Today most ship rotation angle (steering control during movement) increase or decrease is done using an operator on deck or the auxiliary system in the ships engine room. Formal regulations suggest using manual inspection of the ship rotation and the work effectiveness of the engine during manoeuvring in ports and in the open sea regions. The accuracy of this procedure is very low and depends on the personnel of the deck. Therefore, automation and computer control systems are constantly required to assist the human eye. This problem becomes clearly visible when dealing with full ship autonomy in the open sea in the short-sea shipping regions. The trend of maritime technology development will only increase in the area of human interaction decrease with the physical operations and the shipping procedures, which will lead to the future full ship autonomy in the open sea regions around the globe. With the growing automation technologies, predictive control can prove to be a better approach than the traditionally applied visual inspection policy and linear control models. Ship full autonomy is also linked to the ship’s machinery regular repair and maintenance that has to be carried out for delivering satisfactory performance and minimizing downtime during transportation operations. In this paper, current stages of development of the intelligent transportation system concept are discussed for the ship autonomy in manoeuvring control and a robust ships’ systems integration and communication system concept is presented for several normal and abnormal situations: high-traffic, potentially dangerous situations or port approaching or ship maintenance, with the capability to solve problems with the limited human interface and with a remote control possibility. Then, simplified ship steering motor system for the main pump is analysed for rotation control using control voltage from the converters. Retrieved data from a small experimental control motor is used for the predictive control approach using two different methods: a neural network trained with Basic Levenberg– Marquardt Method and a Linear Model.

Due to the mechanical nature of container handling operations, as well as natural factors, container and handling infrastructure suffers various types of damage during use, especially within the tight and enclosed environments of a ship’s hull. In this operational environment, it is critical to detect any sort of physical impacts between the vertical cell guides of the ship’s hull and the container. Currently, an inspection of impacts and evaluation of any consequences is performed manually, via visual inspection processes. This process is time-consuming and relies on the technical expertise of the personnel involved. In this paper, we propose a five-step impact-detection methodology (IDM), intended to detect only the most significant impact events based on acceleration data. We conducted real measurements in a container terminal using a sensory device placed on the spreader of the quay crane. The proposed solution identified an average of 12.8 container impacts with the vertical cell guides during common handling operations. In addition, the results indicate that the presented IDM can be used to recognize repeated impacts in the same space of each bay of the ship, and can be used as a decision support tool for predictive maintenance systems.

Nowadays, container shipment in the intermodal terminals is overloaded. The quay crane and its control system have to be properly prepared for rapid cargo reloading. The advanced control system may increase container loading efficiency due to the reduced transportation time. However, faster transportation demands higher safety. In this article, the authors performed multibody dynamics simulation of the container spreader and lifting mechanism by analyzing more advanced mathematical model of the quay crane. Trolley motion and cargo swing angle transient responses of the dynamic system were acquired and analyzed during model simulation. The main target of this research is to determine the system behavior during transients. The simulation results showed that the transients induced by startup of the vertical spreader travel affect the whole crane system in all the investigated cases. In addition, the influence of flexible cable causes additional oscillations of cargo and reciprocating trolley displacement. The simulation of the container spreader and lifting mechanism will help detect motion deviations of the quay crane in real time.

Introduction: In the paper, we examine the energy consumption efficiency of specialized container diesel trucks engaged in container transportation at a seaport terminal. Objectives: Using the container terminal at Klaipėda in Lithuania as the background for the research, we produced an improved energy consumption model for measuring the theoretical energy consumption and regeneration of diesel trucks at the terminal and provide a comparative analysis. Methods: We created a mathematical model which describes the instantaneous energy consumption of the diesel trucks, taking into account their dynamic properties and the overall geometry of their routes—“Ship-Truck-Stack-Ship”—using the superposition principle. We investigated other critical parameters relevant to the model and provide a statistical evaluation of the transportation process using data from a case study of Klaipėda port, where we collected measurements of container transportation parameters using georeferenced movement detection and logs from wireless equipment positioned on the diesel-powered container trucks. Results: The modeling results showed that an instantaneous evaluation of energy consumption can reveal areas in the container transportation process which have the highest energy loss and require the introduction of new management and process control initiatives to address the regulations which are designed to decrease harmful industrial emissions and encourage novel technologies and thereby increase the eco-friendliness of existing systems. Conclusion: Based on the research results, the article can provide a reference for the estimation of diesel truck efficiency in seaport terminal operations.

Most modern quay cranes operate under the operator’s control. Lifting, lowering, and transporting a container from one platform to another are just some of the actions that a person is responsible for, but the negative consequences of handling can be caused not only by his actions. An error, loading transient instability, or an undervalued environmental factor in the control algorithm can cause a risk to human safety, container, and cargo security. In order to control cargo-handling risk, it is necessary to improve the cargo control systems not only by changing their software, but also by creating additional control algorithms and systems. These systems with programmed control algorithms should be integrated into existing systems to control cargo security and its transfer time. In this article, transient processes and dynamic property of the cargo-handling operation are described and multibody dynamics simulation performed using laboratory prototype of a quay crane. The experimental research performed and integrated autonomous quay crane control algorithm developed with the proposed embedded container swinging control subroutine operated in optimal mode when the control system used PID controller with a feedback including additional PI controller and S-shaped input signal for the analyzed case with the defined parameter set.

The global containerisation industry, while significantly advancing international trade, faces persistent challenges related to infrastructure capacity, environmental impact, and operational efficiency. One critical yet under-researched issue is the physical damage that containers endure during handling operations, particularly at port terminals. This paper examines the complexities of container handling, focusing on damage caused by quay crane activities, especially during corner hooking. Such damage compromises container integrity, impacts cargo safety, and increases operational costs. To address these concerns, we present the Impact Detection Methodology (IDM), a system designed to monitor and detect impacts in real time, enhancing operational precision and safety. Preliminary studies conducted at Klaipeda City port demonstrate the IDM’s effectiveness, though limited data have constrained validation. Our research underscores the need for broader experimentation to confirm the IDM’s potential in mitigating container damage. Key findings indicate that unsuccessful hooking attempts predominantly occur when containers are lifted from above-deck positions, influenced by spreader oscillations and high operational workloads. This paper also highlights the importance of integrating sway control systems with existing crane management technologies to assist operators in reducing handling errors. Enhanced monitoring and data analysis are essential for improving container handling processes, supporting sustainable growth in global containerisation, and mitigating financial risks.