Evaluation of the Seakeeping Performance Indices for Enhancing Crew Safety and Workability in Small Fishing Vessels

This study evaluated the applicability of the seakeeping performance indices for assessing the safety and crew workability of small fishing vessels, considering the high incidence of accidents in this type of vessel and the limited research on the impact of vessel motion on crew safety. Hydrodynamic analyses of 16 fishing vessels were conducted and the responses of roll, pitch, MII(Motion induced interruption), and MSI (Motion sickness incidence) were derived under various environmental conditions. A three-dimensional panel method based on potential flow theory was used to assess the motion responses of the vessels. Viscous roll damping coefficients were derived from computational fluid dynamics simulations for three representative vessels and applied to the remaining vessels. The results suggested that the magnitude of the seakeeping performance indices varied according to the vessel dimensions and main particulars. In particular, MII exceeded the established criteria for most vessels except in the lowest environmental condition, highlighting the need for criteria specific to small fishing vessels. The study also examined the influence of the forward speed on the indices and found that roll and pitch responses increase with the speed while MSI decreases marginally. Overall, these findings may help enhance the safety of vessels and crew members in small fishing vessels.