Collision risk detection and quantification in ship navigation with integrated bridge systems

This study focuses on a collision detection methodology and collision risk assessment in an integrated bridge system accounting for vessel state uncertainties in complex ship maneuvers. Modern technology solutions in integrated bridge systems (IBSs) to improve the navigation safety under vessel close encounters are discussed and ship navigation tools that would detect potential collision situations ahead of time are presented. The proposed vessel relative distance based collision risk detection and quantification methodology is simulated and evaluated under a two vessel encounter in a collision or near-collision situation. Furthermore, the relative navigation trajectory, the relative course-speed vector and the relative bearing vector of one vessel with respect to the other vessel are estimated by an extended Kalman filter. Then, the respective course-speed and relative bearing vectors are used to detect and quantify the collision risk between the vessels. Hence, the proposed collision risk detection and quantification methodology can be implemented in modem integrated bridge system (IBSs), where the potential risk among vessels ahead of a collision situation can be detected and that is also an important part of e-navigation.