Ship maneuvering in shallow and narrow waters : predictive methods and model development review

Maljković, Mislav (author), Pavic, Ivica (author), Meštrović, Toni (author), Perkovič, Marko (author)

The maneuverability of ships is influenced by several factors, including ship design, size, propulsion system, hull shape, and external conditions such as wind, waves, and currents. The size, shape, and arrangement of the hull, rudder, and propeller are decisive for maneuverability. Hydrodynamic forces such as bank effect and squat significantly impact the maneuverability of large ships in narrow channels. With the increasing trend of building ever-larger ships, the demand to evaluate the maneuvering performance of the ship at the design stage has become more critical than ever. Both experimental and computational methods are used to obtain accurate maneuvering characteristics of vessels. In this study, the methods for predicting ship maneuvering characteristics are analyzed using a systematic review based on the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA). This article contributes to a deeper understanding of the hydrodynamic capabilities of ships and identifies possible future challenges in the field of ship hydrodynamics. The findings inform educators and the shipping industry about the importance of predicting the maneuvering performance of ships, with an emphasis on the education and training of seafarers needed to make timely decisions in critical situations.

• Language: English
• Keywords: ship maneuverability, shallow water, hydrodynamic forces, bank effect, squat effect
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.02 - Review Article
• Organization: FPP - Faculty of Maritime Studies and Transport
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: 22 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 12, iss. 8, art. 1450
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-176602
• UDC: 656.6
• ISSN on article: 2077-1312
• DOI: 10.3390/jmse12081450
• COBISS.SI-ID: 205999619
• Publication date in RUL: 05.12.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Journal of marine science and engineering
• Shortened title: J. mar. sci. eng.
• Publisher: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
• ISSN: 2077-1312
• COBISS.SI-ID: 523219993

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: pomorski promet, manevriranje ladje, hidrodinamične sile

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P2-0394
• Name: Modeliranje in simulacije v prometu in pomorstvu