Risk Identification Method for Ship Navigation in the Complex Waterways via Consideration of Ship Domain

Collision risk identification is an important basis for intelligent ship navigation decision-making, which evaluates results that play a crucial role in the safe navigation of ships. However, the curvature, narrowness, and restricted water conditions of complex waterways bring uncertainty and ambiguity to the judgment of the danger of intelligent ship navigation situation, making it difficult to calculate such risk accurately and efficiently with a unified standard. This study proposes a new method for identifying ship navigation risks by combining the ship domain with AIS data to increase the prediction accuracy of collision risk identification for ship navigation in complex waterways. In this method, a ship domain model is constructed based on the ship density map drawn using AIS data. Then, the collision time with the target ship is calculated based on the collision hazard detection line and safety distance boundary, forming a method for dividing the danger level of the ship navigation situation. In addition, the effectiveness of this method was verified through simulation of ships navigation in complex waterways, and correct collision avoidance decisions can be made with the Regulations for Preventing Collisions in Inland Rivers of the People’s Republic of China, indicating the advantages of the proposed risk identification method in practical applications.