Optimizing vessel hull resistance is pivotal for enhancing maritime performance and minimizing environmental impacts. Traditional methods combine expert intuition with Data-Driven Models (DDMs), relying on parametrization to predict and optimize hull geometries using Experimental Fluid Dynamics (EFD) or Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) data. However, these conventional approaches are hampered by several limitations: they require significant human input, are computationally intensive and costly, and lack flexibility in adapting to new families of geometries or parameters beyond predefined ranges. Addressing these challenges, our research introduces a novel method that significantly reduces the need for human intervention, computational resources, and costs, while also improving the model's adaptability. By proposing a new a parametrization technique that accurately encompasses the Delft Systematic Yacht Hull Series (DSYHS), we demonstrate that DDMs can be effectively trained directly on EFD datasets. This eliminates the dependency on extensive CFD simulations or the generation of new EFD data tailored to a specific investigation. Our approach matches the performance of leading-edge CFD models, even in extrapolating conditions, with physical plausibility and minimal human oversight. The validation of our method under various and increasingly complex extrapolating scenarios, employing statistical analyses on the DSYHS EFD dataset and comparisons with state-of-the-art CFD models, underscores the effectiveness of our proposal. Furthermore, we demonstrated that our model can successfully optimize hull resistance when navigating geometric parameters outside the confines of the DSYHS validating our results through leading-edge CFD simulations. This work addresses the limitations of existing methodologies by offering a novel approach more accurate, efficient, cost-effective, flexible, automated, and robust to extrapolation for hull resistance optimization.

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The global installed capacity of floating offshore wind turbines is projected to increase by at least 100 times over the next decades. Station-keeping of floating offshore renewable energy devices is achieved through the use of mooring systems. Mooring systems are exposed to a variety of environmental and operational conditions that cause corrosion, abrasion, and fatigue. Regular physical in-service inspections of mooring systems are the golden standard for monitoring their health status. This approach is often expensive, inefficient, and unsafe, and for this reason, researchers are focusing on developing tools for digital solutions for real-time monitoring. Floating offshore renewable energy devices are usually equipped with a wide range of sensors, some low-cost, low/zero maintenance, and easily deployable (e.g., accelerometers on the tower), contrary to others (e.g., direct tension mooring line measurements), producing real-time data streams. In this paper, we propose exploiting the data coming from the first type of sensors for mooring systems health status nowcasting. In particular, we will first rely on state-of-the-art supervised shallow and deep learning models for predicting the health status of the different sections of the mooring lines. Then, since these supervised models require types and amount of data that are seldom available, we will propose new shallow and deep weekly supervised models that require a very small amount of data regarding worn mooring lines. Results will show that these last models can potentially have practical applicability and impact for real-time monitoring of mooring systems in the near future. In order to support our statements, we will make use of data generated with a state-of-the-art digital twin of the mooring system, OrcaFlex, for a floating offshore wind turbine reproducing the physical mechanism of the mooring degradation under different loads and environmental conditions. Results will show errors around 1% in the simplest scenario and errors around 4% in the most challenging one, confirming the potentiality of the proposed approaches.

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Shape optimization of vessel hulls and airfoils is crucial for achieving optimal performance and minimizing environmental impact. Typically, these designs are adaptations of existing ones, not fully optimized for specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as drag or lift, and their optimization often relies on a mix of human experience and numerical approaches. The current state-of-the-art approach leverages Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Data-Driven Surrogate (DDS) models in a four-step process. First, a shape design space is created through parametrization, involving varying levels of human input. Accurate KPI estimation using CFD is computationally intensive, preventing direct optimization. Thus, in the second step, representative shapes are selected from the design space, and evaluated for their KPIs using CFD. Next, a DDS model is constructed from the generated data, which, although costly to develop, allows for efficient KPI prediction. This model is then integrated into an optimization loop to identify optimal geometries on the Pareto front. Finally, these results are validated through CFD to ensure physical plausibility. This review sets focuses on recent advances in DDS models for shape optimization of hulls and airfoils since 2015, an area not thoroughly covered in previous surveys. We systematically examine the four-step optimization process in recent studies, highlighting the evolution and deeper integration of DDS models with CFD. Additionally, we critically assess unresolved issues and gaps in current methodologies, exploring future research directions such as the application of machine learning for shape optimization. These elements highlight the novelty of our work by synthesizing recent technological advances and proposing pathways for future developments, bridging the gap between traditional methods and future possibilities in shape optimization, with implications for both academic research and industrial practice.@en

To ensure that future autonomous surface ships sail in the most sustainable way, it is crucial to optimize the per-formance of the Energy and Power Management (EPM) system. However, marine EPM systems are complex and often coordinate various distributed energy resources, energy storage systems, and power grids to ensure reliable and safe power delivery. Traditional control methods for marine EPM systems are limited by evaluating processes using simplified component models over a short time horizon, or relying on historical insights gained from earlier journeys, and are not the optimal approach for complex hybrid marine EPM systems. Advanced control strategies, such as Model Predictive Control (MPC), offer a promising control method that considers predicted future system responses over an extended time horizon to determine the best control input, making them an effective strategy for optimizing the performance of hybrid marine EPM systems. However, to learn the onboard energy profiles based on component behavior in a hybrid system from past experiences is not a trivial task, and one of the primary barriers to implementing MPC for marine EPM control. For this reason, in this work, we address the challenge of learning energy profiles for a marine EPM system by utilizing shallow and deep machine learning for total power demand forecasting. The forecast is an essential reference for an MPC-based controller and will enable this control strategy to provide reliable and safe power delivery for hybrid marine EPM systems. The proposed approach compares state-of-the-art machine learning models to identify the best-performing algorithm, considering accuracy and computational requirements. We illustrate the potential of the proposed approach by using real world operational data from a vessel with a hybrid marine EPM system. Results indicate that shallow models, trained on engineered features handcrafted with classical signal processing techniques, allow forecasting the total power demand up to a horizon of 5min with minimal loss in accuracy and a negligible computational burden.

