Intelligent Ships and Waterways: Design, Operation and Advanced Technology

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 (15 May 2024) | Viewed by 33598

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Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Maritime Technology and Safety, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, China
Interests: ship intelligent navigation; motion planning; motion control; formation control
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Mechanics and Maritime Sciences, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296 Göteborg, Sweden
Interests: ship energy efficiency measures; data-driven modeling; voyage optimization; autonomous ships
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Maritime Technology and Safety, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, China
Interests: testing of intelligent ships; intelligent navigation; ship motion modelling and control
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Maritime Technology and Safety, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, China
Interests: intelligent ship; navigation control; environment prediction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As artificial intelligence continues to develop, unmanned or autonomous ships have begun attracting much attention with the intention of downsizing the number of staff, increasing efficiency, etc. In our opinion, the intelligence of ships should cover the full lifecycle, not just the operation procedure technologies, including route planning, fusion perception, advanced decision making, motion control with unknown environments, and testing. Moreover, waterways should provide real-time and necessary navigation services, e.g., time-varying water depth and velocity, predictive waterway conditions, ship traffic flow, for the nearby ongoing ships via shore–ship interaction. To this end, intelligent ships can be developed alongside advanced waterway technologies be improved upon as relates to waterway regulation planning, environment perception and prediction, navigation warning service, shore-based navigation, building information modelling and digital twin application, etc.

In this Special Issue, we welcome contributions from a broad range of theoretical, modeling, field and laboratory research into processes that affect intelligent ships and waterway regions, including, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • Ship multi-objective design
  • Route planning
  • Testing of intelligent ships
  • Fusion perception
  • Navigation decision making
  • Motion control
  • Waterway regulation planning
  • Environment perception and prediction
  • Navigation warning service
  • Shore-based navigation
  • Building information modelling
  • Digital twin
  • Ecological waterway

Dr. Chenguang Liu
Prof. Wengang Mao
Dr. Jialun Liu
Prof. Xiumin Chu
Guest Editors

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Published Papers (23 papers)

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Editorial

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6 pages, 166 KiB  
Editorial
Intelligent Ships and Waterways: Design, Operation and Advanced Technology
by Chenguang Liu, Wengang Mao, Jialun Liu and Xiumin Chu
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(9), 1614; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12091614 - 11 Sep 2024
Viewed by 509
Abstract
Intelligent ships have been attracting much attention with the intention of downsizing the number of staff, increasing efficiency, saving energy, etc [...] Full article

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Review

29 pages, 13503 KiB  
Article
YOSMR: A Ship Detection Method for Marine Radar Based on Customized Lightweight Convolutional Networks
by Zhe Kang, Feng Ma, Chen Chen and Jie Sun
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(8), 1316; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12081316 - 3 Aug 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 946
Abstract
In scenarios such as nearshore and inland waterways, the ship spots in a marine radar are easily confused with reefs and shorelines, leading to difficulties in ship identification. In such settings, the conventional ARPA method based on fractal detection and filter tracking performs [...] Read more.
In scenarios such as nearshore and inland waterways, the ship spots in a marine radar are easily confused with reefs and shorelines, leading to difficulties in ship identification. In such settings, the conventional ARPA method based on fractal detection and filter tracking performs relatively poorly. To accurately identify radar targets in such scenarios, a novel algorithm, namely YOSMR, based on the deep convolutional network, is proposed. The YOSMR uses the MobileNetV3(Large) network to extract ship imaging data of diverse depths and acquire feature data of various ships. Meanwhile, taking into account the issue of feature suppression for small-scale targets in algorithms composed of deep convolutional networks, the feature fusion module known as PANet has been subject to a lightweight reconstruction leveraging depthwise separable convolutions to enhance the extraction of salient features for small-scale ships while reducing model parameters and computational complexity to mitigate overfitting problems. To enhance the scale invariance of convolutional features, the feature extraction backbone is followed by an SPP module, which employs a design of four max-pooling constructs to preserve the prominent ship features within the feature representations. In the prediction head, the Cluster-NMS method and α-DIoU function are used to optimize non-maximum suppression (NMS) and positioning loss of prediction boxes, improving the accuracy and convergence speed of the algorithm. The experiments showed that the recall, accuracy, and precision of YOSMR reached 0.9308, 0.9204, and 0.9215, respectively. The identification efficacy of this algorithm exceeds that of various YOLO algorithms and other lightweight algorithms. In addition, the parameter size and calculational consumption were controlled to only 12.4 M and 8.63 G, respectively, exhibiting an 80.18% and 86.9% decrease compared to the standard YOLO model. As a result, the YOSMR displays a substantial advantage in terms of convolutional computation. Hence, the algorithm achieves an accurate identification of ships with different trail features and various scenes in marine radar images, especially in different interference and extreme scenarios, showing good robustness and applicability. Full article
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16 pages, 4252 KiB  
Article
Research on the Construction of a Digital Twin System for the Long-Term Service Monitoring of Port Terminals
by Jinqiang Bi, Peiren Wang, Wenjia Zhang, Kexin Bao and Liu Qin
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(7), 1215; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12071215 - 19 Jul 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 802
Abstract
Structural damage is a prevalent issue in long-term operations of harbor terminals. Addressing the lack of transparency in terminal infrastructure components, the limited integration of sensor monitoring data, and the insufficient support for feedback on service performance, we propose a novel digital twin [...] Read more.
