The preliminary research experiments described herein were aimed to choose an appropriate mixed reality technology for the construction of navigational information display method to be used onboard ships in restricted waters. The method assumes a possibly faithful representation of the environment and the actual navigational situation on a spatial decision support system (SDSS) interface during ship navigation and maneuvering in restricted waters. The paper also presents the architecture and process of building a SDSS, where the method of navigational information display using augmented virtuality was applied.

Context: From the perspective of marine traffic engineering, a system of port waterways is composed of a set of waterways (port areas), such as approach channels, port entrance, inner fairways (port channels, rivers, lakes), turning basins and port basins of various terminals. The sea waterway must be adjusted to the navigation of specific types of ships, characterized by length, breadth, draft and airdraft. The primary requirement for shipping in sea waterways is the safety of navigation. Each sea waterway has traffic restrictions for the ships using it. These restrictions are called conditions of sea waterway operation or conditions of ship operation in the sea waterway. Problem: There are a number of empirical, deterministic or probabilistic methods to determine the safe width of maneuvering areas on port waterways. The direct application of empirical methods to determine the conditions for the safe operation of ships on the complex waterway, such as the Świnoujście–Szczecin fairway, was impossible due to the complexity of the waterway and various restrictions on its individual parts. Method: The paper presents the assumptions and calculation procedure of a method allowing for the determination of maximum safe parameters of ships in existing complex waterways. Results: The proposed method was used in the preparation of port regulations for the dredged and widened Świnoujście–Szczecin waterway. The results of these calculations are presented as a practical application of the method. Conclusions: This article defines conditions for the safe operation of ships in complex port waterways systems and presents the methodology for determining maximum safe parameters of ships in existing complex port waterways systems.

Maritime training increasingly employs conventional full-mission bridge simulators (FMBS) and virtual reality (VR). This study aims to compare the incidence and severity of simulator sickness induced by a conventional FMBS and an equivalent VR system during a maritime navigation task. Thirty-two final-year maritime students with no prior VR experience participated in two 30 min sessions (conventional FMBS first, then VR after a minimum two-day break), performing an identical navigational watch scenario as observers. Pre- and post-session SSQ scores were collected using a standardized questionnaire, supplemented by post-study qualitative interviews. The results indicated no significant change in SSQ scores following the conventional simulator session. In the VR session, a slight increase in Total SSQ and in Oculomotor and Disorientation subscales was observed (uncorrected p-values < 0.05), but none of these remained significant after applying a Holm–Bonferroni correction. The Nausea subscale did not increase in either condition. Notably, participants’ baseline SSQ scores were lower before the VR trial than before the conventional trial, suggesting a possible novelty effect. Qualitative feedback reflected VR’s high immersion yet also some physical discomfort (e.g., headset weight and visual resolution), with most participants preferring the conventional simulator for longer training. Overall, while VR’s current hardware had comfort limitations, using a standard calm-weather training scenario in VR produced only a minimal, statistically non-significant increase in simulator sickness compared to the conventional simulator.

The paper presents the methodology for determining the components which are related to heel of bulk carrier with one component excluded — the heel of vessel due to waves. The described method was applied to the system, which is dedicated to use in determination of UKC of vessels at the approach to the Port of Swinoujscie. The method includes determination of heel caused by: draught reading errors, wind, current, tugboats and heel related to vessel maneuvers. To determine heel related to vessel maneuver 2-stage method was carried out. The first stage simulation was used to identify the parameters of ship movement. At the second stage, the maximum heel of Bulk Carrier were calculated by using analytical methods. Presented method was implemented to the item rating under keel clearance at the approach to the Port of Swinoujscie

There are a number of empirical methods for determining the width of safe maneuvering areas for ships on waterways. These methods are relatively accurate for straight sections of waterways and less accurate for curves of the waterways. When designing waterways in detail or determining the conditions for their safe operation, more accurate methods (e.g., simulations) are used. However, such studies require relatively large expenditure involving the construction of simulation models of various vessels and water areas, and conducting a real-time simulation experiment with a sufficiently large number of maneuvers performed by highly qualified navigators (pilots, captains). This study deals with the problem of determining the width of safe maneuvering areas of ships on the bends of the waterway based on the results of simulation studies. A new empirical method was developed to determine the width of safe maneuvering areas of loaded bulk carriers passing through fairway bends under deteriorated hydro-meteorological conditions. The method was developed on the basis of a generalization of the results of many simulation experiments carried out at various stages of the Świnoujście–Szczecin fairway reconstruction and a determination of the safe operating conditions for ships passing through the fairway.

The paper presents the results of a study on improving the safety of navigation, during maneuvers in restricted areas, with the use of an augmented virtuality navigation information display. The augmented virtuality solution has been developed by one of the authors and has been described in a previous paper. A set of simulation scenarios has been proposed to study various maneuvers with different types of ships. Models of existing areas and existing ships have been used so the study can be recreated and reevaluated with different types of interfaces. The study is focused on comparing safe maneuvering areas with different information sources used. The results showed that augmented virtuality solution can indeed decrease the safe maneuvering areas and thus increase the safety of navigation for maneuvers in restricted areas.