Modelling and simulation of interaction forces in tugboat-assisted docking of large marine vessels

Abstract

In this paper, we address modelling and simulation of dynamics involved in docking of large marine vessels with aid of tugboats, with the aim of providing a tool for improved design of control algorithms for autonomous docking operations. Mathematical models of the docking vessel and tugboats in 3DOF are derived, with a special focus on realistic interactions through towline, contact and friction forces with stick–slip dynamics and time delays, which are typically not considered in previous publications on the topic. We also present the implementation of the developed models in the first step towards a Simulink simulator in which considers the special case of tugboat-assisted docking operations in the Narvik harbour. The developed simulator is available on GitHub (see Ørke et al. (2023)) and encompasses model dynamics, tugboat control and vessel control and guidance, although the scope of this paper is model dynamics. We present simulation results that show that we are indeed able to capture interaction dynamics in a realistic way. Finally, we include a discussion of our results and some ideas for further development, as well as some concluding remarks.