Xinjia Gao

Ship Behavior Analysis for Real Operating of Container Ships Using AIS Data

The aim of this paper is to understand the real activity and operating situation of container ships in order to improve navigation efficiency. The study focused on the navigation for an entire ship voyage to understand the real activity of container ships using the historical ship navigation based on Automatic Identification System (AIS) data, which is possible so as to unveil the characteristics of real ship activity. The analysis considers ship voyages in the Seto Inland Sea and its oceanic waters, which are the primary traffic routes for container transportation particularly for China, Japan, and South Korea. The results of this study can be used to improve the efficiency of container ships and develop a smoother maritime transportation. http://www.transnav.eu the International Journal on Marine Navigation and Safety of Sea Transportation Volume 10

Grasp of a latent risk of ship evacuation during a tsunami using AIS data analysis

A massive earthquake occurred in the Tohoku and Kanto regions of Japan on the 11th of March 2011. In response, a tsunami alert, a tsunami warning and an advisory were issued for the entire Pacific coast region. This research investigates the evacuation behavior of ships by AIS data in Sendai port after the tsunami warning was issued. The unusual behavior observed was attributed to the emergency evacuation of ships. We recognize the actual situation of ship refuge in the target port after the Tsunami alert. The result verified that most ships in port started to evacuate approximately 20 minutes after the major tsunami warning and completed offshore evacuation 50 minutes after this warning. Moreover, the drifting or stranding state of ships resulting from the tsunami was recognized from each ships behaviour. This contributed in understanding the actual status of the ship refuge action, and the final goal of our research is creation of the optimal safe refuge manual for each harbour.

The Study of Effective Communication of Water Depth Information for Prevention of Accidents in Marine Traffic

Ensuring safe ship navigation is necessary for the prevention of marine disasters. Ships are frequently stranded in the shallow waters near coastal areas. Thus, it is very important to communicate information about water depth effectively to prevent the stranding of ships. We propose a method for effectively communicating water-depth data using a geographic information system (GIS) for the prevention of such incidents. As a test case, an examination of water-depth information was carried out in Osaka Bay, Japan. In addition, a navigational beacon and an alarm signal were added onto a three-dimensional GIS. We found that the proposed method supports safe ship navigation in shallow-water areas.