FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

Embodiments of the technologies described herein relate to a deep-sea vessel and a plurality of short-sea vessels for the transport of goods in an ocean network. The deep-sea vessel is adapted to carry a plurality of short-sea vessels. Further, the deep-sea vessel is a semi-submersible vessel that allows the short-sea vessels to quickly load and unload from the deep-sea vessel. Together, the deep-sea vessel and a plurality of short-sea vessels create a network that allows for faster loading/unloading and also for utilization of under-utilized ports.

BACKGROUND

The ocean freight shipping industry is spiraling out of control. And while carriers complain their losing money, it's shippers who truly feel the pain. With unreliable transit times, cancelled sailings, congestion through the ports and many other issues, ocean freight is no longer a viable option for global shippers looking to streamline and synchronize their supply chains.

How did we get into this mess? Well, it began with carriers trying to cut costs to meet shippers' demands for lower freight rates. Specifically, carriers built mega- ships and began slow-steaming. To accommodate these mega-ships, several ports invested billions of dollars in new infrastructure and dredging. Unfortunately, with mega-ships and mega-ports comes mega-congestion. And now shippers are left with fewer shipping options than ever before. Not to mention all the mid-sized ports that are now under-utilized around the world. Thus, it would be advantageous to provide a solution that allows shippers do to regain control of their supply chains and ocean freight shipping.

SUMMARY

In one example embodiment, a deep-sea ocean vessel for transport of goods has a propulsion system and hull. The hull may be adapted to receive a plurality of short-sea vessels. The deep-sea ocean vessel may have a substantially flat inner- surface so as to stabilize the short-sea vessels during transport. The deep-sea ocean vessel may have an inner-surface that is complimentary to the bottom-surface of the short-sea vessel so as to stabilize the short-sea vessels during transport. The deep-sea ocean vessel may have a hull that may be semi-submersible so as to utilize heavy-lift technology to load the short-sea vessels. The deep-sea ocean vessel may have a hull being adapted to receive large pieces of equipment.

In another example embodiment, a short-sea ocean vessel for transport of goods has a propulsion system and hull. The hull may be adapted to receive a plurality of ocean freight containers. The short-sea ocean vessel may have a hull being adapted to receive a plurality of cargo, including automobiles, large equipment, bulk freight, agriculture, roll-on/roll-off cargo and many other types of cargo.

In still another example embodiment, a method of transporting goods in an ocean network includes (a) semi-submerging a deep-sea vessel, (b) loading a short-sea vessel onto the deep-sea vessel; and (c) raising the depth of the deep-sea vessel for transport of the deep-sea vessel carrying the short-sea-vessel. The method may include the loading of a plurality of short-sea vessels onto the deep-sea vessel. The method may include a plurality of short-sea vessels that may be owned individually by one or more of a plurality of shippers. The loading of a short-sea vessel may be performed outside of a port. In some embodiments, the deep-sea vessel may sit idle for loading outside of a port. In some embodiments, the deep-sea vessel may sit idle for loading outside of a port and at least 100 miles away from a coastline. In some embodiments, the deep-sea vessel may be powered by traditional fuels or liquid natural gas and the short-sea vessels may be self-propelled or non-self-propelled. In some embodiments, the short-sea vessels carry may be powered by traditional fuels or liquid natural gas or low-sulfur fuel. In some embodiments, the deep-sea vessel may be owned by a single carrier. In some embodiments, the deep-sea vessel may be co- owned by a shipper. In some embodiments, the deep-sea vessel may be co-owned by a plurality of shippers. In some embodiments, the deep-sea vessel may not berth into a port. In some embodiments, the deep-sea vessel may operate substantially in deep- sea waters only and the one or more short-sea vessels may operate substantially in short-sea waters only. In some embodiments, the one or more short-sea vessels may berth primarily in under-utilized ports. In some embodiments, a plurality of the deep- sea vessels and a plurality of said short-sea vessels may work in concert to create an ocean shipping network that allows for the loading of a first set of short-sea vessels and then the immediate loading of a second set of short-sea vessels. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter that is regarded as the present invention, it is believed that the invention will be more fully understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. None of the drawings are necessarily to scale.

