COLREG-compliant ship collision avoidance in narrow channels using curvilinear coordinates

Abstract

This study presents a collision avoidance algorithm that considers the international regulations for preventing collisions at sea for narrow channels. The collision avoidance process for narrow channels may vary depending on the shape of the channel; therefore, implementing such an algorithm for autonomous navigation is not straightforward. In this study, curvilinear coordinates are introduced to represent the channels geometric shape using a parametric curve, B-spline. In addition, traffic rules are classified and applied to the collision avoidance problem for autonomous navigation in narrow channels. To demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed algorithm, Monte-Carlo simulations are conducted, and the results are discussed.