Launching of ships from horizontal berth by tipping tables – CFD simulation of wave generation

Abstract The paper considers the side launching of ships from a horizontal berth by tipping tables. The launching process is split into the six phases and a system of nonlinear differential equations of motion is established. The system is solved using the finite difference method. The numerical calculations of the side launching of a large tanker are performed and the results are compared against the model test results. The generation of a high surface wave is simulated with CFD as a 2D problem. The numerical simulation captures the physics of the side launching with high accuracy. The advantages of building the floating structures on a horizontal berth are pointed out.