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The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of the state-of-the-art and future perspectives of Data Science and Advanced Analytics for Shipping Energy Systems. Specifically, we will start by listing the different static and dynamic data sources and knowledge base available in this particular context. Then we will review the Data Science and Advanced Analytics technologies that can leverage these data to extract and synthesize new additional actionable information, suggestions, and actions. We will then review the current exploitation strategies of these technologies aiming at improving the current Shipping Energy Systems. In conclusion, we will depict our vision on the future perspectives of the application and adoption of Data Science and Advanced Analytics for shaping the next generations of Shipping Energy Systems.

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The development of fast and accurate intelligent vessel control systems is a necessary milestone on the path toward operating autonomous marine vehicles effectively in harsh environments and complex mission settings. One of the main problems of existing control systems is the disparity between the forecasted behaviour and how the vessel actually responds to its environment. This disparity can be partly attributed to the dependency on physics-based methods to model the response of the vessel and the fact that accurate high-fidelity physical models are too computationally expensive to be utilized in real time. One promising solution to this problem is to integrate the dynamic environmental conditions such as sea states, winds, and currents to model the response of the vessel. However, this may not be feasible with the existing physics-based controller strategies due to the high computational requirements. Instead, we propose using Artificial Intelligence (AI) based methods, which leverage Data Mining and Machine Learning, to enable fast and accurate short-term motions forecasting for autonomous marine vehicles. The AI-based approach is extremely time-aware in the forecasting phase since it does not rely on solving the physics behind the phenomenon but rather learns a phenomenon from historical examples, linking the vessel's motions to a holistic view of its real-time environment.To test our hypothesis, we will develop state-of-the-art AI-based models for the short-term motions forecasting of the roll and trim of a twin-engine commercial vessel using real-world operational data and leverage statistical methods to validate our results.@en

The number of installed Floating Offshore Wind Turbines (FOWTs) has doubled since 2017, quadrupling the total installed capacity, and is expected to increase significantly over the next decade. Consequently, there is a growing consideration towards the main challenges for FOWT projects: monitoring the system's integrity, extending the lifespan of the components, and maintaining FOWTs safely at scale. Effectively and efficiently addressing these challenges would unlock the wide-scale deployment of FOWTs. In this work, we focus on one of the most critical components of the FOWTs, the Mooring Lines (MoLs), which are responsible for fixing the structure to the seabed. The primary mechanical failure mechanisms in MoLs are extreme load and fatigue, both of which are functions of the axial tension. An effective solution to detect long term drifts in the mechanical response of the MoLs is to develop a Digital Twin (DT) able to accurately predict the behaviour of the healthy system to compare with the actual one. Authors will leverage operational data collected from the world's first commercial floating wind farm (Hywind Pilot Park1) in 2018, to investigate the effectiveness of the DT for the prediction of the MoL axial tension. The DT will be developed using state-of-the-art data-driven methods, and results based on real operational data will support our proposal.

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The number of installed floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) has doubled since 2017, quadrupling the total installed capacity, and is expected to increase significantly over the next decade. Consequently, there is a growing consideration towards the main challenges for FOWT projects: monitoring the system’s integrity, extending the lifespan of the components, and maintaining FOWTs safely at scale. Effectively and efficiently addressing these challenges would unlock the wide-scale deployment of FOWTs. In this work, we focus on one of the most critical components of the FOWTs, the Mooring Lines (MoLs), which are responsible for fixing the structure to the seabed. The primary mechanical failure mechanisms in MoLs are extreme load and fatigue, both of which are functions of the axial tension. An effective solution to detect long-term drifts in the mechanical response of the MoLs is to develop a Digital Twin (DT) able to accurately predict the behaviour of the healthy system to compare with the actual one. Moreover, we will develop another DT able to accurately predict the near future axial tension as an effective tool to improve the lifespan of the MoLs and the safety of FOWT maintenance operations. In fact, by changing the FOWT operational settings, according to the DT prediction, operators can increase the lifespan of the MoLs by reducing the stress and, additionally, in the case where FOWT operational maintenance is in progress, the prediction from the DT can serve as early safety warning to operators. Authors will leverage operational data collected from the world’s first commercial floating-wind farm [the Hywind Pilot Park (https://www.equinor.com/en/what-we-do/floating-wind/hywind-scotland.html.)] in 2018, to investigate the effectiveness of DTs for the prediction of the MoL axial tension for the two scenarios depicted above. The DTs will be developed using state-of-the-art data-driven methods, and results based on real operational data will support our proposal.

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