Experimental and Computational Fluid Dynamics Investigations into the Effect of Loading Condition on Resistance of Hard-Chine Semi Planning Crew Boat

Nowadays, the issue of energy efficiency in the maritime transportation sector has been strongly associated with the decreasing use of fossil energy and greenhouse gas emissions. Crew boats are one of the ship modes which consumes a lot of fuel in maritime transportation. This affects the number of exhaust gases released into the atmosphere. A study into the estimation of crew boat resistance was carried out experimentally using a towing tank, numerically using a CFD methodology, and then compared with Savitsky's method. Measurements were taken in calm waters under even keel and trim scenarios, considering load variation had been adjusted for. Determining the correct load position affected the LCG (Longitudinal Center of Gravity) and VCG (Vertical Center of Gravity) parameters, affected trim, and decreased crew boat resistance. Overall results showed that the experimental test, CFD method, and the empirical estimation from Savitsky were in good agreement with average errors up to 3%. The calculation results demonstrated that trim had a greater influence on decreasing resistance up to 3.062% than even keel position. Furthermore, the shifting of LCG had a more significant effect than that of VCG in the context of resistance changes.