especially for such events occurring in port waters. First, different types of maritime accidents are discussed. This section reviews most commonly occurring accidents and their causes with statistical data. It further zooms in to review such events that have occurred in ports and the type of vessel involved in it.
The next section reviews the researches on technological advancements that has been carried out to facilitate efficient emergency response in the event of a maritime accident. An important factor that plays a vital role during an accident is the efficiency of communication. The details about accident or incident should be effectively communicated to the emergency response unit to enable them to take precise actions. Similarly, it is also important to strategically plan an SAR operation. Resource allocation to handle such events is also of vital importance which are discussed in this section.
After reviewing the type of maritime accidents that can occur in port waters and the developments in the field of logistics of emergency response unit, a brief discussion is carried out about port traffic system currently functioning at Port of Rotterdam (PoR). The major components involved in this state-of-the-art system are explained in this section which is followed by a brief description of how an accident is prevented and what are the measures taken in the event of an accident.
Following the above system for traffic control, this report provides a recommendation on future research that can be carried out to make the logistics of the emergency response more autonomous to optimize the resource usage and minimize cost of operation during such events. With a grey box approach, this report tries to explain the inputs required for this future controller and the actions it should take. A conclusion in the end about the effect of maritime accidents on the port economy and the importance of an autonomous controller concludes this literature assignment.
2
Maritime Accidents
Maritime transport is one of the modes of transportation having a very high risk factor. Throughout the history of maritime transport, there have been numerous accidents that have brought damage to life, damage to the cargo, disrupted the economy and affected the environment. The extent of impact of maritime accidents on economy and environment including the life of people is more when it occurs in ports. Ports are one of the important gateways for international trade for a country. It consists of an extensive infrastructure and the combined cost of operations and logistics is very high. Any accident that affects the operation of the port, causes disruption to vessel traffic or inflicts damage to the port can cause huge economic and environmental losses.
Each year the world fleet is increasing owing to an increase in global trade to satisfy increasing demands and transport of commodities. Over a decade, the world fleet grew from around 85,000 vessels to close to 105,000 as shown in Fig 2.1 [5]. In relation to Deadweight Tonnage (dwt), which is a measure of the mass that a ship can carry or is carrying, every year the tonnage of goods transported over seaways has been increasing. Although the trend of increase is not constant over the years as can be observed from Fig 2.2. According to the report by UNCTAD, the total tonnage at the beginning of 2015 was approximately 1.75 billion dwt which was a growth of 3.5%, lower than the previous year [1].
Fig 2.1 Growth of the world’s merchant fleet [5] Fig 2.2 Annual growth of the world fleet, 2000–2014 (per cent of dwt) [1]
2.1 Accident types and causes
Over the years, multiple analyses have been carried out to determine the types and causes of maritime accidents. These analyses also review the frequency of occurrence of a particular type of accident. Through the Global Integrated Shipping Information System (GISIS) platform provided by International Maritime Organization (IMO), it is now possible to gather necessary information related to maritime accidents. Although the accidents can be categorized on various basis depending upon the organization that carries out the analysis, IMO strives to collate and classify the data based on GISIS into the following categories [6]:
1. Type of ship 2. Type of operation 3. Type of accident
4. Identifying accidents with highest number of casualties
The focus of this report has been given to the types of accidents. The accident categorization can again depend on the type of database one refers to. According to a report by Allianz Global Corporate and Specialty (AGCS) which gives an annual review on the trends and developments in shipping losses and safety [7], the accidents are classified into the following types:
1. Collision: An event when two vessels come in contact with each other.
2. Contact: When a vessel comes in contact with any substance in its surrounding eg, the harbor wall. However, this does not include the events of grounding.
3. Foundered: Refers to sinking or submerging of a vessel due to weather conditions, capsizing due to structural instability etc.
4. Fire/explosion: An event where fire or explosion is the main cause of accident. This event excludes events when the fire is an outcome of the main cause of accident.
5. Hull damage: When a vessel is stranded, capsized, or lost due to damage to the hull.
6. Missing/overdue: A vessel with which no communication can be established over a certain period of time and thus have been termed missing.
7. Piracy: A vessel lost or damaged by pirates.
8. Wrecked/stranded: Involves a vessel running aground (grounding) or getting stranded because of hitting the sea bottom or an underwater shipwreck.
9. Miscellaneous: All other accidents in which a vessel is damaged or lost for reasons which cannot be classified in any of the above categories.
The above classification is based on first event that occurs during an accident and does not consider the consequences of these events that may have occurred later.
Fig 2.3 shows the data for accidents analyzed by AGCS for a period of 10 years from 2005 to 2014. As can be observed foundering of ships was the main cause of loss of vessels over this period which constituted about 47% of all losses [7], the second major cause being wrecked/stranded. Interesting to note here is that these data consist of maritime accidents taking place in international waters and ports combined. Only few researches have been conducted to investigate and analyze the accidents occurring at ports. Antão & Soares [8] discuss various terminal incidents and accidents concerning high-speed craft and commercial vessel. Focusing on data for commercial vessels, Fig 2.4 shows that grounding is the most common type of accident followed by foundering and collision. Darbra & Casal [9] analyzed the causes of accidents at seaports occurring in the period from early twentieth century to 2002. Using the Major Hazard Incident Data Service (MHIDAS) database as the basis of information for their research, they determine the types, cause and origins of accidents taking place at ports. MHIDAS maintained a database of accidents occurring in 95 different countries. It was developed and managed by the Safety and Reliability Directorate (SRD) as a representative of Major Hazard Assessment Unit of HSE-Health and Safety Executive of United Kingdom. However, this database is no longer updated. Until October 2002, a total of 12,844 records of accidents were stored in it [9].
