Research Status and Technological Prospects of Real-Time Path Planning for Tug Collision Avoidance

In recent years, with the intelligent upgrade of ships and ports, there is increasing attention to the intelligence of tugs. As auxiliary vessels, tugs are responsible for assisting all kinds of ships in berthing, shifting, escorting, and transporting pilots in ports. They are also responsible for social responsibilities such as emergency rescue and firefighting in the port waters, playing a significant role in ensuring port safety. However, the complex working environment, high labor intensity of crew, and high safety risks of tugs make safety collision avoidance and energy consumption issues of paramount importance. Collision avoidance research between vessels has been concentrated on ocean-going ships, and research on tugs has been minimal. Due to the unique characteristics of tugs and their working scenarios, existing collision avoidance theories are impractical. To achieve tug path planning, the development strategy that meets the special characteristics of tugs, improves efficiency, and reduces energy consumption is proposed by analyzing the tug’s uniqueness and working scenarios. The difficult issues of tug path planning are analyzed, and key technologies for achieving tug path planning are demonstrated. It has far-reaching significance for realizing the intelligent upgrading of tugs, constructing smart ports.