Simulation of ship manoeuvring in laterally restricted water

A method has been developed to predict the sway force and yaw moment induced on a ship by flooded and/or surface piercing banks which is suitable for use in real-time ship-handling simulator mathematical models. A series of model tests was conducted with bulk carrier and containership models constrained in surge, sway and yaw to enable the measurement of bank induced sway force and yaw moment. The effect of ship speed, draught to under keel clearance ratio, ship to bank distance, depth of water over the bank and bank slope on sway force and yaw moment is discussed. Regression analyses have been conducted on the experimental results to produce empirical equations to predict bank induced sway force and yaw moment. These equations have been incorporated into the mathematical model of the shiphandling simulator at the Australian Maritime College. The path of a ship has been predicted in real-time for a manoeuvre, within an Australian port, where ship operators use ship-bank interaction to aid turns. The predicted ship path has been compared to the actual ship path known to occur in the real-life manoeuvre.