Fig 2.4 Distribution of the sample of the accidents by terminal event (sample period 1991–2001; HSC— N=41, commercial vessels—N=40) [8]
Fig 2.5 Origin of the accidents in seaports [9]
Darbara & Casal’s research was focused on accidents occurring at port. For this search, the MHIDAS database consisted of 471 occurrences categorised in terms of the place or activity of occurrence: process plant, storage, transport, load/unload, waste, domestic/commercial and warehouse. A variation of accidents according to their place of origin is depicted in Fig 2.5. It is no surprise that highest number of accidents are reported during transportation of goods. However, it should also be noted that this variation comprises of all types of transportation modes in the port viz. vessels, trains and trucks moving in the port. Fig 2.6 quantifies the number of accidents depending upon their origin in at port. Of all the categories, 65% of the accidents occurred while movement of the vessel. This is quite understandable as moving a vessel through the port waters with much more traffic than in open sea involves a lot of critical maneuvers and complex movements. A slight anomaly or error could lead to accidents.
Fig 2.6 Specific origin of the accidents in seaports. [9]
Most of the accidents discussed above are caused as a result of human errors. However, there are many other sources which may cause such accidents. Different researchers categorize the causes based on their findings and the focus of their research. These data can therefore rather be used for a general understanding of the causes. In their research, Antão & Soares have categorized the causes for accidents occurring due to human errors, equipment failures, due to presence of hazardous material such as oil, environmental causes and other miscellaneous agents not attributable to the any other causes. From Fig 2.7 it can be inferred that human error is the main cause of accidents, comprising about 60% of all the causes. These can be attributed to miscommunication between the vessels, or the vessel and the port traffic operator. The human errors can also arise due to decisions made by the bridge crew regarding navigational procedures [8].
Fig 2.8 Percentages of Task Error categories for the location: Bridge [10]
Some navigational task errors categories that can occur at the Bridge of a ship or vessel were studied by Graziano, Teixeira & Soares [10] and their finding is shown Fig 2.8. These data can be verified from earlier researches who have found that human error is indeed the main risk of maritime safety. In a more in depth research by Soares & Teixeira [11], they classified the causes of ship accidents over a decade from 1987 to 1997 (Fig 2.9). In their research they also noted that human errors not only occur during navigation, but may also occur during the design and construction process of the vessel.
Fig 2.9 Percentage of the principal causes of ship accidents (Source: UK P and I Reports) [11]
2.2 Consequences of maritime accidents
Seaports are one of the most important infrastructures which play a big role in the economy of a country. With the present growth in globalization, where international trade has become vital for a country’s sustainable economic growth, seaports have become the major source of commodity transactions. They are a crucial link in the supply chain for both international and domestic trades. In the event of an accident, a bottleneck in port operations can lead to huge losses to the private and/or public companies
limited studies were found that discuss damages caused by such maritime accidents in terms of cost to the human life, infrastructure or environment. It is even more difficult to gather data about losses due to accidents. One of the reasons behind the unavailability of such data is that damages cannot be effectively quantified. As the distribution of maritime accident is very scattered throughout the globe, it is difficult to determine the value of financial losses, loss of life or vessel or damage to the environment due to changing socio-economic policies over different regions or countries.
Ronza et al., [12], describe a methodology to evaluate such direct and indirect costs due to such accidents occurring at ports. Direct impacts of accidents can be the damage caused to human life, port or the vessel infrastructure or environment and indirect damages can be related to disruption of vessel traffic leading to loss in profit and throughput of the port, disruption of marine life thereby affecting fishing and tourism etc. Damages can be classified into four categories as shown in figure Fig 2.10, however, a maritime accident can lead to one or more of these damages simultaneously.
Fig 2.10 Types of damages originated by major accidents. [12]
Of all accident scenarios, oil spill is one type of marine event that can cause major impact to the environment and marine life and lead to economic losses due to cost of cleaning and restoration, emergency response and compensation for environmental damage [13]. A study by Garza-Gil et al., [14], on the socio-economic damages caused by Prestige oil spill (November, 2002) in Galician Coast (NW Spain) showed that the fishing sector suffered a market drop of approximately €65 million and the income from tourism crashed by a figure of about €134 million. The cost of cleaning and restoration amounted to €559 million. The total economic loss was valued at approximately €762 million. As Ronza et al., [12], explains in their study, the financial losses are not only the direct costs related to an accident but also involve implicit indirect costs that are more qualitative. These costs can only be estimated from their effects. These losses include: Breakdown costs; Cost of lost wages; other indirect costs, like loss of image, administrative costs, and reduced productivity of workers on light duty etc. [12]. In addition
to financial losses, oil spill also affects the health of people and animal in nearby areas. Rodríguez-Trigo et al., [15], studied the impact of some major oil spills in the history of maritime transportation on the health of affected population and summarized the literature findings in Fig 2.11.
