Optimal Rescue Ship Locations Using Image Processing and Clustering

Abstract

Currently, globalization of the world economy has also resulted in a shipping volume increase. However, this growth in maritime traffic has led to increased risk of marine accidents. These accidents have a higher probability of occurring in regions where geographical features such as islands are present. Further, the positioning of rescue ships in a particular ocean region with a high level of maritime activity is critical for rescue operations. This paper proposes a method for determining an optimal set of locations for stationing rescue ships in an ocean region with numerous accident sites, such as in the Wando islands of South Korea. The computational challenge in this problem is identified as the positioning of numerous islands of varying sizes located in the region. Thus, the proposed method combines a clustering-based optimization method and an image processing approach that incorporates flood filling to calculate the shortest pixel value between two points in the ocean that detours around the islands. Experimental results indicate that the proposed method reduces the distance between rescue ships and each accident site by 5.0 km compared to the original rescue ship locations. Thus, rescue time is reduced.

Maintaining Symmetry in Optimal and Safe Control of the Ship to Avoid Collisions at Sea

“…Jung and Yoo [37] described the determination of optimal locations for rescue ships by using image processing and clustering, reducing the distance of the rescue vessel to the accident site. Chen et al [38] performed an analysis of the hydrodynamic interaction of an autonomous floating submersible vehicle and a ship with the effect of waves, which improved the guiding and controlling of AUV movement.…”

A Comparative Analysis of Energy Consumption by Conventional and Anchor Based Dynamic Positioning of Ship

“…The rapid development of the world economy has created a demand for various types of vessels in the offshore sector, such as: oil-seeking vessels [7,8], rescue vessels [9], pipeline laying vessels [10][11][12], oil rig service vessels [13], ships for servicing offshore wind farms [13], or floating hotel ships for crews working on platforms or offshore wind farms [14,15]. These types of vessels are usually equipped with a dynamic positioning system and a set of powerful thrusters.…”

The Impact of the Improved Search Object Detection on the SAR Action Success Probability in Maritime Transport

“…The ability to detect a search object depends on the characteristics of the systems used by the rescuers and the search object signatures in the visible, thermal and radar ranges. The modern SAR systems use the advanced methods of detection in radar ranges [3][4][5][6] and infrared thermal ranges [7].…”