Structural damage is a prevalent issue in long-term operations of harbor terminals. Addressing the lack of transparency in terminal infrastructure components, the limited integration of sensor monitoring data, and the insufficient support for feedback on service performance, we propose a novel digital twin system construction methodology tailored for the long-term monitoring of port terminals. This study elaborates on the organization and processing of foundational geospatial data, sensor monitoring information, and oceanic hydrometeorological data essential for constructing a digital twin of the terminal. By mapping relationships between physical and virtual spaces, we developed comprehensive dynamic and static models of terminal facilities. Employing a “particle model” approach, we visually represented oceanic and meteorological elements. Additionally, we developed a multi-source heterogeneous data fusion model to facilitate the rapid creation of data indexes for harbor elements under high concurrency conditions, effectively addressing performance issues related to scene-rendering visualization and real-time sensor data storage efficiency. Experimental validation demonstrates that this method enables the rapid construction of digital twin systems for port terminals and supports practical application in business scenarios. Data analysis and comparison confirm the feasibility of the proposed method, providing an effective approach for the long-term monitoring of port terminal operations. Full article
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19 pages, 15698 KiB  
Article
Enhancing Maritime Navigation with Mixed Reality: Assessing Remote Pilotage Concepts and Technologies by In Situ Testing
by Arbresh Ujkani, Pascal Hohnrath, Robert Grundmann and Hans-Christoph Burmeister
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(7), 1084; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12071084 - 27 Jun 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1091
Abstract
In response to the evolving landscape of maritime operations, new technologies are on the horizon as mixed reality (MR), which shall enhance navigation safety and efficiency during remote assistance as, e.g., in the remote pilotage use case. However, up to now, it is [...] Read more.
In response to the evolving landscape of maritime operations, new technologies are on the horizon as mixed reality (MR), which shall enhance navigation safety and efficiency during remote assistance as, e.g., in the remote pilotage use case. However, up to now, it is uncertain if this technology can provide benefits in terms of usability and situational awareness (SA) compared with screen-based visualizations, which are established in maritime navigation. Thus, this paper initially tests and assesses novel approaches to pilotage in the congested maritime environment, which integrates augmented reality (AR) for ship captains and virtual reality (VR) and desktop applications for pilots. The tested prototype employs AR glasses, notably the Hololens 2, to superimpose the Automatic Identification System (AIS) data directly into the captain’s field of view, while pilots on land receive identical information alongside live 360-degree video feeds from cameras installed on the ship. Additional minimum functionalities include waypoint setting, bearing indicators, and voice communication. The efficiency and usability of these technologies are evaluated through in situ tests conducted with experienced pilots on a real ship using the System Usability Scale, the Situational Awareness Rating Technique, as well as Simulator Sickness Questionnaires during the assessment. This includes a first indicative comparison of VR and desktop applications for the given use case. Full article
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15 pages, 5019 KiB  
Article
Ship Trajectory Classification Prediction at Waterway Confluences: An Improved KNN Approach
by Zhiyuan Wang, Wei He, Jiafen Lan, Chuanguang Zhu, Jinyu Lei and Xinglong Liu
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(7), 1070; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12071070 - 26 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1179
Abstract
This study presents a method to support ship trajectory prediction at waterway confluences using historical Automatic Identification System (AIS) data. The method is meant to improve the recognition accuracy of ship behavior trajectory, assist in the proactive avoidance of collisions, and clarify ship [...] Read more.
This study presents a method to support ship trajectory prediction at waterway confluences using historical Automatic Identification System (AIS) data. The method is meant to improve the recognition accuracy of ship behavior trajectory, assist in the proactive avoidance of collisions, and clarify ship collision responsibility, to ensure the safety of waterway transportation systems in the event of ship encounters induced by waterway confluence or channel limitation. In this study, the ship trajectory based on AIS data is considered from five aspects: time, location, heading, speed, and trajectory by using the piecewise cubic Hermite interpolation method and then quickly clustered by regional navigation rules. Then, an improved K-Nearest Neighbor Algorithm considering the sensitivity of data characteristics (SKNN) is proposed to predict the trajectory of ships, which considers the influence weights of various parameters on ship trajectory prediction. The method is trained and verified using the AIS data of the Yangtze River and Han River intersection in Wuhan. The results show that the accuracy of SKNN is better than that of conventional KNN and Naive Bayes (NB) in the same test case. The accuracy of the ship trajectory prediction method is above 99% and the performance metrics of the SKNN surpass those of both the conventional KNN and NB classifiers, which is helpful for early warning of collision encounters to ensure avoidance. Full article
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18 pages, 14276 KiB  
Article
Marine Radar Oil Spill Detection Method Based on YOLOv8 and SA_PSO
by Jin Xu, Yuanyuan Huang, Haihui Dong, Lilin Chu, Yuqiang Yang, Zheng Li, Sihan Qian, Min Cheng, Bo Li, Peng Liu and Jianning Wu
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(6), 1005; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12061005 - 16 Jun 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1231
Abstract
In the midst of a rapidly evolving economic landscape, the global demand for oil is steadily escalating. This increased demand has fueled marine extraction and maritime transportation of oil, resulting in a consequential and uneven surge in maritime oil spills. Characterized by their [...] Read more.