Fig 2.11 Summary of the Literature on Oil Spills [15]
Apart from these negative consequences, it is also important to note that such maritime accidents also have positive effects. Through accident reporting and successive investigations, risks are identified and regulations are changed to prevent occurrence of similar accidents. A research by Cho, [16], discusses the developments in Korea that were carried out as a result of the oil spill accident by Sea Prince. Before the accident occurred, the equipment of Vessel Traffic System (VTS), was installed only at major ports of Korea namely, Busan and Incheon Ports and was operated only to share information about arrival and departure times of the ships. During that time, VTS was not considered by Korean port authorities as a means of improving maritime safety. After the accident, previous vessel navigating officers were appointed as VTS operators to provide navigation assistance to all the arriving and departing vessels, thereby, increasing the overall safety of the port. Eleftheria et al., [17], also reviewed how ship accidents resulted in “introduction of new regulations and guidelines, safety codes and improved crew training schemes”.
It is still necessary to study the effects of maritime accidents in both negative and positive lights. Such research can provide necessary insight and perception to formalize new rules and regulations that can improve safety and minimize risk of maritime transportation. But still there is always a margin for errors leading to a maritime accident or catastrophe. In such scenarios, a fast response to address the emergency plays a vital role in order to constrict the extent of damage due to such accident. The following section discusses the literature on emergency response and preparedness in an event of maritime accidents.
3
Emergency Response and Resource Allocation
With the increasing maritime traffic and international trade over the years, many researches have been carried out to make maritime transport safer, less risky and more efficient. Major developments have been carried out in processes ranging from designing of ship, production methods and improved operational techniques which have reduced loss of vessels and life in the event of an accident. AGSC has found a declining trend in vessel losses due to accidents in the past decade (Fig 3.1).
Fig 3.1 Total Losses by Year a declining trend [7]
Emergency response comprises of the actions taken to mitigate the impact of an accident on people, infrastructure or environment. In maritime accidents, such services include providing assistance/advice to the vessel in distress, dispatch specially designed vessels equipped to tackle the situation and bring people on the vessels to safety in the shortest possible time1. To aid in the enhancement of maritime safety with an expanded view to include protection of life, health and marine environment, in the year 2000, IMO introduced a regulation requiring all ships to carry automatic identification system (AIS) to provide information that may be used for navigation of ships. This information should be constantly transmitted to other ships carrying the same technology and to shore-based facilities. The AIS provides static, dynamic and voyage related data about the ship such as the dimension of ship, dynamic position of the ship, course etc. [18]. Fig 3.2 shows a schematic presentation of AIS.
1 In this document, the facilities and infrastructure used for emergency response are collectively termed as Resources. The vessels equipped to tackle the emergency which are required to reach the site of accident during an emergency response are referred as Emergency response units.
Fig 3.2 AIS Overview [19]
In the same year, IMO introduced the guidelines for Formal Safety Assessment (FSA). According to IMO, it is a structured and systematic methodology which uses risk analysis and cost benefit assessment to achieve the above goals. In their research on review of safety level and risk analysis of ship accidents, Eleftheria, Apostolos, & Markos show a schematic of the various steps involved in application of FSA (Fig 3.3) [17].
Fig 3.3 The five main steps of Formal Safety Assessment [17]
The above method, however, is a tool for decision-making and evaluation of policies or regulations which may have long term implications in terms of cost to the maritime industry. But during a maritime accident, a strategically planned quick decision-making for emergency response is extremely crucial. In such events, maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) services are executed to provide humanitarian aid to stranded people or people in danger. SAR services are provided by third parties, contracted either by the port or the coast guard of the region. “Salvage” in maritime refers to the process of repairing or moving a ship and its cargo and personnel, which has met with a maritime accident. This can be done
submerged vessel. The most prominent of all SAR companies is the Ardent Global, which was formed as the result of a merger of two big salvage giants: Titan Salvage and Svitzer Salvage. Abi-Zeid & Frost [20] focused on SAR planning for deployment of search resources in order to maximize the probability of success of the mission. Their research provides assistance specifically to the Canadian Forces in their efforts to conduct an efficient search mission. The method formulated by Abi-Zeid & Frost is termed
SARPlan, which uses optimization modules based on search theory, gradient search methods and constraint satisfaction programming [20]. On similar lines, Breivik & Allen [21] present an ensemble-based search and rescue model for the Norwegian Sea and the North Sea. Their model determines the speed and trajectory of the drifting object (leeway of the object) on the basis of environmental factors such as wind speed and current speed. Using Monte Carlo technique an ensemble of these data are created which then generates a time-evolving probability distribution function of the location of search object while its envelop defines the search area [21]. Siljander, et al., [22], have explored the use of Geographic Information (GIS) based methodology to determine a cost-distance model which can be used to strategically plan a SAR operation. Keeping their focus on the Gulf of Finland, their research incorporates information about wave height and wind speed with the vessel speed of SAR units available, to determine response time. This methodology also helps in allocating proper SAR resource unit by determining the response time for each type of vessel during a particular wave height and wind condition. An interesting research by Ai, Lu, & Zhang, [23], addresses the location-allocation problem of emergency resources and configuration of salvage vessels in the event of maritime emergency. They study the pre-occurrence location-allocation-configuration problem to propose a discrete nonlinear integer programming model that integrates the three problem of maritime emergency resources [23]. Since the location of occurrence of an emergency is unknown, their model coupled with Maximal Coverage Location Problem (MCLP) can be used to strategically locate emergency resources and achieve complete coverage of the emergency area with minimum cost and minimum facilities.
