A random sampling based algorithm for ship path planning with obstacles

The paper presents a path planning algorithm for ship guidance in presence of obstacles, based on an ad hoc modified version of the Rapidly-exploring Random Tree (RRT*) algorithm. The proposed approach is designed to be part of a decision support system for the bridge operators, in order to enhance traditional navigation. Focusing on the maritime field, a review of the scientific literature dealing with motion planning is presented, showing potential benefits and weaknesses of the different approaches. Among the several methods, details on RRT and RRT* algorithms are given. The ship path planning problem is introduced and discussed, formulating suitable cost functions and taking into account both topological and kinematic constraints. Eventually, an existing time domain ship simulator is used to test the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm over a number of realistic operation scenarios. The obtained results are presented and critically discussed.