Tracking Moored Vessel Movement in Multiple DOF Using Active Sensing Methods

Over the years, the economics of scale have caused vessels used for the transportation of goods to become increasingly larger, handling more containers. This increase in capacity (and particular in the dimensions of the vessels) leads to larger forces on the moored vessels during (un)loading operations, and as a result, the process becomes more prone to potential errors. One of those risks is the movement of the vessel that occurs despite of it being moored with a large number of mooring lines. These movements can cause the handling process to slow down, limiting harbor efficiency, and to potentially endanger harbor personnel. It is of great importance for harbors to get a clear sense of these movements so that they can be analyzed and help implement efficient measures to minimize any potential dangers. In this letter, several active sensing methods (SONAR, RADAR, and LiDAR) are used to try and capture these movements in multiple degrees of freedom, and their results are compared. Initially, the testing is done in a simulated harbor environment, and afterwards, the setups are validated in practice at several different active quays in the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, Belgium.