FIG. 1A (prior art) shows an example mega-port that routinely experiences congestion;

FIG. IB (prior art) shows an example mega-port with a mega-ship being berthed for traditional unloading;

FIG. 1C (prior art) shows an example mega-ship being used today by carriers; FIG. ID (prior art) shows an example port gate entrance with significant congestion of trucks;

FIG. 2 (prior art) shows an illustration of how larger mega-ships require deeper drafts;

FIG. 3 (prior art) shows an example bridge construction project that was required to accommodate larger mega-ships being built;

FIG. 4 (prior art) shows an example map having a mixture of mega-ports that are congested and also under-utilized ports that are not congested;

FIGS. 5A shows a deep-sea vessel transporting a plurality of short-sea vessels in accordance with one embodiment;

FIGS. 5B shows a side-elevation of an example deep-sea vessel in accordance with one embodiment;

FIGS. 5C shows a perspective view of an example deep-sea vessel and short- sea vessel in accordance with one embodiment;

FIGS. 5D shows a perspective view of an example deep-sea vessel and short- sea vessels in accordance with one embodiment;

FIGS. 6A shows a side-elevational view of an example short-sea vessel being capable of transporting ocean freight containers in accordance with one embodiment;

FIGS. 6B shows a top view of an example deep-sea vessel being capable of transporting a plurality of short-sea vessels containing ocean freight containers in accordance with one embodiment; FIG. 7 A is an illustration of an example deep-sea vessel sitting idle on the water;

FIG. 7B is an illustration of an example deep-sea vessel beginning to submerge into the water;

FIG. 7C is an illustration of an example deep-sea vessel semi-submerged into the water such that the short-sea vessels are beginning to float;

FIG. 7D is an illustration of an example deep-sea vessel semi-submerged into the water such that the short-sea vessels have begun to discharge from the deep-sea vessel;

FIG. 8 A is an illustration of an example deep-sea vessel having a plurality of short-sea vessels being discharged and enroute to various ports for discharge of their containers and loading of outbound containers;

FIG. 8B is an illustration of an example deep-sea vessel having a plurality of short-sea vessels having been fully discharged and enroute to various ports for import;

FIG. 8C is an illustration of an example deep-sea vessel having a plurality of short-sea vessels being loaded on to the deep-sea vessel for export;

FIG. 9 shows a side-elevational view of a short-sea vessel with a minimal draft to accommodate short-sea transits;

FIG. 10A shows an example short-sea vessel for export that is being transported along a river enroute to a port;

FIG. 10B shows an example short-sea vessel for export that has reached the port and is enroute to the deep-sea vessel for direct loading;

FIG. IOC shows an example short-sea vessel for export that has already been loaded onto the deep-sea vessel without the need for transloading;

FIG. 10D shows an example deep-sea vessel for export that already left the coastal area several days in advance of the mega-ship leaving its mega-port;

FIG. 11A shows an example deep-sea vessel for import wherein some of the short-sea vessels have already been discharged;

FIG. 1 IB shows an example deep-sea vessel for import wherein most of the short-sea vessels have already been discharged and the mega-ship is just arriving;

FIG. l lC shows an example deep-sea vessel for import wherein all of the short-sea vessels have already been discharged and the mega-ship is still just arriving;

FIG. 12A shows an example plurality of short-sea vessels that have been berthed at a plurality of under-utilized ports; FIG. 12B shows an example plurality of destination cities and their non- congested supply chains leading to them;

FIG. 13 shows an example deep-sea vessel having a plurality of short-sea vessels that are transporting a variety of goods;

FIG. 14 shows an example deep-sea vessel transporting a large piece of equipment without the use of a short-sea vessel;