SAR operators provide assistance to ships or vessels during difficulties, prevention of accidents, search and rescue, medical consultations and patient transport [24]. Studies have been conducted to support efficient execution of such SAR services. Nordström, et al., [24], discusses the importance of communication between the different parties involved in SAR. Their research aims to use Vessel TRIAGE method to assess the degree of vessel’s distress level and the degree of safe environment that the vessel can provide for the crew on board through colour codes. Triage is defined as a method of assigning priority to different processes on the basis of need of urgency required to achieve operational success. In the vessel triage method, the colour codes determine the priority level of each type of distress on the basis of urgency required for emergency response and also shows the operational focus for SAR operators as shown in Fig 3.4. These codes can be shared by the vessel under distress to the SAR parties and other maritime rescue operators such as coast guards. In case a communication cannot be established from the vessel, SAR operators can use the same triage to communicate with the vessel. The TRIAGE also provides SAR operators with the choice of actions to perform for each degree.
Most researches are focused on improving the efficiency of emergency response or optimizing emergency resource allocation in an event of maritime accident at sea. Studies considering the emergency response at ports are very limited. As mentioned earlier, port is one of the vital infrastructures and a major player in the global and domestic economy. Moreover, density of traffic is higher in ports than in open sea. Considering the vessel traffic and limited space to carry out complicated maneuvers, ports are more prone to accidents. In the event of an emergency, the port traffic can be adversely affected which can lead to disruptions in port operations. The logistics of the port is directly affected in such scenarios which, often leads to huge losses for both the port and the companies. Nowadays ports use different technologies to monitor vessel traffic throughout the port so as to avoid situations like collision or grounding. Most ports use the Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) which provides real-time dynamic assistance to vessels to prevent collision between traffic. The VTS also increases the capacity of vessel traffic through the port and can guide vessels during bad weather conditions. For large vessels like bulk carriers or oil tankers, they can monitor their movements more precisely to avoid environmental hazards like oil spills. By using VTS, ports can also provide real-time traffic data to patrol vessels thereby improving safety of the port. Moreover, at the time of accident, VTS can assist the patrol vessel to reach the accident zone as quickly as possible by sharing the location which optimizes the use of resources. Safe handling of vessel traffic in turn results in lesser damage of infrastructure that could be cause by accidents and thus lowering maintenance cost of the port. Zhang, et al. [25], have proposed the use of AIS to detect possible near-miss ship collisions. In addition to data acquired from an accident, such near-miss instances can also provide insight into the safety of vessel traffic.
As mentioned earlier, study for improving the emergency response at ports and to determine logistic model at the time of emergency situation with minimum negative effect on traffic still has a lot of scope. For a better knowledge about how maritime safety is maintained at ports, it was deemed necessary to communicate with a port. Port of Rotterdam (PoR) was chosen for this purpose because of their state-of-the-art VTS system and ease of access based on their location. The following sections give a brief discussion about the technologies used by PoR to maintain traffic safety and their operation at the time of accident. Later in this literature assignment, a concept of a future controller is provided that can be a basis of further research.
Fig 3.4 Operational focuses for each Vessel TRIAGE category. [24]
3.1 Port of Rotterdam
Port of Rotterdam (PoR) is one of the largest and busiest ports situated near the city of Rotterdam, The Netherlands. It is the main port of Europe and starts from the approach area of North Sea and stretches 40km inland2. A map of PoR can be seen in Fig 3.5. PoR is considered as a port with a high traffic density with approximately 35,000 sea going vessels and 133,000 inland vessels visiting the port each year. According to their data in 2011, about 430 million tons of goods were handled by PoR with more than 110 million tons of goods comprising of IMO classified dangerous goods. The port has the capability to handle bulk and general cargoes, coal and ores, crude oil, LNG, bio fuels, agricultural products, chemicals, containers, cars, fruit, refrigerated cargoes etc. Fig 3.6 shows the distribution of throughput of various goods handled by PoR for the period 2002-2014. It is clear from this figure that about 40% of handled goods comprise of oil and coal. If not handled properly, these products could cause major environmental and economic hazards in terms of both health and money. Traffic monitoring is thus a vital part of PoR to maintain the safety of port.
Fig 3.5 Map of Port of Rotterdam (Source: https://www.portofrotterdam.com)
All operational maritime requests, questions, messages and reports are managed by the Harbour Master’s Coordination Centre (HCC) which is located at the World Port Centre, Rotterdam. The Chief Harbourmaster is the head of HCC and undertakes all nautical maritime authority functions. The Chief Harbourmaster’s position is an autonomous position created by a formal agreement between the national government, the city government of Rotterdam and the PoR Authority, thus, enforcing the power and authority of decision-making into one person. Monitoring each and every vessel in the port for safe and smooth handling of vessels and cargo is carried out by Division Harbour Master. Consisting of 510 specialists and 10 patrol vessels, the Division Harbour Master is responsible to provide clear port
procedures and regulations and strictly supervise that the norms and regulations are followed by all vessels.
Fig 3.6 Structure of throughput Port of Rotterdam 2002-2014 (measured in ton, percentages) [26]
3.1.1 Vessel Monitoring and Emergency Preparedness
In order to maintain the safe environment for vessel traffic, PoR has an advanced VTS system in place. Due to the large area of port, PoR is divided into two regions to improve the efficiency of VTS. Each of these regions is overseen by a VTS Operator (VTSO) office, strategically located in the port area. Each VTSO focuses on a specific region of the port during normal operations. In case of an accident, the scope of each VTSO can be expanded to cover the full port. VTSO uses Aramis V3000 system which provides enhanced real time imaging of the vessels using a constellation of about 42 radars and cameras, placed throughout the port at strategic locations. This real-time vessel imaging system enables VTSO to dynamically monitor the vessel movements and provides VTSO with the real-time position of the ship, route planned by vessel, the speed and dimension of vessel. PoR uses one of the most advanced Vessel Traffic Guidance System. The vessel traffic is monitored by the Harbour master
Management information System (HaMIS). Communication and information exchange has proved to be of vital importance to provide a safe port environment for the vessels as well as to the port itself. Function of HaMIS is exactly that. It gathers information from all vessels entering or leaving the port region and uses this information to plan the traffic route and guide the vessels (Fig 3.7).
