Development of a PC-Based Multi-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 reduced reaction time in an unexpected situation. We propose to develop a PCWindows based ship simulator, which will be able to simulate multi-ship dynamics in restricted water, in the presence of waves, wind, currents, and obstacles. General topography, channel configuration, and environmental conditions will be input by the user. The simulator will be able to generate multiple ship tracks an evaluate harbor safety from a system perspective. Such a simulator will be used to estimate the likelihood of collision for various types of vessels, traffic densities, navigation channels geometries and environmental conditions. It can also be used for continual training of masters and pilots to minimize human error, and by harbor designers and port managers for structures and waterway design, modification, improvement and implementation of safety measures.