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Models and Simulations of Ship Manoeuvring

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A special issue of Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (ISSN 2077-1312). This special issue belongs to the section "Ocean Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 October 2025) | Viewed by 19040

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Dr. Lúcia Moreira

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Guest Editor

Centre for Marine Technology and Ocean Engineering (CENTEC), Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: control systems; intelligent navigation; autonomous maritime operations
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are excited to invite researchers and experts to contribute to a Special Issue focusing on “Models and Simulations of Ship Manoeuvring”. The development of models that are able to accurately reproduce the dynamic of the ship as well as its interaction with the environment has always been a classic topic of significant interest both to academia and marine industry. Mathematical models of ship manoeuvring are determinant for ship motion simulation, control and autonomous navigation. It is extremely important to have knowledge about the manoeuvring behaviour of the vessel in different navigational conditions in order to ensure a safe operation at sea. In other hand, the ship manoeuvring performance can be assessed with varying accuracy, effort and cost depending on the final application and due to these diverse types of methods can be used to describe the ship dynamics. Thus, we are announcing this Special Issue to direct attention to novel findings and advanced approaches on ship manoeuvring modelling and simulation. We are seeking papers from both academia and industry that contribute with scientific solutions to improve the models used for the manoeuvring simulation and performance assessment. We welcome submissions on a wide range of topics related to ship manoeuvring models and simulations, including but not limited to:

Mathematical models for ship manoeuvring simulation;
Full-scale manoeuvring trials and model tests;
Manoeuvring models for dynamic positioning (DP);
Manoeuvring in confined waters;
Manoeuvring in waves;
Ship berthing operation;
Unmanned surface vessels;
Path-following and trajectory-tracking;
Guidance, navigation and control (GNC) systems for vessels;
Autopilot models;
Mathematical models of the environment (waves, currents, wind);
Mathematical models for control forces and moments.

Dr. Lúcia Moreira
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

ship manoeuvring
guidance navigation and control systems
ship model tests
ship full-scale trials
maritime autonomous vessels
path-following
navigation systems
autopilot
berthing

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

3 pages, 167 KB

Open AccessEditorial

Models and Simulations of Ship Manoeuvring

by Lúcia Moreira

J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2026, 14(5), 426; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14050426 - 25 Feb 2026

Viewed by 844

Abstract

Models and simulations of ship manoeuvring are fundamental tools for predicting and controlling vessel motion under real operational conditions [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Models and Simulations of Ship Manoeuvring)

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Review

42 pages, 8323 KB

Open AccessArticle

Novel Method for Predicting Linear Velocity Derivative in Modern Ship Hulls and Its Validation Using a Low-Speed Maneuvering Simulator

by Maria Eduarda Felippe Chame, Pedro Cardozo de Mello and Eduardo Aoun Tannuri

J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2025, 13(12), 2399; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13122399 - 18 Dec 2025

Viewed by 1234

Abstract

Ship maneuvering prediction relies on hydrodynamic derivatives, traditionally obtained through empirical formulations based on hulls built decades ago. A comparison with experimental data revealed a notable discrepancy, particularly for the linear sway velocity derivative (

Y_{V}^{'}

), where these regression models [...] Read more.

Y_{V}^{'}

), where these regression models inadequately capture the behavior of modern hulls. To overcome this limitation, a novel approach is proposed, in which 690 virtual static drift tests were conducted across a systematic series of 115 modern hull forms, parametrically generated in the Grasshopper platform and thus benchmarked against seven vessels. This extensive numerical dataset enabled the development of an updated regression formulation for

Y_{V}^{'}

, which was grounded in key geometric parameters and incorporated specific terms related to the bow and stern shapes. The results obtained by the CFD-based method were compared with those obtained experimentally, confirming the high fidelity of this approach, yielding a maximum relative error of only

4.7 %

for the sway linear velocity derivative. Crucially, when this proposed empirical formula was integrated into a mathematical model (MM-TPN) to predict a ship’s trajectory, it demonstrated substantial improvement by reducing the absolute relative error in standard maneuvers from