In the midst of a rapidly evolving economic landscape, the global demand for oil is steadily escalating. This increased demand has fueled marine extraction and maritime transportation of oil, resulting in a consequential and uneven surge in maritime oil spills. Characterized by their abrupt onset, rapid pollution dissemination, prolonged harm, and challenges in short-term containment, oil spill accidents pose significant economic and environmental threats. Consequently, it is imperative to adopt effective and reliable methods for timely detection of oil spills to minimize the damage inflicted by such incidents. Leveraging the YOLO deep learning network, this paper introduces a methodology for the automated detection of oil spill targets. The experimental data pre-processing incorporated denoise, grayscale modification, and contrast boost. Subsequently, realistic radar oil spill images were employed as extensive training samples in the YOLOv8 network model. The trained detection model demonstrated rapid and precise identification of valid oil spill regions. Ultimately, the oil films within the identified spill regions were extracted utilizing the simulated annealing particle swarm optimization (SA-PSO) algorithm. The proposed method for offshore oil spill survey presented here can offer immediate and valid data support for regular patrols and emergency reaction efforts. Full article
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19 pages, 4329 KiB  
Article
Association of AIS and Radar Data in Intelligent Navigation in Inland Waterways Based on Trajectory Characteristics
by Jinyu Lei, Yuan Sun, Yong Wu, Fujin Zheng, Wei He and Xinglong Liu
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(6), 890; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12060890 - 27 May 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 972
Abstract
Intelligent navigation is a crucial component of intelligent ships. This study focuses on the situational awareness of intelligent navigation in inland waterways with high vessel traffic densities and increased collision risks, which demand enhanced vessel situational awareness. To address perception data association issues [...] Read more.
Intelligent navigation is a crucial component of intelligent ships. This study focuses on the situational awareness of intelligent navigation in inland waterways with high vessel traffic densities and increased collision risks, which demand enhanced vessel situational awareness. To address perception data association issues in situational awareness, particularly in scenarios with winding waterways and multiple vessel encounters, a method based on trajectory characteristics is proposed to determine associations between Automatic Identification System (AIS) and radar objects, facilitating the fusion of heterogeneous data. Firstly, trajectory characteristics like speed, direction, turning rate, acceleration, and trajectory similarity were extracted from ship radar and AIS data to construct labeled trajectory datasets. Subsequently, by employing the Support Vector Machine (SVM) model, we accomplished the discernment of associations among the trajectories of vessels collected through AIS and radar, thereby achieving the association of heterogeneous data. Finally, through a series of experiments, including overtaking, encounters, and multi-target scenarios, this research substantiated the method, achieving an F1 score greater than 0.95. Consequently, this study can furnish robust support for the perception of intelligent vessel navigation in inland waterways and the elevation of maritime safety. Full article
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24 pages, 12366 KiB  
Article
The Analysis of Intelligent Functions Required for Inland Ships
by Guozhu Hao, Wenhui Xiao, Liwen Huang, Jiahao Chen, Ke Zhang and Yaojie Chen
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(5), 836; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12050836 - 17 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1317
Abstract
Sorting out the requirements for intelligent functions is the prerequisite and foundation of the top-level design for the development of intelligent ships. In light of the development of inland intelligent ships for 2030, 2035, and 2050, based on the analysis of the division [...] Read more.
Sorting out the requirements for intelligent functions is the prerequisite and foundation of the top-level design for the development of intelligent ships. In light of the development of inland intelligent ships for 2030, 2035, and 2050, based on the analysis of the division of intelligent ship functional modules by international representative classification societies and relevant research institutions, eight necessary functional modules have been proposed: intelligent navigation, intelligent hull, intelligent engine room, intelligent energy efficiency management, intelligent cargo management, intelligent integration platform, remote control, and autonomous operation. Taking the technical realization of each functional module as the goal, this paper analyzes the status quo and development trend of related intelligent technologies and their feasibility and applicability when applied to each functional module. At the same time, it clarifies the composition of specific functional elements of each functional module, puts forward the stage goals of China’s inland intelligent ship development and the specific functional requirements of different modules under each stage, and provides reference for the Chinese government to subsequently formulate the top-level design development planning and implementation path of inland waterway intelligent ships. Full article
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22 pages, 6960 KiB  
Article
Robust Fixed-Time Fault-Tolerant Control for USV with Prescribed Tracking Performance
by Zifu Li and Kai Lei
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(5), 799; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12050799 - 10 May 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1152
Abstract
The unmanned surface vessel (USV) is an emerging marine tool with its advantages of automation and intelligence in recent years; the good trajectory tracking performance is an important capability. This paper proposes a novel prescribed performance fixed-time fault-tolerant control scheme for an USV [...] Read more.