Fig 3.7 Screenshot of HaMIS (2011). The port and traffic image shows real-time movements of vessels based on radar and AIS data. The supporting data around it provides details on the voyage, the cargo, intended inspections and reference data for each vessel. A mouse click on the vessel in the image immediately makes the vessel, voyage and cargo related data available, it is shown in the tables. Alternatively, a mouse click on the vessel in the table will mark the vessel in the image. [27]
HaMIS uses AIS receiver to gather details about each and every vessel in the port. Through these AIS data, HaMIS can determine whether a vessel is carrying hazardous or dangerous cargo or not and can deny entry to the port. AIS data provides HaMIS with information regarding the size and type of vessel so that it can monitor the movement of vessel more closely. To do that, HaMIS is aided by two VTS Operators (VTSO) offices, strategically located in the port area. Each VTSO focuses on a specific region of the port during normal operations. In case of an accident, the scope of VTSO can be expanded to cover the full port. VTSO uses a constellation of about 42 radars and cameras, placed throughout the port at strategic locations, which enable VTSO to dynamically monitor the vessel movement in real time. This system of real-time vessel monitoring is provided by the software Aramis V3000 [28], which provides VTSO with the real-time position of the ship, route planned by vessel, the speed and dimension of vessel (Fig 3.8).
PoR aims at preventing any accident to occur that may adversely affect the throughput of port. PoR has 10 patrol vessels at its expense which are equipped to tackle emergency situations that might arise like oil spill, fire, grounding etc. At any point of time, at least 8 patrol vessels are sailing at strategic places, monitoring and observing port traffic and keeping a vigilant eye out for any abnormal happenings around
available at the accident zone within a response time of 30 minutes. PoR has close collaborations with Gemeenschappelijke Meldkamer (GMK) which is a public service department that provides the police, ambulance and fire fighters in case they are required during emergency response. In addition to these, PoR maintains communication with the weather department to monitor the disturbances that could be caused to the port operations due to bad weather.
Fig 3.8 A screenshot of the traffic image based on Aramis (2011). Aramis V3000 is used by VTSO’s in the Traffic Centres from January 2012, to monitor the traffic and identify individual vessels, tracks, intended routes, ATA’s, ATD’s, CPA’s and TCPA’s, amongst others. [27]
The vessels inside the port are always monitored closely by VTSO. But in case of an emergency or an accident on board the vessel, they are required to contact VTSO using the very high frequency (VHF) 11 radio channel or a telephone number. When a vessel communicates about an accident or incident over VHF radio, VTSO has to follow the steps as mentioned in Fig 3.9. The instructions are given in Dutch but are explained step by step as follows:
Step 1: Accident is reported by the vessel via VHF radio channel 11 to VTSO.
Step 2: VTSO gathers information if they require ambulance, fire department or the police. If the answer is “NO”, then, VTSO should switch to VHF radio channel 11 and inform the respective department through internal communication. Repetition of questions must be avoided.
If the answer to their question is “YES”, then, VTSO is required to go to Step 3.
Step 3: The following data has to be collected: 1. Who:
a. Name of the person who detected the accident, name of the ship or agent. b. Information about how to communicate with ship (VHF or Telephone).
2. What:
a. Nature of accident.
b. Number of people in danger. c. Any hazardous material is involved. d. Time the accident occurred. 3. Where:
a. Port number or berth number or company (location of ship). b. Approximately how far is the vessel sailing.
Step 4: Call 1-1-2 and report the data. Let GMK call back to the person who detected the accident or act as intermediate via VHF. Simultaneously, report to the HCC and update the situation.
During an emergency it is important to gather as much information as possible after the initial protocol has been followed. The following are the main data that should be gathered:
1. Main type of accident that has occurred. Number of people injured. 2. The estimated age of the injured person.
3. Approachability of the person.
4. Breathing status of person. Ask if the person is having difficulty in breathing.
5. If the person has any diseases (if above 35 years of age). If there is chest pain or not. 6. Type of injury (if there). If the person is bleeding.
7. Is emergency unit required?
Emergency response requires an unhindered communication channel between the vessel and the emergency response unit. It involves a lot of information exchanges which are critical to provide necessary actions. Regular trainings are organized to train the personnel for unforeseen events of emergencies. Since most of the information are handled by humans, there is always a possibility of error or miscommunication at the time of distress. These errors may prove to be dangerous in critical scenarios. The next section will try to identify a concept of autonomous controller that can carry out the information exchange more effectively.
