Experimental Study of Forces Exerted on Ships Due to the Vertical Walls of Navigation Channels

Abstract

Ship maneuvering in restricted waters of harbor basins and navigation channels had been the main concern in recent years due to sudden increase of ship’s size. When the ship enters a navigation channel the lateral boundary of the channel exerts a transverse force and turning moment on the ship hull. These forces are so important in the analysis of safety of ship navigation in the channels. Ship model test in the towing tank is a reliable method to evaluate these forces. Therefore systematic model tests are held for modeling of the forces exerted on the tanker ship and dhow model traveling alongside a vertical wall. A database of the interaction forces is developed and the specific hydrodynamic effects related to the phenomena are discussed. The results can be used for simulation of ship maneuvering and assessment of safety limits for navigation of ships alongside the quay walls and breakwaters.