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This study assesses the impact of traffic regulations on waiting queues in maritime straits using the Bosporus as an example. It proposes a universal simulation model to evaluate transit traffic behavior based on physical characteristics, regulations, and traffic statistics. The study includes scenarios involving the regulation of the Bosporus waterway and safety distances between vessels, among others, to improve traffic flow. The analysis reveals insights into the effects of different regulations on various types of cargo vessels and highlights the importance of scheduling policies in optimizing traffic variables while ensuring safety.
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Assessing the impact of traffic regulations on the waiting queues of maritime straits; the Bosporus example
Straits as Chokepoints • Chokepoints refer to locations that limit the capacity of traffic and cannot be easily bypassed: • Physical characteristics • Usage level • Regulation of access • Third United Nations Law of the Sea Convention (UNCLOS III), COLREG (Collision Regulations), IMO traffic separation schemes and long-standing international agreements comprise the set of regulations that apply in navigation through most straits
Objective To propose a universal simulation model for the vessels traffic in maritime straits, in order to provide a practical platform to evaluate transit traffic behaviour, relying on the • physical characteristics of the strait • applied set of measures and regulations • traffic statistics
Bosporus Straits • Geography • Traffic • Regulations
Scenario 1: Length of the Bosporus Straits waterway that is regulated
Scenario 1: Length of the Bosporus Straits waterway that is regulated
Scenario 2: Minimum safety distance between two consecutive transiting vessels
Scenario 3: Forwarding of the first vessel that can enter the Straits, regardless of its position in the waiting queue
Scenario 4: Alternately suspension of two-way traffic, and transit of a batch of large or dangerous cargo vessels
Scenario 4: Alternately suspension of two-way traffic, and transit of a batch of large or dangerous cargo vessels
Scenario 5: Partial suspension of navigation through the Straits during night time
Conclusions • Bosporus can be considered a finite resource consisting of time slots that are distributed so that arriving maritime traffic is safely and efficiently serviced • Passenger and general cargo vessels oppose to dangerous cargo vessels and as a general trend increase in the availability of slots for the one group decreases available slots for the other • Passenger traffic, having top priority over all other traffic was less affected by any modeled regulation variation. On the contrary, dangerous cargo traffic is very sensitive to any change, a trend that is intensified by the fact that dangerous cargo vessels consume more time slots due to increased safety distances during their transit • Different regulations and policies have a varying effect on the average waiting time and average queue length for the three different cargo categories • Moreover, some variations may have a result opposite than the desired one: scenario #5 indicates that permitting dangerous cargo vessels transit during nighttime would not have any positive effect • In any case, scenarios #3 and #4 indicate that clever scheduling policies can substantially improve traffic variables in Bosporus, while keeping safety at the desired level
