Assessing the ship motion prediction capabilities of the open-source model NEMOH against field observations

Abstract

Accurate ship motion prediction is critical for safe and efficient maritime operations, particularly in open ocean environments. This study evaluates the capability of NEMOH, an open-source potential flow boundary element solver, as an example of a ship motion prediction tool for real-world open ocean conditions. A linear model, known as the Response Amplitude Operator (RAO), is obtained using NEMOH and is combined with the wave directional spectrum derived from the WaMoS-II marine radar on the research vessel Akademik Tryoshnikov during the Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition (ACE) to predict ship motion responses in the frequency domain. Predictions of heave, pitch and roll are benchmark..