Development of the Elements of Tugboat Handling for Berthing and Unberthing of Container Ships

Abstract

This paper provides a study on the procedure of tugboat handling for berthing and unberthing of container ships in the Port of Surabaya Container Terminal. The elements of the tugboat assistance consisted of time series of the percentage of tugboats’ power, the direction of the tug’s force, and the duration. This study developed a manoeuvring simulation program using the mathematical manoeuvring group (MMG) model to determine the handling elements to achieve the intended trajectory properly. The model considered the surging force, swaying force, and yawing moment of tugs, as well as the disturbances of current, wind, and wave. The planning trajectory is determined based on berthing and unberthing passages derived from the automatic identification system (AIS) data. The elements resulting in the berthing speed and berthing angle complied with the Permanent International Association of Navigation Congresses (PIANC).