Compared with the traditional mooring system, the automated vacuum mooring system can meet the development needs of large-scale ship automation, port automation, and environmental protection. This review describes the latest research focuses, progress, applications, and future perspectives regarding the automated vacuum mooring system. First, the components, working principles, advantages, limits, and risks of the automated vacuum mooring system are discussed. Secondly, typical application cases of automated vacuum mooring systems are introduced, looking at two aspects of the ship-based system and shore-based system. Then, the routine maintenance of the automated vacuum mooring system is introduced. Finally, a discussion on the challenges and future perspectives of the automated vacuum mooring system is provided in this review. The advantages of an automated vacuum mooring system make it a potentially highly effective and economical option for a wider range of ship mooring than a traditional mooring system.

Regular inspections and hull cleanings are essential to prevent bio-fouling on ships. However, traditional cleaning methods such as brush cleaning and high-pressure water-jet cleaning at docks are ineffective in cleaning niche areas like bow thrusters and sea chests. Consequently, cleaning robots based on brushes and water jets have been developed to effectively remove bio-fouling. However, there are concerns that brushes may damage hull coatings, allowing bio-fouling to penetrate the damaged areas. In this study, removal experiments were conducted to identify the most dominant factor in fouling removal using water jet-based cleaning, in preparation for the development of non-contact cavitation high-pressure water jet-cleaning robots. The Taguchi method was used to identify influential factors and generate experimental conditions, and equipment systems for the removal experiments were established. Image analysis was performed to assess the bio-fouling occurrences on each specimen before and after cleaning, and numerical simulations of the nozzle were conducted to estimate stagnation pressure and wall shear stress to confirm the effect on micro-fouling removal. The results indicated that pump pressure is the most influential factor in removing large bio-fouling organisms grown in marine environments and on ship surfaces.

Recently, smart port systems connected to autonomous ships have attracted increasing interest. Thus, an intelligent port system can automatically berth to create an intelligent port system. To ensure the safety of large ships moored in open coastal terminals, which are often subjected to bad weather such as strong winds, it is necessary to calculate and evaluate their mooring security on a case-by-case basis. In this study, the mooring capacities of the large ships were estimated according to the port and fishing port design criteria of the Ministry of Ocean and Fisheries. Under the wind speed of 14 m/s, the longitudinal and lateral forces acting on the JBC, KCS, and KVLCC ships are 41.2 and 340 kN, 38.7 and 837 kN, and 77.2 and 222 kN, while under the wind speed of 30 m/s, they are 43 and 1674 kN, 132.7 and 4118 kN, and 159.2 and 1091 kN, respectively, for the mooring forces.

The transition to environmentally sustainable maritime operations has gained urgency with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) 2023 GHG reduction strategy, aiming for net-zero emissions by 2050. While alternative fuels like LNG and methanol serve as transitional solutions, lithium-ion battery energy storage systems (ESSs) offer a viable low-emission alternative. However, safety concerns such as thermal runaway, overcharging, and internal faults pose significant risks to marine battery systems. This study presents an AI-based fault prediction algorithm to enhance the safety and reliability of lithium-ion battery systems used in electric propulsion ships. The research employs a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM)-based predictive model, integrating electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) data and voltage deviation analyses to identify failure patterns. Bayesian optimization is applied to fine-tune hyperparameters, ensuring high predictive accuracy. Additionally, a recursive multi-step prediction model is developed to anticipate long-term battery performance trends. The proposed algorithm effectively detects voltage deviations and pre-emptively predicts battery failures, mitigating fire hazards and ensuring operational stability. The findings support the development of safer and more reliable energy storage solutions, contributing to the broader adoption of electric propulsion in maritime applications.

A Numerical Study on the Control of the Gap Flow Using a Fluid Supply Device Horn-type rudder;Gap flow control;Cavitation;Fluid supplying device;Numerical Simulation; Recently, horn-type rudders are generally being used at high speed container ships and are frequently suffering from the cavitation occurs on the rudder surface in the vicinity of the gap between the horn and rudder plate. In the present study, a fluid supplying device is employed as to decrease the gap cavitation of the horn-type rudder. The device is devised to inject the water against the pressure side through the nozzle installed inside of the gap to control the gap flow. Numerical calculations are performed to investigate the effectiveness of the device and the results show that the device can noticeably reduce the gap cavitation. The rates of water injection for achievement of the maximum retardations of gap flow are also sought.