Proposal of new-generation route optimization technique for an oceangoing vessel

The present paper proposes a new-generation route optimization technique for an oceangoing vessel. Although many studies for route optimization have been conducted, most have implicitly considered ship dynamics. The recent advances of computing performance, however, enable us to calculate ship motion dynamics. In the proposed method, numerical simulation is used to compute the objective function necessary for a route optimization model as a minimum time problem. To examine the robustness of the method, calculation results on a container linear on a trans-Pacific route as a test case are demonstrated. It is concluded that by using a Bézier curve, only a few control variables are needed to generate the optimum route. This technique is now formulated as a minimum time problem, but it could be applicable for various extended problems.