The unmanned surface vessel (USV) is an emerging marine tool with its advantages of automation and intelligence in recent years; the good trajectory tracking performance is an important capability. This paper proposes a novel prescribed performance fixed-time fault-tolerant control scheme for an USV with model parameter uncertainties, unknown external disturbances, and actuator faults, based on an improved fixed-time disturbances observer. Firstly, the proposed observer can not only accurately and quickly estimate and compensate the lumped nonlinearity, including actuator faults, but also reduce the chattering phenomenon by introducing the hyperbolic tangent function. Then, under the framework of prescribed performance control, a prescribed performance fault-tolerant controller is designed based on a nonsingular fixed-time sliding mode surface, which guarantees the transient and steady-state performance of an USV under actuator faults and meets the prescribed tracking performance requirements. In addition, it is proved that the closed-loop control system has fixed-time stability according to Lyapunov’s theory. Finally, upon conducting numerical simulations and comparing the proposed control scheme with the SMC and the finite-time NFTSMC scheme, it is evident that the absolute error tracking performance index of the proposed control scheme is significantly lower, thus indicating its superior accuracy. Full article
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18 pages, 9037 KiB  
Article
Integrating Computational Fluid Dynamics for Maneuverability Prediction in Dual Full Rotary Propulsion Ships: A 4-DOF Mathematical Model Approach
by Qiaochan Yu, Yuan Yang, Xiongfei Geng, Yuhan Jiang, Yabin Li and Yougang Tang
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(5), 762; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12050762 - 30 Apr 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 942
Abstract
To predict the maneuverability of a dual full rotary propulsion ship quickly and accurately, the integrated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and mathematical model approach is performed to simulate the ship turning and zigzag tests, which are then compared and validated against a full-scale [...] Read more.
To predict the maneuverability of a dual full rotary propulsion ship quickly and accurately, the integrated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and mathematical model approach is performed to simulate the ship turning and zigzag tests, which are then compared and validated against a full-scale trial carried out under actual sea conditions. Initially, the RANS equations are solved, employing the Volume of Fluid (VOF) method to capture the free water surface, while a numerical simulation of the captive model test is conducted using the rigid body motion module. Secondly, hydrodynamic derivatives for the MMG model are obtained from the CFD simulations and empirical formula. Lastly, a four-degree-of-freedom mathematical model group (MMG) maneuvering model is proposed for the dual full rotary propulsion ship, incorporating full-scale simulations of turning and zigzag tests followed by a full-scale trial for comparative validation. The results indicate that the proposed method has a high accuracy in predicting the maneuverability of dual full-rotary propulsion ships, with an average error of less than 10% from the full-scale trial data (and within 5% for the tactical diameters in particular) in spite of the influence of environmental factors such as wind and waves. It provides experience in predicting the maneuverability of a full-scale ship during the ship design stage. Full article
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23 pages, 50114 KiB  
Article
Risk Analysis and Visualization of Merchant and Fishing Vessel Collisions in Coastal Waters: A Case Study of Fujian Coastal Area
by Chuanguang Zhu, Jinyu Lei, Zhiyuan Wang, Decai Zheng, Chengqiang Yu, Mingzhong Chen and Wei He
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(4), 681; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12040681 - 19 Apr 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1122
Abstract
The invasion of ship domains stands out as a significant factor contributing to the risk of collisions during vessel navigation. However, there is a lack of research on the mechanisms underlying the collision risks specifically related to merchant and fishing vessels in coastal [...] Read more.
The invasion of ship domains stands out as a significant factor contributing to the risk of collisions during vessel navigation. However, there is a lack of research on the mechanisms underlying the collision risks specifically related to merchant and fishing vessels in coastal waters. This study proposes an assessment method for collision risks between merchant and fishing vessels in coastal waters and validates it through a comparative analysis through visualization. First of all, the operational status of fishing vessels is identified. Collaboratively working fishing vessels are treated as a unified entity, expanding their ship domain during operation to assess collision risks. Secondly, to quantify the collision risk between ships, a collision risk index (CRI) is proposed and visualized based on the severity of the collision risk. Finally, taking the high-risk area for merchant and fishing vessel collisions in the Minjiang River Estuary as an example, this paper conducts an analysis that involves classifying ship collision scenarios, extracts risk data under different collision scenarios, and visually analyzes areas prone to danger. The results indicate that this method effectively evaluates the severity of collision risk, and the identified high-risk areas resulting from the analysis are verified by the number of accidents that occurred in the most recent three years. Full article
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17 pages, 3874 KiB  
Article
A Ship Path Tracking Control Method Using a Fuzzy Control Integrated Line-of-Sight Guidance Law
by Bing Han, Zaiyu Duan, Zhouhua Peng and Yuhang Chen
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(4), 586; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12040586 - 29 Mar 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 986
Abstract
A fuzzy control improvement method is proposed with an integral line-of-sight (ILOS) guidance principle to meet the needs of autonomous navigation and high-precision control of ship trajectories. Firstly, a three-degree-of-freedom ship motion model was established with the battery-powered container ship ZYHY LVSHUI 01 [...] Read more.
