Digital navigation services for inland waterways as a factor for improving energy efficiency in shipping

Abstract

Today, the development of water transport is increasingly viewed through the prism of the blue economy ‒ an approach that combines economic efficiency with the rational use of natural resources. Its relevance is determined by the fact that water transport forms the basis of global logistics: more than 80 % of world trade is carried out by sea. At the same time, shipping remains a source of significant environmental burden, generating about 2-3 % of global carbon dioxide emissions. In these conditions, the issue of increasing the energy efficiency of shipping acquires not only economic but also strategic importance. Even a slight reduction in fuel consumption at the level of individual vessels in the aggregate has a tangible effect on the entire transport system. This is especially relevant in the context of increasing international requirements for reducing emissions and increasing the efficiency of using energy resources. A special place in this process is occupied by inland waterways. Unlike sea navigation, the efficiency of vessel movement here is largely determined by navigation conditions: limited depths, complex fairway configuration, the influence of currents, variable hydrometeorological factors and high traffic density. In such conditions, even minor deviations from rational traffic regimes lead to additional energy consumption. In this regard, digital navigation services for inland waterways are of key importance, as they provide for the receipt, processing and transmission of information about the state of the navigation environment in a mode close to real time. Their use allows to increase the validity of navigation decisions, reduce the number of inefficient maneuvers and ensure a more rational use of energy resources. Thus, digital navigation services act not only as a means of information support for shipping, but also as an important tool for implementing the principles of the blue economy, aimed at increasing energy efficiency and reducing the environmental burden of water transport.