Development of a PC-Based Ship Maneuvering Simulator for Improving Navigation Traffic Within Ports and Harbors

The potential for accidents in harbors increases with traffic density. Collisions with other ships or natural obstacles are caused by incorrect controls manipulation by the master in response to some unexpected situation, especially when in a new environment. Continual training for various critical situations on simulators that include realistic topography and the presence of other maneuvering vehicles is an effective means to enhance the experience of masters and pilots and minimize human error. We propose to continue development of the PC based ship simulator DynaSim¿, which was shown in Phase I to be able to handle multi-ship dynamics in restricted water and in the presence of waves, wind, currents, and obstacles. Traffic configurations, ship routes, ship characteristics, general topography, bottom and channel configuration, and environmental conditions will be input by the user or read from traffic schedules. The simulator will generate multiple ship tracks and evaluate harbor safety from a systems perspective. The simulator will be used to estimate the likelihood of collision of vessels, traffic densities, and the influence of navigation channel geometry and environmental conditions. It could be used for training by shipmasters and port managers, and by designers for waterway design, improvement and implementation of safety measures.