23 %

10 %

compared with traditional methods used to describe the

Y_{V}^{'}

. Furthermore, an extensive discussion regarding the regression model was conducted, leading to the establishment of the drift angle threshold that invalidates the linear theory (set at

10^{\circ}

for blunt hulls and

8^{\circ}

for slender hulls). A comprehensive three-step validation process, encompassing the

V & V

of the virtual static drift tests, validation of the derived maneuvering coefficient, and validation through standard maneuvers employing the novel approach proposed here, was fully executed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Models and Simulations of Ship Manoeuvring)

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17 pages, 4243 KB

Open AccessArticle

Numerical Analysis of Hydrodynamic Interactions Based on Ship Types

by Chun-Ki Lee and Su-Hyung Kim

J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2025, 13(6), 1075; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13061075 - 29 May 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2159

Abstract

To ensure safe navigation, ship operators must not only meet the criteria defined in the International Maritime Organization (IMO) maneuverability standards but also understand maneuvering characteristics in restricted waters. This study numerically analyzed the hydrodynamic lateral forces and yaw moments acting on a stern trawler, a container ship, and a very large crude carrier (VLCC) with different hull forms as they navigated near a semi-circular bank wall. The effects of varying bank radius, lateral clearance, and water depth were examined. The results showed that the VLCC experienced the strongest attractive lateral force, while the stern trawler exhibited the most significant yaw moment. The hydrodynamic interaction patterns of the stern trawler and container ship were similar, whereas the VLCC displayed distinct behavior due to its fuller hull and greater inertia. These findings demonstrate that hull geometry significantly influences hydrodynamic interactions near boundaries, and the degree of response varies by ship type. The results provide valuable reference data for improving navigation safety in confined waters and preventing marine accidents such as collisions and groundings. This study contributes to a better understanding of ship–bank interaction and offers a theoretical basis for maneuvering assessments of various ship types in restricted maritime environments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Models and Simulations of Ship Manoeuvring)

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17 pages, 6370 KB

Open AccessArticle

Derivation of the Controllable Region for Attitude Control of Towfish and Verification Through Water Tank Test

by Jihyeong Lee and Min-Kyu Kim

J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2025, 13(5), 834; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13050834 - 23 Apr 2025

Viewed by 999

Abstract

We investigated the attitude control of a towfish to enhance the image quality of its sound navigation ranging system. The target towfish is equipped with two elevators on the horizontal tail wing, and attitude control is performed using these actuators. In particular, when a high-resolution sonar system is mounted on the towfish, any irregular movement can cause defocusing; thus, attitude control of the towfish is essential. Because the towfish has no thrust of its own and moves by being connected to a mother vessel via a cable, its attitude must be controlled by comprehensively analyzing its towing force and equation of motion. Herein, we propose a method for calculating the region where the attitude of the towfish can be controlled based on changes in the center of gravity, towing speed, and towing point. We conducted a water tank test to verify this method and confirmed that the attitude of the towfish could be controlled in controllable areas but not in uncontrollable regions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Models and Simulations of Ship Manoeuvring)

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26 pages, 13312 KB

Open AccessArticle

Investigation of Vessel Manoeuvring Abilities in Shallow Depths by Applying Neural Networks

by Lúcia Moreira and C. Guedes Soares

J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(9), 1664; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12091664 - 17 Sep 2024

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3306

Abstract

A set of planar motion mechanism experiments of the Duisburg Test Case Post-Panamax container model executed in a towing tank with shallow depth is applied to train a neural network to analyse the ability of the proposed model to learn the effects of different depth conditions on ship’s manoeuvring capabilities. The motivation of the work presented in this paper is to contribute an alternative and effective approach to model non-linear systems through artificial neural networks that address the manoeuvring simulation of ships in shallow water. The system is developed using the Levenberg–Marquardt backpropagation training algorithm and the resilient backpropagation scheme to demonstrate the correlation between the vessel forces and the respective trajectories and velocities. Sensitivity analyses were performed to identify the number of layers necessary for the proposed model to predict the vessel manoeuvring characteristics in two different depths. The outcomes achieved with the proposed system have shown excellent accuracy and ability in predicting ship manoeuvring with varying depths of shallow water. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Models and Simulations of Ship Manoeuvring)