A fuzzy control improvement method is proposed with an integral line-of-sight (ILOS) guidance principle to meet the needs of autonomous navigation and high-precision control of ship trajectories. Firstly, a three-degree-of-freedom ship motion model was established with the battery-powered container ship ZYHY LVSHUI 01 built by the COSCO Shipping Group. Secondly, a ship path-following controller based on the ILOS algorithm was designed. To satisfy the time-varying demand of the look-ahead distance parameters during the following process, especially under different navigation conditions, fuzzy logic controllers were designed for different navigation conditions to automatically adjust the look-ahead distance parameters. Thirdly, a controller was applied that uses a five-state extended Kalman filter (EKF) to estimate the heading, speed, and heading rate based on the ship’s motion model with the assistance of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) position measurements. This provides the necessary navigational information, reduces the algorithm’s dependence on sensors, and improves its generalizability. Finally, path-following experiments were carried out in the MATLAB experimental platform, and the results were compared with different following algorithms. The simulation results showed that the new algorithm has a better following performance, and it can maintain a smooth rudder angle output. The research results provide a reference for the path-following control of ships. Full article
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17 pages, 5721 KiB  
Article
Dynamic Projection Method of Electronic Navigational Charts for Polar Navigation
by Chenchen Jiao, Xiaoxia Wan, Houpu Li and Shaofeng Bian
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(4), 577; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12040577 - 28 Mar 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1038
Abstract
Electronic navigational charts (ENCs) are geospatial databases compiled in strict accordance with the technical specifications of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO). Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) is a Geographic Information System (GIS) operated by ENCs for real-time navigation at sea, which [...] Read more.
Electronic navigational charts (ENCs) are geospatial databases compiled in strict accordance with the technical specifications of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO). Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) is a Geographic Information System (GIS) operated by ENCs for real-time navigation at sea, which is one of the key technologies for intelligent ships to realize autonomous navigation, intelligent decision-making, and other functions. Facing the urgent demand for high-precision and real-time nautical chart products for polar navigation under the new situation, the projection of ENCs for polar navigation is systematically analyzed in this paper. Based on the theory of complex functions, we derive direct transformations of Mercator projection, polar Gauss-Krüger projection, and polar stereographic projection. A rational set of dynamic projection options oriented towards polar navigation is proposed with reference to existing specifications for the compilation of the ENCs. From the perspective of nautical users, rather than the GIS expert or professional cartographer, an ENCs visualization idea based on multithread-double buffering is integrated into Polar Region Electronic Navigational Charts software, which effectively solves the problem of large projection distortion in polar navigation applications. Taking the CGCS2000 reference ellipsoid as an example, the numerical analysis shows that the length distortion of the Mercator projection is less than 10% in the region up to 74°, but it is more than 80% at very high latitudes. The maximum distortion of the polar Gauss-Krüger projection does not exceed 10%. The degree of distortion of the polar stereographic projection is less than 1% above 79°. In addition, the computational errors of the direct conversion formulas do not exceed 109 m throughout the Arctic range. From the point of view of the computational efficiency of the direct conversion model, it takes no more than 0.1 s to compute nearly 8 million points at 1×1 resolution, which fully meets the demand for real-time nautical chart products under information technology conditions. Full article
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25 pages, 3241 KiB  
Article
An Improved VO Method for Collision Avoidance of Ships in Open Sea
by Mao Zheng, Kehao Zhang, Bing Han, Bowen Lin, Haiming Zhou, Shigan Ding, Tianyue Zou and Yougui Yang
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(3), 402; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12030402 - 26 Feb 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1216
Abstract
In order to effectively deal with collisions in various encounter situations in open water environments, a ship collision avoidance model was established, and multiple constraints were introduced into the velocity obstacle method, a method to determine the ship domain by calculating the safe [...] Read more.
