At present, shipowners have to take active measures to improve the efficiency of their fleet to remain competitive on the freight market. In this respect, the development of a shipping company’s fleet is immensely important due to the ability of such vessels to operate with maximum efficiency and flexibility when the structure of cargo flow is heterogeneous. At the same time, fuel expenses account for a considerable part of shipping company expenses. Fuel consumption greatly depends on ship speed. Therefore, the efficiency of maritime shipping can be greatly increased by choosing optimal speed. The purpose of this research is to develop a methodology for justifying the selection of shipping company fleet expansion projects based on cargo flow structure characteristics, considering the possibility of slow steaming ship operation. Net Present Value and Profitability Index were taken into account to compare the efficiency of acquisition and operation projects pertaining to ships with significantly different deadweight and market values.

The countries of Southeast Asia are the largest importers of bulk cargoes in the world, as well as exporters of large volumes of oversized project cargo including unique equipment consisting of heavy-lifts and out of gauge units, which are carried on board of specialized ships, specially designed build for this type of transportation. A large number of dry cargo vessels, including bulk carriers and container ships that formed free tonnage in this geographical area, remain mainly unloaded in the reverse direction and therefore have to return in ballast condition. The way of assessment of the possibility of using such non-specialized vessels for the carriage of oversized project cargo is primarily based on the assessment of the ship's performance in a situation where the ship is being loaded in bulk by cargo (from Europe) and in the opposite direction (from Southeast Asia) for transportation of oversized project cargo. Considering that the design of dry cargo and container vessels is not optimal for such kind transportation, in most cases, some research is needed to adapt such non-specialized vessels for the transportation of heavy and oversized cargo, to optimize the loading, stowage and securing ensuring safety of cargo during sea passage. In some cases in order to assess the suitability of the vessel her cargo compartments, decks and hatches, its strength, security means and entire safety of the ship, it may also be necessary to apply additional measures to rebuild structural components and ship devices. Therefore, the issues related to the development of measures aimed at improving the efficiency of maritime transport, based on the specifics of the structure of cargo flow, are quite essential. The scope of this work is to discuss some perspectives and practical aspects of ships selection, considering possibility to engage them for transportation of project cargoes and work at economical speeds. Shipping companies often report figures in TCE (time charter equivalent) values so that investors can compare performance of ships operating in the spot and time-charter markets.

The potential risks to vessels and crew in merchant shipping stem from human error, vulnerability to environmental influences, failure of shipboard systems and equipment. In case of transportation of heavy and oversized cargo, the preceding list can be expanded to include potential hazards directly associated with the cargo. This study identified a system of potential negative events in the transportation of oversized and heavy cargo under the influence of multiple factors. Negative events are divided into two categories: those occurring during loading/unloading and those occurring during transportation. The consequences of these negative events for cargo and operational condition of the ship are also identified. Six basic options for the operational condition of the vessel in the transportation process of oversized and heavy cargo have been determined. The conceptual model of the combination of factors affecting the operational condition of the vessel during the transportation of oversized and heavy cargo is formulated, and the chain of formation of the probability of negative events during the transportation of oversized and heavy cargo is identified and mathematically described. A basic pattern of relationship between various negative events occurring during transportation of oversized and heavy cargoes and ship's operational conditions is established. The obtained results allow the probability of possible negative events and change of ship's condition due to such influences during the transportation of the cargo category concerned to be estimated in practice, taking into account the specifics of a particular port, vessel and shipping line.

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The digital transformation of the maritime industry is almost a fait accompli. Merchant ships today use computing and cyber-dependent technologies for navigation, communications, cargo operations, environmental monitoring, and many other purposes. Nowadays, entire industries and businesses are becoming increasingly dependent on data arrays, and the maritime sector is fully experiencing this transformation.  A modern commercial ship is unthinkable without digital technology, and the reasons for the deep digitalization of the fleet are numerous. Emergency systems such as safety monitoring, fire detection and alarms are increasingly reliant on cyber technology. Therefore, cybersecurity is a critical component of ship and shipping safety, and cyber-attacks on maritime transport are a very likely problem. These risks will only increase with the further development of information technology. This article proposes approaches to identifying cyber threats as well as a probabilistic assessment of ship cybersecurity, which is based on an integral approach to assessing the vulnerability of shipboard critical equipment and systems. Estimated probabilities of target and non-target cybersecurity breaches of the ship, as well as their overall probability, which allows considering all chains of events leading to a certain consequence associated with potential losses. The model of probability assessment of ship cybersecurity violation and its consequences, which allows evaluation of possible losses as a result of these events, is presented and mathematically described.