Synergy between theory and practice for ultra large container ships

In 2003 an accessibility study based on real-time simulations for the S-class container ships of Maersk Sealand was performed at Flanders Hydraulics Research in cooperation with all involved parties (public and port authorities, pilots, tug and shipping company). The regulation for the upstream and downstream navigation on the Western Scheldt did not accept the arrival of a ship with length over all greater than 340 m. The paper describes two main research studies executed to fill in the gap of knowledge about the manoeuvring behaviour of container ships in shallow and confined water: the accessibility of Ultra Large Container Ships with a maximum capacity of 14,000 TEU to the Western Scheldt and the accessibility of the Berendrecht Lock and Delwaide Dock located on the right bank of the port of Antwerp. An integrated simulation platform with mathematical models describing hydrodynamic (manoeuvrability, ship-bank and ship-ship interaction) and external (wind, current, tug assistance) forces and coupled ship manoeuvring simulators helped in evaluating the possibilities and limitations of head-on encounters, lock and turning manoeuvres. The combination of research and training has finally led to the arrival of the MSC Beatrice in April 2009. After a validation period of more than half a year, characterised by a constant adaptation of negotiated restrictions, a new regulation for the upstream and downstream navigation is being prepared

Full-scale measurement to assess squat and vertical motions in exposed shallow water

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Description of hydro/meteo data in ship manoeuvring simulators : a survey on the state of the art

This paper describes the results of a survey performed by the authors to assess how hydro/meteo conditions are presently modelled in ship manoeuvring simulators. While mathematical models for the manoeuvring behaviour of ships are well documented in literature, an overview concerning hydro/meteo modelling did not exist yet, despite the crucial role of this aspect on the global level of realism which could be achieved in manoeuvring simulations. A questionnaire regarding current, waves, wind and water levels was therefore sent to a large list of simulator developers and users, with the explicit aim to compile the results in a research paper. The received answers were thoroughly analysed and are summarized in this paper as an overview of the state of the art in hydro/meteo data for ship simulators at the time of writing. All the results are published in an anonymous form to guarantee a high discretion level to all parties who answered the survey. The information which is publicly summarized in this paper could benefit the whole community of ship simulator users and developers by making everyone more aware of the present common practices, while also fixing a starting point for future research and improvements