In order to effectively deal with collisions in various encounter situations in open water environments, a ship collision avoidance model was established, and multiple constraints were introduced into the velocity obstacle method, a method to determine the ship domain by calculating the safe distance of approach was proposed. At the same time, the ship collision avoidance model based on the ship domain is analyzed, and the relative velocity set of the collision cone is obtained by solving the common tangent line within the ellipse. The timing of starting collision avoidance is determined by calculating the ship collision risk, and a method for ending collision avoidance is proposed. Finally, by comparing the simulation experiments of the improved algorithm with those of the traditional algorithm and the actual ship experiment results of manual ship maneuvering, it is shown that the method can effectively avoid collisions based on safe encounter distances that comply with navigation experience in different encounter situations. At the same time, it has better performance in collision avoidance behavior. It has certain feasibility and practical applicability. Full article
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22 pages, 2471 KiB  
Article
Distributed Swarm Trajectory Planning for Autonomous Surface Vehicles in Complex Sea Environments
by Anqing Wang, Longwei Li, Haoliang Wang, Bing Han and Zhouhua Peng
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(2), 298; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12020298 - 7 Feb 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1173
Abstract
In this paper, a swarm trajectory-planning method is proposed for multiple autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) in an unknown and obstacle-rich environment. Specifically, based on the point cloud information of the surrounding environment obtained from local sensors, a kinodynamic path-searching method is used to [...] Read more.
In this paper, a swarm trajectory-planning method is proposed for multiple autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) in an unknown and obstacle-rich environment. Specifically, based on the point cloud information of the surrounding environment obtained from local sensors, a kinodynamic path-searching method is used to generate a series of waypoints in the discretized control space at first. Next, after fitting B-spline curves to the obtained waypoints, a nonlinear optimization problem is formulated to optimize the B-spline curves based on gradient-based local planning. Finally, a numerical optimization method is used to solve the optimization problems in real time to obtain collision-free, smooth and dynamically feasible trajectories relying on a shared network. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed swarm trajectory-planning method for a network of ASVs. Full article
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15 pages, 5493 KiB  
Article
Application of Modified BP Neural Network in Identification of Unmanned Surface Vehicle Dynamics
by Sheng Zhang, Guangzhong Liu and Chen Cheng
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(2), 297; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12020297 - 7 Feb 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4257
Abstract
Over the past few decades, unmanned surface vehicles (USV) have drawn a lot of attention. But because of the wind, waves, currents, and other sporadic disturbances, it is challenging to understand and collect correct data about USV dynamics. In this paper, the Modified [...] Read more.
Over the past few decades, unmanned surface vehicles (USV) have drawn a lot of attention. But because of the wind, waves, currents, and other sporadic disturbances, it is challenging to understand and collect correct data about USV dynamics. In this paper, the Modified backpropagation neural network (BPNN) is suggested to address this issue. The experiment was conducted in the Qinghuai River, and the receiver collected the data. The modified BPNN outperforms the conventional BPNN in terms of ship trajectory forecasting and the rate of convergence. The updated BPNN can accurately predict the rotational velocity during the propeller’s acceleration and stability stages at various rpms. Full article
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25 pages, 8357 KiB  
Article
Experimental Study on Adaptive Backstepping Synchronous following Control and Thrust Allocation for a Dynamic Positioning Vessel
by Changde Liu, Yufang Zhang, Min Gu, Longhui Zhang, Yanbin Teng and Fang Tian
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(2), 203; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12020203 - 23 Jan 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1050
Abstract
Cargo transfer vessels (CTVs) are designed to transfer cargo from a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit into conventional tankers. The dynamic positioning system allows the CTV to maintain a safe position relative to the FPSO unit using a flexible cargo transmission [...] Read more.
Cargo transfer vessels (CTVs) are designed to transfer cargo from a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit into conventional tankers. The dynamic positioning system allows the CTV to maintain a safe position relative to the FPSO unit using a flexible cargo transmission pipe, and the CTV tows the tanker during operating conditions. The operation mode can be considered a synchronization tracking control problem. In this paper, a synchronization control strategy is presented based on the virtual leader–follower configuration and an adaptive backstepping control method. The position and heading of the following vessel are proven to be able to globally exponentially converge to the virtual ship by the contraction theorem. Then, the optimization problem of the desired thrust command from the controller is solved through an improved firefly algorithm, which fully considers the physical characteristics of the azimuth thruster and the thrust forbidden zone caused by hydrodynamic interference. To validate the effectiveness of the presented synchronous following strategy and thrust allocation algorithm, a scale model experiment is carried out under a sea state of 4 in a seakeeping basin. The experimental results show that the CTV can effectively maintain a safe distance of 100 m with a maximum deviation of 3.78 m and an average deviation of only 0.99 m in the wave heading 180°, which effectively verifies that the control strategy proposed in this paper can achieve safe and cooperative operation between the CTV and the FPSO unit. To verify the advantages of the SAF algorithm in the thrust allocation, the SQP algorithm and PSO algorithm are used to compare the experimental results. The SAF algorithm outperforms the SQP and PSO algorithms in longitudinal and lateral forces, with the R-squared (R2) values of 0.9996 (yaw moment), 0.9878 (sway force), and 0.9596 (surge force) for the actual thrusts and control commands in the wave heading 180°. The experimental results can provide technical support to improve the safe operation of CTVs. Full article
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20 pages, 6340 KiB  
Article
PSO-Based Predictive PID-Backstepping Controller Design for the Course-Keeping of Ships
by Bowen Lin, Mao Zheng, Bing Han, Xiumin Chu, Mingyang Zhang, Haiming Zhou, Shigan Ding, Hao Wu and Kehao Zhang
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(2), 202; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12020202 - 23 Jan 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1263
Abstract
Ship course-keeping control is of great significance to both navigation efficiency and safety. Nevertheless, the complex navigational conditions, unknown time-varying environmental disturbances, and complex dynamic characteristics of ships pose great difficulties for ship course-keeping. Thus, a PSO-based predictive PID-backstepping (P-PB) controller is proposed [...] Read more.