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27 pages, 28831 KB

Open AccessArticle

Numerical Simulations of a Ship’s Maneuverability in Shallow Water

by Jing Li, Qing Wang, Kai Dong and Xianzhou Wang

J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(7), 1076; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12071076 - 26 Jun 2024

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4029

Abstract

It is necessary to maintain maneuverability for ship navigation in shallow water, such as channels, ports and other confined waters. In this study, a turning circle maneuver with 35° rudder deflection and a 20/5 zigzag maneuver for KVLCC2 in shallow waters are tested numerically to directly predict the maneuverability of the ship in shallow water. A viscous in-house CFD solver is applied with the dynamic overset grid approach. The impacts of the water depth on the ship’s maneuverability in terms of turning and zigzag competence are evaluated, and the underlying mechanism is analyzed. The numerical method is validated by comparing it with experimental data on the turning indices, which shows good agreement. It is demonstrated that the turning capability become worse with a smaller depth–draft ratio, thus resulting in a lower yaw rate and a greater steady turning diameter. However, the drift angle and lateral speed are reduced with a smaller depth–draft ratio for zigzag maneuvers, but the overshoot angle and turn lag vary with the water depth non-monotonically. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Models and Simulations of Ship Manoeuvring)

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Review

Jump to: Editorial, Research

50 pages, 1282 KB

Open AccessReview

Ship Manoeuvring Research 2010–2025: From Hydrodynamics and Control to Digital Twins, AI and MASS

by Mina Tadros, Myo Zin Aung, Panagiotis Louvros, Christos Pollalis, Amin Nazemian and Evangelos Boulougouris

J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2025, 13(12), 2322; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13122322 - 7 Dec 2025

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4008

Abstract

Over the past fifteen years, ship manoeuvring has evolved from a highly specialised branch of marine hydrodynamics into a key enabler within multidisciplinary research, integrating seakeeping and intact stability, and paving the way for digital twins and autonomous maritime systems. The scope of this review is to examine the existing literature in a way that paves the way forward for integration with robotics, aerial and surface drones, digital-twin (DT) ecosystems, and other interconnected autonomous platforms. This paper reviews the published articles during this period, tracing the field’s progression from classical hydrodynamic models to intelligent, data-centric, and regulation-aware maritime systems. Drawing on a structured bibliometric dataset covering 2010–2025, this study organises the literature into interconnected themes spanning physics-based manoeuvring models, adaptive and predictive control, machine learning and digital-twin (DT) technologies, collision-avoidance and regulatory reasoning, environmental performance, and cooperative autonomy. The analysis reveals the transition from static empirical modelling toward hybrid physics, artificial intelligence (AI) frameworks capable of capturing nonlinear dynamics, uncertainty, and multi-vessel interactions. At the same time, this review highlights the growing influence of Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs), the Second-Generation Intact Stability Criteria, and emissions-reduction targets in shaping technical developments. While learning-enabled prediction, model predictive control (MPC)-based regulatory compliance, and real-time DT synchronisation show increasing maturity, this study identifies unresolved challenges, including domain shift, model interpretability, certification barriers, multi-agent safety guarantees, and DT divergence under sparse data. By mapping both demonstrated capabilities and conceptual frontiers, this review presents manoeuvring as a central pillar of future Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) operations and sustainable shipping. The findings outline a research agenda toward integrated, explainable, and environmentally aligned manoeuvring intelligence that can support safe, efficient, and regulation-compliant autonomous maritime systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Models and Simulations of Ship Manoeuvring)

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