In this paper, we present a global state feedback tracking controller for
underactuated surface marine vessels. This controller is based on saturated
control inputs and, under an assumption on the reference trajectory, the
closed-loop system is globally asymptotically stable (GAS). It has been
designed using a 3 Degree of Freedom benchmark vessel model used in marine
engineering. The main feature of our controller is the boundedness of the
control inputs, which is an essential consideration in real life. In absence of
velocity measurements, the controller works and remains stable with observers
and can be used as an output feedback controller. Simulation results
demonstrate the effectiveness of this method