391
1 INTRODUCTION
Intelligent,machine‐controlledtransportationsystems
are becoming increasingly popular due to their
increased efficiency relative to systems relying on
humanoperators.Theever‐increasingperformanceof
computersystems,aswellasthedevelopmentofnew
remotesensingsystems,coupledwiththefallingcosts
of implementing the latest solutions,
allows for the
continued expansion of automated transportation
systemsapplicationrange.
In the field of maritime transportation, there is
considerable interest in the issue of its automation,
bothamongresearchersandshipowners.Theseefforts
are centered around the idea of MASS (Maritime
Autonomous Surface Ships). MASS are expected to
use
arangeofdevelopingtechnologiesthatwillallow
them to move autonomously through the water and
perform tasks, first under constant operator
supervision and eventually under incidental
supervision.
The main advantage of the widespread
introductionofMASSwillbetheincreasedsafetyof
navigationcausedbytwofactors[1].Theabsence
ofa
crewonacommercialvesseleliminatestheriskofloss
of life in the event of a serious accident, including
sinking(excludingpassengervessels).Secondly,the
increasednumberofsensors,andtheircouplingwith
a powerful computer data processing system, can
allowamuchmorepreciseassessmentof
thesituation
bythealgorithmscontrollingtheunmannedvessel.
Another advantage of MASS will be the
optimization of the unitʹs operating costs [2].
Regardless of the propulsion system used:
conventional, hybrid (e.g., diesel‐electric) or all‐
electric,thecontrolalgorithmswillbeabletotakeinto
accountthecurrentoperating
pointofthepropulsion
systematanytime duringthe voyage. Knowingthe
Control of Electric Drive Tugboat Autonomous
Formation
W.Koznowski&A.Łebkowski
GdyniaMaritimeUniversity,Gdynia,Poland
ABSTRACT: The automation of maritime transport is an indispensable trend towards full autonomy of
maritimevessels.Inthispaper,anattemptwasmadetopresentthecontrolsystemforportautonomousvessels
usinganagentsystem.Onthebasisoftheconductedresearch,inorderto
optimizetheenergyconsumption
relatedtothemovementoftugboats,theshapeofthehullandtheshapeoftheformationinwhich4tugboats
aremovingwereselected.Severalscenariosofnavigationalsituationsthatmaytakeplaceinportwatershave
beenrecognized.Theconductedanalysishaveshownthat
theoptimalshapeofthehulloftugboats,theshape
oftheformationinwhichtheymove,aswellasthedeterminationofthepassageroutefortheimplementation
of a specific task, can contribute to reducing both the carbon footprint and the energy consumption of the
propulsionsystemsoftugboats.
Thisisofsignificantimportanceintermsofreducingexhaustgasemissionsin
andaroundports.
http://www.transnav.eu
the International Journal
on Marine Navigation
and Safety of Sea Transportation
Volume 17
Number 2
June 2023
DOI:10.12716/1001.17.02.16