ABSTRACT: Growth of demand for containerized cargo shipping has put more ports into pressure to accommodate larger vessels. Considering the limitations on dimensions of navigation channels, this is not feasible unless aiming for significant capital dredging or alternatively creating high precision predictions of vessel motions subjected to environmental forcing and interaction with shallow and restricted waterway. NCOS ONLINE (Nonlinear Channel Optimisation Simulator) is a state of the art navigation support tool which combines DHI’s high level forecast of environmental conditions with mathematical model of ship motions to add an extra level of accuracy in predicting the under-keel clearance and vessel swept path to boost the efficiency of navigation and pilotage within restricted channels. NCOS Manoeuvring Module utilizes an autopilot scheme based on PID (Proportional / Integral / Derivative) controller and Line of Sight Algorithm to FORCE Technology’s SimFlex4 manoeuvring solver for prediction of manoeuvring ship swept path and response, which will effectively bring the accuracy of real time full bridge simulator to fast time operation support tool. In this paper, the result of mathematical model is validated against fullscale measurements of containership transits through Port of Auckland Navigation channel by comparing pilot commands, leeway drift and swept path through output of portable pilotage unit. According to the results the model is found promising to predict the behaviour of human pilots with precision required in operational use. Finally, the swept path and manoeuvring performance of a sample transit is assessed on different environmental conditions and tide stages to evaluate the safe transit windows in operation.

KEYWORDS: Autopilot, Harbour Navigation, Shallow Water, Hydrodynamics, Manoeuvring, Fast-Time Manoeuvring Simulation Technology (FTS), Harbour Approach Channels Design , Measurement

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