Development of navigator behavior models for the evaluation of collision avoidance behavior in the collision-prone navigation environment

Abstract

In order to prevent ship collisions, it is important to understand the behavior of navigators that leads to these collisions. The main cause of marine accidents in the Republic of Korea is attributed to navigator error, particularly in collisions. Hence, reducing navigator error is a key issue that needs to be addressed to prevent accidents. However, the lack of objective measure to quantify navigator error remains a challenge. The purpose of this study is to develop an objective identification of a navigator's behavior in a collision encountering situation. Two behavior models for the success and failure of collision avoidance are developed by collecting participants' actions, using a ship maneuvering simulator within a given scenario. These maneuvering behavior models are validated in terms of their discrimination powers. The results show that maneuvering behavior is clearly identified in the data processing and model development phases. The proposed behavior models are expected to provide a better understanding of how navigators behave to help reduce collision accidents.