Preparing the automatic spill recovery by two unmanned boats towing a boom: Development with scale experiments

The menace of floating spills is frequently solved using a team of ships towing a boom. This operation involves specific control and coordination aspects. Some automatic advice, on board the ships, could be helpful for the pilots. Moreover, it could be convenient to have the alternative of using unmanned boats, especially if the spill represents a danger for humans. This paper studies the control and coordination needs for automatically towing a boom, and proposes the use of unmanned boats with autonomous control. The research is supported by simulations and experiments with scaled boats towing a boom. Promising results have been obtained.