Fig 3.9 Incident reporting protocol to be followed by VTS Operator when an incident is reported from a vessel over VHF. (Source: Port of Rotterdam)
4
Optimizing Emergency Response Operation: A
Recommendation
The advanced VTS system of PoR prevents accident of vessels. Even if an accident occurs, PoR has an effective and well trained emergency response unit with a response time of 30 minutes to the accident zone. As mentioned in the previous section, all actions are taken by the VTSO personnel with aid from HaMIS, Aramis and AIS. VTSO is the first point of contact during an accident. Sometimes such events can lower throughput of the port if vessel traffic is affected. Depending on the level of emergency, VTSO can reroute the vessels passing through the same area or stop the traffic for safety reasons. However, rerouting or stopping of vessels can lead to additional losses both in terms of time and money. It is also important to determine the optimum emergency resource that is required to effectively address the situation while keeping the cost of operation as low as possible. Considering these factors, the following conditions at least should be taken into account during an emergency response for an accident or incident:
1. The closest emergency response unit should be notified as soon as possible so as to minimize the response time to the accident zone.
2. During an accident, the emergency response should follow the shortest route possible, considering the existing vessel traffic of the port, in order to minimize the response time and reduce fuel cost.
3. Emergency response unit should make real-time assessment of the situation to determine the demand for emergency response resources. If more resources are required to address the emergency, then, the emergency response unit has to request for more emergency response units so that the requested units reach the accident zone in due time. The emergency response unit must consider the time it will take for the resource to arrive and start its operation. 4. VTSO should constantly keep in contact with the affected vessel and the patrol vessel to stay
updated on the developments of emergency response operation. This is required by VTSO to provide rerouting plans to the incoming and outgoing vessels.
5. In case of rerouting, VTSO must analyse the loss incurred due to rerouting of a vessel and use the data to determine the shortest possible route for the vessel to reach its destination. 6. VTSO should modify the port roster dynamically to absorb disturbances caused by the accident. 7. Communication with weather department is important to take into account possible
disturbances or hindrance that can be caused due to bad weather.
From the above conditions it can be concluded that to address each of the above points, it will require a huge amount of information exchange, data handling and coordination and a workforce that can carry out these actions. This provides the basis for the concept of an autonomous controller that can optimize the emergency response operation by taking inputs from HaMIS, Aramis and the AIS to optimize the process of emergency operation while keeping the cost of operation and loss due to hindrance to port operation at minimum. Fig 4.1 shows a proposal for such an autonomous controller, explaining the
stand-by until activated by VTSO as soon as an accident is reported to them. Once activated, the controller will act on behalf of VTSO and enable the exchange of all relevant information between the emergency response units, the vessel in distress and VTSO as and when required. The vital information gathered by VTSO as shown in Fig 3.9 are sent as an input to controller. The controller then carries out the necessary steps to inform respective emergency response unit. Simultaneously, controller also computes the cost of emergency operation and tries to minimize it by providing shortest route of approach to accident zone to the patrol vessels, determine the optimum number of emergency units required (patrol vessels, police, ambulance, fire fighter etc.), determines alternative routes to their destination for other vessels near the accident zone or provide berthing in a vacant harbor, takes into consideration the weather forecasts and dynamically optimizes the emergency operation. The controller is envisaged to use the model predictive control approach where in the controller will optimize the current state of system (defined by operational cost of emergency, vessel rerouting cost and the cost of allocation of emergency response unit) while keeping the future behavior of the system in account. The future behavior of the system is predicted by the controller by “understanding” the behavior of the system until current time. During optimization, the controller shall use local optimization techniques. As shown in Fig 4.1, the objective of the controller is threefold. However, among them the cost of emergency operation is directly dependent on how fast the emergency response unit reached the accident site. Optimizing this element will result in faster response time which is one of the most vital requirement during an emergency situation. A local optimization technique solves the objective function for its local minima. For the proposed controller, there will be three objectives and thus three minima. Contrary to this, a global minimization technique solves the objective function to find the overall minimum throughout the area of function. This leads to an overall minimum cost including the cost of emergency operation and vessel traffic rerouting. But this optimization technique will not ensure minimum cost for emergency operation which is the priority. Thus, using a local optimization technique will enable the controller to give more weightage to optimize the emergency operation over other two objectives which might not be possible using a global optimization technique.
