Representation of small passenger ferry maneuvering motions by practical modular model

Abstract Maneuvering motions of a ship in calm water are studied through the concept of MMG model. Governing forces are defined by the use of available empirical formulae that require only main ship particulars as input variables. In order to validate the calculation tool, a full-scale sea experiment was carried out in Osaka Bay using a 17-m twin-screw passenger ferry. Test execution and data measurement were performed through the utilization of an autopilot control unit and satellite compass. The result of a straight running test confirms the acceptable accuracy in addressing the surge motion problem. Reasonable agreement between simulation and experiment is also confirmed for 5 ∘ / 5 ∘ and 10 ∘ / 10 ∘ zig-zag tests despite the strong environmental disturbance. The current model can generally represent the subject ship maneuvering motions and is promising for the application to other ship hulls.