Numerical study on water depth effects on hydrodynamic forces acting on berthing ships

Due to the restrictions of ports, maneuverability of berthing ships will be affected significantly by water depth. In the present study, numerical simulation of the berthing maneuver of a ship with prescribed translational motion is performed by solving the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations based on overset grid, and the effects of the quaywall and freesurface are taken into consideration. To validate the present numerical method, comparison is performed between our results and the other results or measurements. It is found that the agreement is significantly better than that resulting from previous CFD-based approach. Subsequently, the effects of various water depths are investigated to evaluate their influences on hydrodynamic forces. The present results can provide helpful guidance on safe maneuvering for vessels’ berthing and fender system design in quays.