On the speed control for automated surface vessel operation

Automated surface vessels (ASVs) are used in intelligent transportation systems, autonomous oceanographic research, and cargo handling in harbors. Combined surge, sway, and yaw control of surface vessels still remains as an open problem. In this paper, the problem of control with guaranteed sway and yaw stability for automated surface vessel operation is addressed with special emphasis on speed control. A control scheme to solve this problem without simplifying the dynamics is proposed and extensively studied using formative mathematical analyses and simulations.