Sustainable navigation approach: Efficacy assessment of the constant radius turn technique in calculating wheel over point using a ship simulator

Abstract

Changing a ship’s course while manoeuvring on a planned track is challenging as the ship may deviate from its intended course line, particularly when a late course alteration is made. Therefore, a wheel over point must be precisely established as an indicator to initiate course alteration. The study examines the Constant Radius Turn technique’s accuracy, where it is frequently used to calculate and determine the wheel over point. Even though mariners on board the ship have been widely using the technique, there is a lack of evidence in the scholarly literature to verify its effectiveness. In this study, simulations were carried out using a ship simulator to obtain the cross-track distance data for a ship’s manoeuvrability in various navigation regions consist of harbour and confined water, coastal navigation, and open water navigation. The results were then compared to the cross-track limits for each region, which led to the discovery that constant radius turn is an excellent method for identifying wheel over points in coastal and open water navigation, but it is not suitable for use in harbours and confined water areas.