Ship course-keeping control is of great significance to both navigation efficiency and safety. Nevertheless, the complex navigational conditions, unknown time-varying environmental disturbances, and complex dynamic characteristics of ships pose great difficulties for ship course-keeping. Thus, a PSO-based predictive PID-backstepping (P-PB) controller is proposed in this paper to realize the efficient and rapid course-keeping of ships. The proposed controller takes the ship’s target course, current course, yawing speed, as well as predictive motion parameters into consideration. In the design of the proposed controller, the PID controller is improved by introducing predictive control. Then, the improved controller is combined with a backstepping controller to balance the efficiency and stability of the control. Subsequently, the parameters in the proposed course-keeping controller are optimized by utilizing Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), which can adaptively adjust the value of parameters in various scenarios, and thus further increase its efficiency. Finally, the improved controller is validated by carrying out simulation tests in various scenarios. The results show that it improves the course-keeping error and time-response specification by 4.19% and 9.71% on average, respectively, which can efficiently achieve the course-keeping of ships under various scenarios. Full article
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30 pages, 9122 KiB  
Article
MrisNet: Robust Ship Instance Segmentation in Challenging Marine Radar Environments
by Feng Ma, Zhe Kang, Chen Chen, Jie Sun and Jizhu Deng
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(1), 72; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12010072 - 27 Dec 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1323
Abstract
In high-traffic harbor waters, marine radar frequently encounters signal interference stemming from various obstructive elements, thereby presenting formidable obstacles in the precise identification of ships. To achieve precise pixel-level ship identification in the complex environments, a customized neural network-based ship segmentation algorithm named [...] Read more.
In high-traffic harbor waters, marine radar frequently encounters signal interference stemming from various obstructive elements, thereby presenting formidable obstacles in the precise identification of ships. To achieve precise pixel-level ship identification in the complex environments, a customized neural network-based ship segmentation algorithm named MrisNet is proposed. MrisNet employs a lightweight and efficient FasterYOLO network to extract features from radar images at different levels, capturing fine-grained edge information and deep semantic features of ship pixels. To address the limitation of deep features in the backbone network lacking detailed shape and structured information, an adaptive attention mechanism is introduced after the FasterYOLO network to enhance crucial ship features. To fully utilize the multi-dimensional feature outputs, MrisNet incorporates a Transformer structure to reconstruct the PANet feature fusion network, allowing for the fusion of contextual information and capturing more essential ship information and semantic correlations. In the prediction stage, MrisNet optimizes the target position loss using the EIoU function, enabling the algorithm to adapt to ship position deviations and size variations, thereby improving segmentation accuracy and convergence speed. Experimental results demonstrate MrisNet achieves high recall and precision rates of 94.8% and 95.2%, respectively, in ship instance segmentation, outperforming various YOLO and other single-stage algorithms. Moreover, MrisNet has a model parameter size of 13.8M and real-time computational cost of 23.5G, demonstrating notable advantages in terms of convolutional efficiency. In conclusion, MrisNet accurately segments ships with different spot features and under diverse environmental conditions in marine radar images. It exhibits outstanding performance, particularly in extreme scenarios and challenging interference conditions, showcasing robustness and applicability. Full article
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20 pages, 12181 KiB  
Article
Risk Identification Method for Ship Navigation in the Complex Waterways via Consideration of Ship Domain
by Zhiyuan Wang, Yong Wu, Xiumin Chu, Chenguang Liu and Mao Zheng
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(12), 2265; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11122265 - 29 Nov 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1319
Abstract
Collision risk identification is an important basis for intelligent ship navigation decision-making, which evaluates results that play a crucial role in the safe navigation of ships. However, the curvature, narrowness, and restricted water conditions of complex waterways bring uncertainty and ambiguity to the [...] Read more.
