A route planning method for small ships inside the marina

Planning safe and efficient routes for small ships inside the marina is essential. However, existing route planning methods have been primarily developed for commercial ships and, therefore, fail to adequately capture the unique navigational characteristics of small ships. To address this limitation, this study proposed a route planning method for small ships navigating inside the marina. The proposed method generated centerline charts based on a Voronoi diagram. Here, the Voronoi diagram was generated from the integrated nautical charts, which comprehensively account for various features inside the marina. Then, the A∗ algorithm was applied by incorporating water depth to plan the optimal route. Furthermore, postprocessing of the planned route was introduced to account for the dredged area and the port-to-port passing rules at marina entrances, including route smoothing. Finally, the proposed method was applied to a marina near the Miami region to evaluate its effectiveness. The results demonstrate that, unlike existing methods, the proposed method successfully considers water depth, dredged area, and port-to-port passing rules at marina entrances while also maintaining a safety distance from the shoreline, all within a short computation time. Accordingly, the proposed method is expected to enhance the safety and efficiency of small ships navigating inside the marina. • We propose a novel route planning method for small ships navigating inside the marina. • The proposed method generates centerline charts using a Voronoi diagram. • The optimal route is planned using the A∗ algorithm, explicitly considering water depth to ensure safe navigation. • Comprehensive postprocessing refines the planned routes. • Validation conducted in the Miami region demonstrates that the proposed method significantly enhances navigational safety.