The Numerical Assessment of the Wind Loads on a Post-Panamax Containership for Random Container Configurations

Although air resistance represents a relatively small portion of a ship’s total resistance, it can vary significantly for containerships due to loading conditions and container configurations. As containerships grow, their exposed projected windage area increases, leading to higher wind loads that affect maneuverability, heading control, and operational efficiency. Accurately assessing these aerodynamic effects is therefore crucial for both ship design and operational planning. This study investigates the aerodynamic contribution to ship resistance by evaluating the impact of random container configurations on wind loads for a post-Panamax 6750 TEU containership. Numerical simulations are performed at full scale under open-sea conditions using the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations with the Realizable k-ε Two-Layer turbulence model. The resulting aerodynamic forces and moments are expressed as non-dimensional wind load coefficients, following ITTC recommendations. Numerical results are compared with methods provided by Blendermann and Isherwood, which are based on systematic wind tunnel measurements.