FIG. 15 shows an example use of the deep-sea vessel and a plurality of short- sea vessels for supporting military operations;

FIG. 16 shows an example use of the deep-sea vessel and a plurality of short- sea vessels for supporting disaster operations;

FIG. 17 shows an example use of the deep-sea vessel and a plurality of short- sea vessels wherein multiple shippers possess their own short-sea vessels;

FIG. 18 shows an example use of a deep-sea vessel and a plurality of short-sea vessels wherein multiple shippers possess their own short-sea vessels and leverage a third party logistics service (3PL)/non-vessel operating common carrier (NVOCC) for making a booking with a carrier;

FIG. 19 shows an example use of a deep-sea vessel and a plurality of short-sea vessels wherein multiple shippers possess their own short-sea vessels and share ownership of the deep-sea parties;

FIG. 20 shows an example use of a deep-sea vessel and a plurality of short-sea vessels wherein multiple shippers possess their own short-sea vessels and the deep- sea vessel is co-owned by multiple carriers;

FIG. 21 shows an example use of a deep-sea vessel and a plurality of short-sea vessels wherein the deep-sea vessel remains a defined distance away from the coastline; and

FIG. 22 shows an example use of a deep-sea vessel and a plurality of short-sea vessels wherein the deep-sea vessel operates primarily within deep waters and a plurality of short-sea vessels operate primarily within short-sea or coastal waters.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described to provide an overall understanding of the principles of the structure, function, and use of multi-vessel shipping systems and methods disclosed herein. One or more examples of these non-limiting embodiments are illustrated in the selected examples disclosed and described in detail with reference made to the figures in the accompanying drawings. Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that systems and methods specifically described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are non-limiting embodiments. The features illustrated or described in connection with one non-limiting embodiment may be combined with the features of other non-limiting embodiments. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.

The multi-vessel shipping systems and methods described herein may beneficially improve the ocean shipping industry. Example multi-vessel shipping systems may carry as much cargo as a mega-ship, while alleviating various operational issues associated with mega-ships. Multi-vessel shipping systems and methods in accordance with the present disclosure may be comprised of a deep-sea vessel that carries a plurality of short-sea vessels in its hull. In one example embodiment, six short-sea vessels are used and each short-sea vessel is capable of shipping 2,250 TEU's for a combined deep-sea vessel of capacity of 13,500 TEU's. The deep-sea vessel together with the short-sea vessels can collaborate such that the deep-sea vessel is not required to come into port. Instead, the deep-sea vessel can stay outside the port and allow the short-sea vessels to berth in the ports and to discharge/load their containers and cargo, in particular under-utilized ports in the world. In accordance with the methods described herein, the short-sea vessels can be discharged and loaded in a synchronized fashion to allow for faster velocity in the supply chains of the shippers whose cargo is carried.

In some embodiments, the short-sea vessels have a much smaller draft (for example, only 23 feet) and do not require massive cranes or infrastructure for loading/unloading. Accordingly, these short-sea vessels can take advantage of the many under-utilized ports around the world. In this way, loading and unloading of cargo can be performed much faster eliminating he congestion and expense required by the single purpose mega-ships. Most importantly, these short-sea vessels can take advantage of the many under-utilized, mid-sized ports where congestion is minimal. Further, many of the under-utilized ports already have on-dock rail and highways connections in place. Containers and other cargo can move quickly through multiple terminals or ports simultaneously, without delay, directly to their intermodal connections. Not only do the multi-vessel shipping systems and methods described herein save time, expense and provide substantial savings to the shippers riding on it by leveraging under-utilized ports to accelerate their supply chain velocity, they can also save significant time by simultaneously unloading and loading containers. By way of example, while a first set of short-sea vessels float off the deep-sea vessel enroute to one or more destination ports, a second set of short-sea vessels carrying cargo for outbound are awaiting arrivinal of the deep-sea vessel and immediately float onto the same deep-sea vessel for immediate departure. In some configurations, by using heavy-lift technology perfected by the military and off-shore oil industry, a deep-sea vessel can quickly load and unload short-sea vessels to deliver unprecedented handling of containers.

