Preliminary Development of a Software for Ship Maneuvering Ability Prediction

The maneuvering ability is one of the main capabilities which is compulsory possessed by a ship. Inadequate ship maneuverability can lead into marine accidents, especially ship collisions. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has regulated ship maneuverability criteria, however, in practical and especially in the design stage, analysis related to ship maneuvers is often ignored due to the complexity and the cost of maneuvering calculations as well as maneuvering experiments, respectively. Therefore, the development of a software for ship maneuvering ability prediction is necessary. In this paper, the preliminary development of a software for ship maneuvering ability prediction is conducted. The software is constructed by using a set of computer program codes based on Mathematical Maneuvering Modeling Group (MMG) model integrated with computer user interface and three-dimensional simulation. The developed software is tested to predict a turning and zig-zag motion of a ship, and it works well. The maneuvering ability including ship trajectory, heading, and drift angle can be shown in the software. A three-dimensional view of the ship movement and trajectory is also displayed. The maneuverability IMO criteria can also be examined. The developed software can be used for investigating the maneuvering ability prediction of a ship.