Publication Date:
2019-02-14
Description:
VISIR-I.b, the latest development of the ship routing model published in Mannarini et al. (2016a), is here presented. The new model version targets large ocean-going vessels by accounting for both waves and ocean currents. In order to effectively use currents in a graph-search method, new equations are derived and validated versus analytical benchmarks. A case study is computed in the Atlantic Ocean, on a route from the Chesapeake Bay to the Mediterranean Sea and vice versa. Ocean analysis fields from data-assimilative models (for both ocean state and hydrodynamics) are employed. The impact of waves and ocean currents on transatlantic crossings is assessed through mapping of the spatial variability of the routes, analysis of their kinematics, distribution of the optimal voyage duration vs. its length, and impact on the Energy Efficiency Operational Indicator of the International Maritime Organization. It is distinguished between sailing with or against the main ocean current. The seasonal dependence of the savings is evaluated, indicating, for the featured case study, larger savings during the summer crossings and larger intra-monthly variability in winter. The monthly-mean savings sum up to values between 3 and 12 %, while the contribution of ocean currents is between 1 and 4 %. Also, several other ocean routes are considered, providing a pan-Atlantic scenario assessment of the potential gains in energy efficiency from optimal tracks and linking them to regional meteo-oceanographic features.
Print ISSN:
1991-9611
Electronic ISSN:
1991-962X
Topics:
Geosciences
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