In accordance with the present disclosure, faster discharge and loading can be realized and transit times can be significantly reduced. Sailings become more predictable and cargo can no longer be rolled for missing their subsequent sailing such that ocean shipping becomes transformed. Further, the systems and methods described herein allow shippers to transport their cargo virtually anywhere, creating the fastest travel routes for their business with minimal port congestion, faster throughput and just-in-time delivery. Terminal congestion, dwell time, demurrage, and detention can be virtually eliminated. The problems created by the size and draft of the mega-ships are eliminated and the supply chain velocity of the cargo it carries for shippers is significantly accelerated for significant savings by reducing the length of their global supply chain.

The flexibility of the multi-vessel shipping systems and methods can be tailored to the business needs of the shippers, not the return on investment of the mega-ship carriers, which may allow shippers to regain control of their supply chains.

FIGS. 1 A-1D generally illustrate current industry problems. FIG. 1 A shows a port being congested and thus the containers moving slowly throughout. FIG. IB shows a vessel being unload in port. FIG. 1C shows a traditional ocean freight vessel that requires the use of mega-ports because of its size. FIG. ID shows dozens of trucks being congested as they attempt to get into a mega-port to pick-up their container.

FIG. 2 shows a depiction of how ocean freight vessels are growing in size and draft over the past several decades. As these ships have become bigger to carry more containers, they require deeper waters and larger cranes to unload their cargo. As a result, only select mega-ports around the world can accommodate these larger ships. Accordingly, dozens of mid-sized ports remain substantially under-utilized.

FIG. 3 shows an example bridge construction project that required the bridge to increase in height to accommodate larger ships underneath it. Dozens of bridge construction and dredging projects have been required to accommodate these mega- ships.

FIG. 4 shows an example list of mega-ports and also under-utilized ports along the Asia coastline and U.S. west coastline. Because of the recent trends of bigger and bigger ships, more ports are becoming under-utilized. This trend is bad for the industry and certainly bad for shippers who are seeking to streamline and synchronize their supply chains.

FIGS. 5A-D show an example embodiment of a multi -vessel shipping system in accordance with the present disclosure. FIG. 5 A shows a deep-sea vessel 100 transporting a plurality of short-sea vessels (200a-f). Each short-sea vessel may be capable of transporting ocean containers and other forms of cargo. FIG. 5B shows a left-side elevational view of deep-sea vessel 100. FIG. 5C and FIG. 5D shows deep- sea vessel 100 having a hull adapted to receive and transport a plurality of short-sea vessels 200a, 200b, 200c and so on. While this example embodiment depicts a deep- sea vessel 100 suitable for transporting six short-sea vessels, the size of the deep-sea vessel and short-sea vessels can be modified to achieve a different number of carrying capacity.

FIG. 6A shows short-sea vessel 200a being adapted to transport a plurality of ocean freight containers. While this example embodiment of the short-sea vessel 200a is shown to be capable of transporting 2,250 TEU's (twenty-foot equivalents units), the short-sea vessel can be modified to accommodate a different number of containers. FIG. 6B shows deep-sea vessel 100 is shown transporting six short-sea vessels (300a-f) having a combined carrying capacity of 13,500 TEU's.

FIGS. 7A-7D show an example sequence of the deep-sea vessel 100 discharging the short-sea vessels using heavy-lift technology. FIG. 7A shows deep- sea vessel 100 being afloat in the ocean in a position that may be in motion or sitting idle. FIG. 7B shows deep-sea vessel 100 beginning to submerge into the ocean so as to allow short-sea vessels to become in liquid communication with the water. FIG. 7C shows deep-sea vessel 100 being further submerged so as to allow the short-sea vessels to easily float off the deep-sea vessel. FIG. 7D shows the short-sea vessels 200f, 200c being discharged from the deep-sea vessel 100. Once discharged, these short-sea vessels may have their own independent propulsion system to allow them to independently sail into their desired port. Alternatively, these short-sea vessels may be moved by use of tug boats or the like.

