Rosmanditen: a Theoretical and Experimental Insight into ASD Tug Manoeuvrability

A co-operative research programme between Rosetti Marino shipyard and the Marine Technology Department of Genoa University has led to a new tug design, which embeds side damage survivability and low-to-high escort capabilities, as well as a simulation tool for evaluating the manoeuvrability of ASD tugs at high speed (escort) and low speed (harbour assistance) in a MATLAB-Simulink environment. The tool can simulate tug performance using different skeg sizes, propulsor sizes, engine powers and winch maximum tensions. The research programme involved the use of large towing tank tests, CFD simulations, the identification of manoeuvring and propulsion models, and full scale validation trials.