journal article·2024-12-30Open access

Development of Automatic Berthing Support Program for Autonomous Ships

Byung-Sun Kang, Chang-Hyun Jung, Keewon Kim, Hyunwoo Kim, Jin-Soo Kim, Dae-Hae Kim

Applied Sciences· Volume 15· Issue 1

Abstract

Research on autonomous ships has primarily focused on developing response technologies for navigation from pilot station to pilot station. This study developed an automatic berthing support program that calculates the necessary thruster output values for the bow and stern to achieve the desired berthing speed under varying external force conditions, requiring only essential ship information as input. The program determines the thruster output by analyzing the forces and moments acting on the hull during the berthing process. An experimental setup equipped with the automatic berthing support program was installed on a ship. The outputs of the bow thruster (Thruster(F)) and stern tug (Tug(A)) were 300–544 hp on average, whereas the values calculated by the automatic berthing program (Program(F), Program(A)) were 105–131 hp. The calculation results of the automatic berthing support program of the ship were approximately 3–5 times greater than the horsepower values of the thruster and tug used during actual berthing, probably because the actual berthing speed was 0.25–1.13 m/s, which is more than five times higher than the set speed of 0.05–0.15 m/s. The results indicate that the automatic berthing support program is promising for future applications in automatic berthing systems for autonomous ships.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Maritime Navigation and Safety · Marine and Coastal Research · Advanced Manufacturing and Logistics Optimization

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Yeosu Safety Operation Center, Korea Maritime Transportation Safety Authority, Yeosu 59735, Republic of Korea

Division of Navigation Science, Mokpo National Maritime University, Mokpo 58628, Republic of Korea

Department of Computer Engineering, Mokpo National Maritime University, Mokpo 58628, Republic of Korea

Training Ship, Mokpo National Maritime University, Mokpo 58628, Republic of Korea

Korea e-Navi Information Technology Co., Ltd., Busan 49112, Republic of Korea

Funding

Ministry of Education and the National Research Foundation of Korea

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