SHIP MANOEUVRABILITY MODELING FOR AUTONOMOUS NAVIGATION

Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) have great potential, representing a significant advancement in maritime technology with promises of enhanced efficiency, safety, and operational flexibility. The primary technical objective is to improve life safety by reducing human error. This paper contributes by developing a simplified maneuverability simulation model specifically for MASS. This model strikes a balance between complexity and computational efficiency, crucial for optimizing control strategies and ensuring reliable autonomous navigation while accounting for the real maneuvering capabilities of MASS. The developed 3-degree of freedom (DOF) simplified model is compared with a reference complex model to assess performance under defined conditions. The analysis focuses on integrating the model into route planning and automatic motion control systems to optimize vessel design and ensure operational safety. Simulation results from both models are compared using typical sea trials maneuvers, such as ZIG-ZAG and turning circles, with rudder angles up to 20°. These simulations demonstrate the simplified model's accuracy and computational efficiency in predicting vessel behavior under specific conditions.