A Geometric Analysis-Based Safety Assessment Framework for MASS Route Decision-Making in Restricted Waters

Abstract: To enhance the safety of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) navigating in restricted waters, this paper aims to develop a geometric analysis-based route safety assessment (GARSA) framework, specifically designed for their route decision-making in irregularly shaped waterways. Utilizing line and point geometric elements to define waterway boundaries, the framework enables to construct a dynamic width characterization function to quantify spatial safety along intricate waterways. An iterative method is developed to calculate this function, enabling an abstracted spatial property representation of the waterways. Based on this, we introduce a navigational safety index that balances global navigational safety and local risk to determine the safest route. To accommodate ship kinematic constraints, path modifications are applied using a dynamic window approach. A case study in a simulated Port of Hamburg environment shows that GARSA effectively identifies safe routes and avoids the risk of entering narrow waterways in an autonomous manner, thereby prioritizing safety in route decision-making for MASS in confined waters.