Influence of propulsion system configuration on the manoeuvring performances of a surface twin-screw ship

Propulsion system can experience large power absorption fluctuations during tight maneuvers. In the case of a turning circle manoeuvre for a twin-screw ship, the power required by the two shaft lines can be completely different; in case of non conventional propulsion system, like cross-connect configurations, a compromise must be met in order to design a safe control system without affecting dramatically the vessel's manoeuvring performance. In this work, a series of free running model tests on a unmanned surface twin screw ship model have been carried out in order to investigate the influence of different propulsion system operation settings on the vessel's manoeuvring characteristics.