Numerical Simulation of Self-Propelled Container Ship Maneuvering in Regular Waves Using a Geometry-Resolved Propeller Model

Abstract

Ship maneuverability in waves is governed by coupled hull–rudder–propeller interactions under wave-disturbed inflow. This study simulates the self-propelled maneuvering of the KRISO Container Ship (KCS) using the unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) equations, the volume-of-fluid (VOF) method, dynamic fluid–body interaction (DFBI), an overset grid, and a geometry-resolved multiple-reference-frame (MRF) propeller. The numerical method is assessed against standard open-water propeller data and KCS zigzag and turning-circle data. Wave heading redistributed the response rather than changing all components uniformly: the following-sea case produced the largest reported resistance variation (51.99 N), the beam-sea case produced the largest heave amplitude (0.0150 m), and bow-quartering and following seas produced nearly equal pitch amplitudes (0.378° and 0.376°). Increasing the rudder angle from 17.5° to 22.5° reduced the tactical diameter from 11.25 m to 7.14 m (36.5%) but increased the estimated transient roll-growth slope from 0.013°/s to 0.035°/s (about 2.7 times), while heave amplitude changed by only 0.0035 m. The unequal response rates reveal that tighter turning is obtained at a disproportionate roll and propulsion-unsteadiness penalty, whereas vertical translation remains comparatively weakly coupled to steering intensity.