Collision risk identification is an important basis for intelligent ship navigation decision-making, which evaluates results that play a crucial role in the safe navigation of ships. However, the curvature, narrowness, and restricted water conditions of complex waterways bring uncertainty and ambiguity to the judgment of the danger of intelligent ship navigation situation, making it difficult to calculate such risk accurately and efficiently with a unified standard. This study proposes a new method for identifying ship navigation risks by combining the ship domain with AIS data to increase the prediction accuracy of collision risk identification for ship navigation in complex waterways. In this method, a ship domain model is constructed based on the ship density map drawn using AIS data. Then, the collision time with the target ship is calculated based on the collision hazard detection line and safety distance boundary, forming a method for dividing the danger level of the ship navigation situation. In addition, the effectiveness of this method was verified through simulation of ships navigation in complex waterways, and correct collision avoidance decisions can be made with the Regulations for Preventing Collisions in Inland Rivers of the People’s Republic of China, indicating the advantages of the proposed risk identification method in practical applications. Full article
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19 pages, 15079 KiB  
Article
Spatiotemporal Distribution and Evolution Characteristics of Water Traffic Accidents in Asia since the 21st Century
by Zhenxian Peng, Zhonglian Jiang, Xiao Chu and Jianglong Ying
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(11), 2112; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11112112 - 5 Nov 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1473
Abstract
As an important mode of transportation for the global trade, waterborne transportation has become a priority option for import and export trade due to its large load capacity and relatively low cost. Meanwhile, shipping safety has been highly valued. By collecting technological water [...] Read more.
As an important mode of transportation for the global trade, waterborne transportation has become a priority option for import and export trade due to its large load capacity and relatively low cost. Meanwhile, shipping safety has been highly valued. By collecting technological water traffic accident data from the EM-DAT database, the spatiotemporal distribution and evolution characteristics were investigated in Asia since 2000. The methods of gravity center and standard deviation ellipse analysis were utilized to determine the spatial and data-related characteristics of water traffic accidents. Temporally, the results indicated that accidents occurred most frequently during the seasons of autumn and winter, leading to a significant number of casualties. Spatially, both South-eastern Asia and Southern Asia emerged as regions with a high frequency of water traffic accidents, particularly along the borders of Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Bay of Bengal region. In addition, the Daniel trend test and R/S analysis were conducted to demonstrate the evolution trend of accidents across various regions and seasons. The present study provides guidance for improving marine shipping safety, emergency resource management, and relevant policy formulation. Full article
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Review

Jump to: Editorial, Research

35 pages, 18964 KiB  
Review
A Review on Motion Prediction for Intelligent Ship Navigation
by Daiyong Zhang, Xiumin Chu, Chenguang Liu, Zhibo He, Pulin Zhang and Wenxiang Wu
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(1), 107; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12010107 - 5 Jan 2024
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3090
Abstract
In recent years, as intelligent ship-navigation technology has advanced, the challenge of accurately modeling and predicting the dynamic environment and motion status of ships has emerged as a prominent area of research. In response to the diverse time scales required for the prediction [...] Read more.
In recent years, as intelligent ship-navigation technology has advanced, the challenge of accurately modeling and predicting the dynamic environment and motion status of ships has emerged as a prominent area of research. In response to the diverse time scales required for the prediction of ship motion, various methods for modeling ship navigation environments, ship motion, and ship traffic flow have been explored and analyzed. Additionally, these motion-prediction methods are applied for motion control, collision-avoidance planning, and route optimization. Key issues are summarized regarding ship-motion prediction, including online modeling of motion models, real ship validation, and consistency in modeling, optimization, and control. Future technology trends are predicted in mechanism-data fusion modeling, large-scale model, multi-objective motion prediction, etc. Full article
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31 pages, 9523 KiB  
Review
State-of-the-Art Review and Future Perspectives on Maneuvering Modeling for Automatic Ship Berthing
by Song Zhang, Qing Wu, Jialun Liu, Yangying He and Shijie Li
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(9), 1824; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11091824 - 19 Sep 2023
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1905
Abstract
Automatic berthing is at the top level of ship autonomy; it is unwise and hasty to hand over the control initiative to the controller and the algorithm without the foundation of the maneuvering model. The berthing maneuver model predicts the ship responses to [...] Read more.
Automatic berthing is at the top level of ship autonomy; it is unwise and hasty to hand over the control initiative to the controller and the algorithm without the foundation of the maneuvering model. The berthing maneuver model predicts the ship responses to the steerage and external disturbances, and provides a foundation for the control algorithm. The modular MMG model is widely adopted in ship maneuverability studies. However, there are two ambiguous questions on berthing maneuver modeling: What are the similarities and differences between the conventional MMG maneuvering model and automatic berthing maneuvering model? How can an accurate automatic berthing maneuvering model be established? To answer these two questions, this paper firstly performs bibliometric analysis on automatic berthing, to discover the hot issues and emphasize the significance of maneuver modeling. It then demonstrates the similarities and differences between the conventional MMG maneuvering model and the automatic berthing maneuvering model. Furthermore, the berthing maneuver specifications and modeling procedures are explained in terms of the hydrodynamic forces on the hull, four-quadrant propulsion and steerage performances, external disturbances, and auxiliary devices. The conclusions of this work provide references for ship berthing mathematical modeling, auxiliary device utilization, berthing aid system improvement, and automatic berthing control studies. Full article
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