FIGS. 8A-8B show a sequence of short-sea vessels being discharged from the deep-sea vessel 100 and then sailing to a plurality of under-utilized ports for importing of goods. Shortly after a first group of short-sea vessels are discharged from deep-sea vessel 100, a second group of short-sea vessels 250 may be immediately loaded onto deep-sea vessel for exporting of goods. In this way, the systems and methods described herein allow for faster discharging and loading of short-sea vessels. This flexibility can provide vast improvement over mega-ships that require all containers to be unloaded in port and then sequentially load new containers from the same port.

FIG. 9A shows an example short-sea vessel 200 having a shallow draft which allows it to berth in smaller ports. Further, this shallow draft allows a short-sea vessel to transport goods on rivers and other shallow bodies of water. In this example embodiment, the short-sea vessel is shown having a draft of 23 feet, though this disclosure is not so limited. FIGS. 10A-D show a sequencing that highlights the unique flexibility of the present system and methods wherein a short-sea vessel 200 is capable of transporting goods along a river so as to export goods from an in-land manufacturing facility. Moreover, as shown in FIGS. lOB-C, the short-sea vessel 200 is able to load directly onto deep-sea vessel 100 without any transloading. By comparison, a mega-ship 500 requires transloading of a container from a smaller, feeder vessel because the mega-ship 500 is too large to transport along the river. As shown in FIG. 10D, the deep-sea vessel 100 is able to depart from the coastline several days (for example, 4 days earlier) in advance of a mega-ship 500 because the deep-sea vessel does not require trans-loading and because a second set of short-sea vessels can load immediately after a first set of short-sea vessels are discharged.

FIGS. 11 A-C show a sequencing of short-sea vessels 200 discharging from the deep-sea vessel 100 and subsequently in transit to a plurality of under-utilized ports for importing of goods. FIGS. 11 A-C show the deep-sea vessel having arrived near the coastline several days in advance of the mega-ship 500.

FIGS. 12A shows a plurality of short-sea vessels 200a-e being berthed at a plurality of under-utilized ports 600a-e. These under-utilized ports provide a remarkable opportunity to import/export containers and other cargo more quickly than the traditional congested network of mega-ports. And while short-sea vessels 200a-e are shown not being berthed in mega-port 700, the short-sea vessels 200a-e may do so if there was a need/opportunity. FIG. 12B shows an example list of destination cities to which containers are being transported to at a faster rate than traditionally done so through the mega-ports. In accordance with the systems and methods described herein many of the common issues of port congestion, detention and demurrage are nearly eliminated through the use of under-utilized ports.

FIG. 13 shows deep-sea vessel 100 holding a plurality of short-sea vessels 200a-f. In this example embodiment, short-sea vessel 200a is shown transporting automobiles 270. Such automobiles 270 may be rolled on/off from the short-sea vessel in fast manner. Short-sea vessel 200c is shown transporting larger construction equipment 272. Short-sea vessel 200e is shown transporting an ocean freight container 274. FIG. 13 illustrates that short-sea vessels are versatile enough to carry a large variety of cargo, including containers, automobiles, large equipment, bulk freight, agriculture, roll-on/roll-off cargo and many other types of cargo.

FIG. 14 shows deep-sea vessel 100 providing another purpose in that it may also be used to transport larger items that generally require the use of heavy-lift technology (e.g., semi-submersible vessel). Unlike traditional ocean freight carriers, the deep-sea vessel of the present invention can be used to carry nearly any type of cargo regardless of size and weight.