Such a controller should know clearly the objective function that it has to optimize. Moreover, the mathematical model that the controller will compute should take into account the cost of overall port operations during an emergency. No studies were found that analyzes the logistics of emergency response unit and integrates it with the logistics of vessel traffic inside the port, which is the objective of this literature assignment. In terms of optimization of operation, the aim of this literature assignment is to optimize the emergency operation in terms of cost while taking into account its effect on vessel traffic. In a paper by Zhang & Yang, [29], they analyzed the dynamic demand of emergency resources during a maritime emergency. The cost implications due to the amount of resources used, the transportation cost and the cost due to compensation of shortage of resources were formulated in a set of equations to optimize emergency resource allocation. The study by Zhang & Yang focuses only on the emergency operation and does not consider the cost of rerouting traffic. As a recommendation to the model made available by Zhang & Yang, the cost of rerouting can be integrated to their mathematical model to minimize the overall cost during an emergency operation. Using their model for Port of Rotterdam, let us assume that the port region is divided into 𝐼 sub-regions. When an accident occurs in one of these sub-regions, that area is denoted by 𝑖 (𝑖 ∈ 𝐼). During the event of an accident, let there be 𝐽 emergency response units available throughout PoR. Each emergency response unit 𝑗 (𝑗 ∈ 𝐽) carries 𝑟 (𝑟 ∈ 𝑅) amount of resource packages for tackling the accident (personnel, special equipment for accidents, medical supplies etc.). Here, 𝑅 denotes the total number of resource packages available with all emergency response units combined together. Depending upon the scale and extent of accident, the controller should decide the optimal number of emergency response units required to reach the site. Additionally, the controller should optimally allocate and monitor the amount of resources spent by each emergency response unit to tactically carry out the emergency operation. Let the amount of resource package used by each emergency response unit be 𝑠𝑖𝑗
(𝑠 ∈ 𝑆), where 𝑆 is the total amount of resource
packages used. In certain cases, the impact of accident might increase over time, is larger than expected or that the scale of accident is so large that more resource packages will be required. In that case, another emergency response unit has to bring more resource packages to address the deficiency of resource packages to effectively tackle the event. Let this extra package be denoted by 𝑝𝑖
(𝑝 ∈ 𝑃),
where 𝑃 denotes the total amount of extra resource packages transported to accident zone 𝑖. Suppose that a vessel in distress has a demand for 𝐷𝑖
emergency resource packages. However, in uncertain
conditions (unexpected post-accident developments such as fire, deteriorating weather condition etc.), there might be fluctuations in the demands. To make the model more robust, it is therefore advisable to consider a margin for deviation i.e. extra resource required to compensate for the shortage of resources. The demand will then be 𝑑𝑖, such that,
𝑑
𝑖= {𝐷
𝑖|𝐷
𝑖∈ (𝑑
0𝑖− 𝑑
̂ , 𝑑
𝑖 𝑖0+ 𝑑
̂ )}, ∀𝑖 ∈ 𝐼
𝑖 Where; 𝑑𝑖0: is the average demand of resources for accident area 𝑖.𝑑
̂
𝑖: is the compensation for the shortage or excess of resources. Here only shortage of resource has been considered.the margin for deviation. The terms 𝑠𝑖𝑗 and 𝑝𝑖 can be linearly expressed as a fraction of the overall
demand 𝑑𝑖 by introducing a parameter 𝜋, such that,
{
𝑠
𝑖𝑗= 𝜋
𝑖𝑗𝑑
𝑖,
𝑝
𝑖= 𝜋
𝑖𝑑
𝑖,
∀𝑖, 𝑗
In addition to the above, there might be a possibility of the presence of normal vessels passing through the accident zone. This normal vessel traffic has to be considered and rerouted to a safe area of the port. Let 𝐾 determine the locations of berths and harbors of which 𝑘 (𝑘 ∈ 𝐾) harbors or berths are available or rostered but does not have vessels docked or anchored yet. This data will be accessible to the controller by HaMIS. Also, the total number of normal vessels 𝑉 in the port during the time of accident can be gathered through HaMIS. Let 𝑣𝑛 (𝑛 ∈ 𝑁) be a binary variable whose value is 1 for
vessels in the vicinity of accident zone 𝑖 (𝑖 ∈ 𝐼) and 0 for vessels which are out of the scope of accident zone and are safe. The vessels in the vicinity can be either the vessels passing through that area or the vessels already docked in nearby berths. Since, rerouting these normal vessels incurs a cost, a factor 𝑢𝑖𝑘 is considered, which gives the cost incurred by a normal vessel when it sails from location 𝑖 → 𝑘.
This rerouting cost has to be minimized. The cost factor 𝑢𝑖𝑘 is a factor that can be calculated by port
authorities over a period of time by surveying the transport cost incurred by vessels. This data then can be uploaded to the controller for evaluating the average cost of rerouting a vessel, specified here by 𝑈. It is important to note that 𝑢𝑖𝑘 and thus 𝑈 are prone to fluctuations due to economic changes of the
global market such as oil prices, inflation etc. These values should therefore be updated in periodical intervals. Thus, Zhang & Yang equation can be re-formulated as:
min 𝑓(𝑅, 𝑆, 𝑃, 𝑣, 𝑑) = ∑ 𝑐𝑗 𝑟𝑗+ ∑ ∑(𝑑𝑖0+ 𝑑̂ )(𝑡𝑖 𝑖𝑗 𝑗∈𝐽 + 𝑡′𝑖𝑗 𝑖∈𝐼 )𝜋𝑖𝑗 𝑗∈𝐽 + ∑(𝑑𝑖0+ 𝑑̂ )𝑚𝑖 𝑖 𝑖∈𝐼 𝜋𝑖+ ∑ ∑ 𝑢𝑖𝑘𝑣𝑛 𝑛∈𝑉 𝑘∈𝐾
𝑠. 𝑡.:
∑ 𝑐
𝑗𝑟
𝑗≤ 𝐶
𝑗∈𝐽 0 ≤ ∑ 𝑣𝑛 𝑛∈𝑉≤ 𝑉
𝑣𝑛= { 1 ; 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑣𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑧𝑜𝑛𝑒 0 ; 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑣𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑠 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑧𝑜𝑛𝑒 ∑ ∑ 𝑢𝑖𝑘𝑣𝑛 𝑛∈𝑉 𝑘∈𝐾 ≤ 𝑈 ∑ 𝑣𝑛 𝑛∈𝑉∀𝑑
𝑖∈ 𝐷
𝑖, ∃(𝑆, 𝑃)
{
∑ 𝑑
𝑖 𝑖∈𝐼𝜋
𝑖𝑗≤ 𝑟
𝑗, ∀𝑗
𝑡′
𝑖𝑗≤ 𝑇, ∀𝑖, 𝑗
∑ 𝜋
𝑖𝑗𝑑
𝑖+ 𝜋
𝑖𝑑
𝑖≥ 𝑑
𝑖, ∀𝑖
𝑗∈𝐽𝜋
𝑖𝑗, 𝜋
𝑖, 𝑟
𝑗,
𝑢𝑖𝑘≥ 0, ∀𝑖, 𝑗, 𝑘
