Use of Tunnel- and Azimuthing Thrusters for Roll Damping of Ships

This paper presents a novel technique of active roll damping in marine vessels by sole use of conventional thrusters. Many marine operations, such as crane operation and helicopter landing, should be carried out in small and steady roll motions. However, active roll damping devices such as fins and rudders lose their efficiency in low-speed conditions. This paper, by use of already installed thrusters, provides a new methodology for roll reduction by adjusting the shaft speed and pitch of the propellers. The numerical simulations, presented in the paper, shows promising results with significant roll damping.