Evaluation of Onboard Stability Assessment Techniques Under Real Operational Conditions

Abstract

[Abstract] Stability-related accidents and crew lack of training are among the main causes of fatalities in the fishing fleet. Onboard stability guidance systems have been proposed by many authors as a possible solution. These guidance systems have been evolving from colour-coded posters to computer-based systems. However, their real-time operation without crew interaction is not solved yet.

This work presents the validation of a methodology proposed by the authors in previous works for estimating the natural roll frequency of the vessel in real-time and thus the metacentric height. The performance of this method, based on the analysis of the roll motion, is tested during a fishing campaign of a mid-sized trawler, showing very promising results.