FIG. 15 shows an illustration in how the present systems and methods may be used to support military and other governmental logistics. In this example embodiment, the deep-sea vessel 100 may be positioned in a strategic location for fast transport of short-sea vessels placed strategically. For example, military bases 810, 820, 830 may be serviced by their own short-sea vessels 200a, 200b, 200c and transported across deeper waters by the deep-sea vessel 100. FIG. 16 shows an illustration in how the present systems and methods may be used to support disaster areas in the light of various emergencies (e.g., hurricanes).

FIG. 17 shows an illustration of the present systems and methods with a unique commercial model. More specifically, individual shippers 860, 862, 864 may possess their own short-sea vessels 200a, 200b, 200c, respectively, and control the flow of their own network in cooperation with deep-sea vessels serving as a taxi across the oceans. FIG. 18 shows an illustration of the present systems and methods with yet another unique commercial model. More specifically, individual shippers 860, 862, 864 may possess their own short-sea vessels 200a, 200b, 200c, respectively, and control the flow of their own network in cooperation with deep-sea vessels serving as a taxi across the oceans, while engaging with third-party logistics providers (e.g., non- vessel owning common carriers 868).

FIG. 19 shows an illustration of the present systems and methods with yet another unique commercial model. More specifically, individual shippers 860, 862, 864 may possess their own short-sea vessels 200a, 200b, 200c, respectively, and control the flow of their own network in cooperation with deep-sea vessels serving as a taxi across the oceans, while the deep-sea vessel 100 may be co-owned among multiple shippers.

FIG. 20 shows an illustration of the present systems and methods with yet another unique commercial model. More specifically, individual shippers 860, 862, 864 may possess their own short-sea vessels 200a, 200b, 200c, respectively, and control the flow of their own network in cooperation with deep-sea vessels serving as a taxi across the oceans, while the deep-sea vessel 100 may be co-owned among multiple carriers.

FIG. 21 shows an illustration of the present systems and methods wherein the deep-sea vessel 100 may reside, for example, more than 100 miles away from the coastline so as to allow the short-sea vessels 200a, 200b, 200c to take route to various ports along a coastline. Further, this operational approach would allow the deep-sea vessel 100 to predominately carry traditional bunker-fuel and not be required to carry low-sulfur fuel. Conversely, the short-sea vessels 200a, 200b, 200c may predominantly carry low-sulphur fuel in compliance with many recent low-sulphur regulations across the world.

FIG. 22 shows an illustration of the present systems and methods wherein one or more deep-sea vessels lOOy, lOOz may commercially operate primarily within a deep-sea zone and thus leveraging the primary function of deep-sea transport. Additionally, a plurality of short-sea vessels (for example, 200s-200x) may commercially operate primarily within a short-sea zone and thus leveraging the primary function of short-sea. In this novel way, traditional problems of berthing in ports and trans-loading among vessels are overcome. The systems and methods described herein provide reliability for shippers who strive for synchronization and speed in their supply chains.

A uniqueness of the present invention is its application to the shipment of goods in a manner that avoids the problems created by the deep-draft, single purpose mega-ships such as congestion, requirement for massive infrastructure and cost. For the shipper, this slows the velocity of the cargo in its supply chain and, therefore, its investment in inventory. The present invention reduces the volumes of cargo in a shipper's supply chain and thus its inventory investment by accelerating the velocity of the cargo in the shipper's supply chain to push the money in that investment to improve the shipper's profitability and minimize its expense.

It is to be understood that the figures and descriptions of the present invention have been simplified to illustrate elements that are relevant for a clear understanding of the present invention, while eliminating, for purposes of clarity, other elements. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize, however, that these sorts of focused discussions would not facilitate a better understanding of the present invention, and therefore, a more detailed description of such elements is not provided herein.

The examples presented herein are intended to illustrate potential and specific implementations. It can be appreciated that the examples are intended primarily for purposes of illustration for those skilled in the art. No particular aspect or aspects of the examples are necessarily intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

While various embodiments have been described herein, it should be apparent, however, that various modifications, alterations and adaptations to those embodiments may occur to persons skilled in the art with the attainment of some or all of the advantages of the present disclosure.