(1)Where;
𝑐
𝑗 : The unit price for each emergency resource package in emergency response units 𝑗.𝐶
: Total investment cost for the emergency resources.𝑡
𝑖𝑗 : Cost of transportation of emergency response unit from 𝑗 → 𝑖.𝑡′
𝑖𝑗 : Cost incurred due to delay in response time of the emergency response unit due to travelling longer distances to reach accident zone or due to hindrance caused by existing vessel traffic at the port.𝑇′
: The maximum time cost for emergency response unit to reach the accident zone. (Restricts the maximum response time to the accident site.)𝑚
𝑖 : The unit price for extra emergency resource package of compensation when the accident area’s need cannot be met.𝑟
𝑗 : The number of emergency resource package in emergency response unit j.𝑠
𝑖𝑗 : The number of emergency resource package used by from the emergency response unit 𝑗 at accident zone 𝑖 (𝑖 ∈ 𝐼) when vessel accident takes place.𝑝
𝑖 : The number of extra emergency resource package required by accident zone 𝑖 (𝑖 ∈ 𝐼) when the accident area’s need cannot be met.𝑑
𝑖 : The demand for emergency resource package of accident area 𝑖.𝜋
: The coefficient for 𝑠𝑖𝑗 and 𝑝𝑖.𝑢
𝑖𝑘 : Cost factor for moving a vessel from location 𝑖 → 𝑘.𝑈 : Average cost factor for moving a vessel from location 𝑖 → 𝑘.
𝑣
𝑛 : Binary variable for location of a normal vessel in the port. 𝑉 : Total number of vessels in the port at certain moment of time.Thus, the final equation (1) now optimizes the logistics of the emergency response unit while simultaneously considering the real-time maritime traffic of the port.
∑
𝑗∈𝐽𝑐
𝑗𝑟
𝑗≤ 𝐶
: Emphasizes that the total cost of emergency operation does not increase the total cost spent on the purchase and maintenance of emergency resources.
∑
𝑘∈𝐾∑
𝑛∈𝑉𝑢
𝑖𝑘𝑣
𝑛: Denotes the cost related to the rerouting of normal vessels in the accident zone.
∑𝑘∈𝐾∑𝑛∈𝑉𝑢𝑖𝑘𝑣𝑛≤ 𝑈 ∑𝑛∈𝑉𝑣𝑛 : Constraints that the total cost of rerouting of normal vessel traffic in the accident zone should not exceed the cost of rerouting the same number of vessels as calculated using the average transport cost 𝑈, at that particular time.
Considering the conditions listed above and quantitatively comparing them with equation (1), we find that:
1. Equation (1) takes into account cost incurred by the emergency response unit due to their distance from the accident zone. Optimizing equation (1) for cost can provide the optimum value of 𝑡𝑖𝑗
which can be used to determine the possible optimized locations for patrol vessels.
It also takes into account the effect on transportation cost due to vessel traffic in the area. This data can then be used to determine an efficient patrolling route for the patrol vessels so as to reduce the response time from the present 30 minutes.2. The fluctuating demands for resource unit are also considered in equation (1). Emergency response unit can be provided with the optimum amount of resources required to effectively address the situation. This can help reduce the operation time by compensating the demand for resources in optimum time, thereby saving cost.
5
Conclusions
Maritime accidents have been one of the most sought after topics for study for more than 40 years. Ranging from discussions on the types of maritime accidents to optimizing the emergency response at sea, almost every area has been covered. With increasing maritime traffic it is even more important that such studies and researches are continued. Although the number of accidents is a decreasing trend, still the number of vessels and lives lost is high. It was found that most of the accidents occurred due to human errors and mostly due to miscommunication between the crew. After the study it became evident that such errors can lead to huge losses in terms of human life and infrastructure cost. Many studies have been conducted to make maritime transport safer but these studies suggest only preventive measures and do not discuss the operation when a maritime accident occurs.
The aim of this literature review was to survey the developments in logistic management of the port and their operations during emergency situations and how can the logistics for emergency response to maritime accident be integrated with the logistics of vessel traffic at port. During the literature review, it was found that most studies were related to maritime accidents and their emergency response at sea. However, they discussed methods to optimize the emergency response for a maritime accident. Although these methods can be improved for use during emergency operations at port, there are many challenges that should be taken into account. Ports have a higher density of maritime traffic per unit area than the sea and has more infrastructure. It is important to take into consideration the cost incurred when they are damaged as a result of maritime accident. The higher traffic density also poses a problem to effectively carry out emergency response. For better understanding of the vessel traffic management at port, a visit to Port of Rotterdam was also made. The information obtained from Port of Rotterdam was then used to modify a mathematical model suggested for emergency resource allocation to integrate the routine logistic of the port.
The effect of maritime accidents on port was found to be quite significant. It can lead to blockage of the port entry or one of the channels which can adversely affect port traffic and thereby the throughput. Damage to infrastructure can cause huge losses to the port and company. Vessel traffic monitoring is quite vital nowadays due to increasing traffic and ship size. More importantly it is important to have an efficient emergency response unit that can restore normal operation as soon as possible. With ongoing research on waterborne automated guided vehicles (w-AGV) [30], such a controller can be very useful which can communicate to automated vehicles.
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