Full-scale port manoeuvring simulations for Dover and Calais

To test and verify the behaviour of the ferry in realistic conditions, two captains carried out various manoeuvres in a virtual environment on one of MARIN’s bridge simulators.

These virtual trials were performed using a dedicated simulator database of the ports of Calais and Dover to determine the maximum environmental conditions under which the ferry can safely enter and berth at the ports.
To ensure that the virtual ferry reacts realistically to wind, waves and local current fields, we developed a mathematical manoeuvring model of the double-ended ferry based on the results of the free-sailing and captive manoeuvring tests as discussed in the previous article. This model, predicting the behaviour of the ferry in water depths ranging from deep to shallow water, was extended with parameters describing the wind forces and a 3D mock-up for the visuals.