Estimation of Vessel Center of Gravity Using Inertial Measurement Units in Random Waves for Enhanced Navigational Safety

Abstract

Autonomous shipping represents a significant development in the maritime navigation industry, reliant on the advancement of accurate decision support systems. Precisely predicting a vessel’s center of gravity is a critical component of ship stability and can greatly enhance real-time navigational adjustments to avoid potentially dangerous situations. This study aimed to estimate the position of the center of gravity using full-scale vessel wave-induced motions recorded by inertial measurement units (IMUs). The results demonstrate that the adopted technique can effectively estimate the center of gravity and calculate the ship’s vertical displacements based on local inertial measurements.