
Mathematical Modeling for Ship Evacuation from Tsunami Attack 
Ei-ichi Kobayashi
1
, Shota Yoneda
1
, Masako Murayama
2
, Yuuki Taniguchi
1
,  
Hirotada Hashimoto
1
 and Shunichi Koshimura
3
 
1
Graduate School of Maritime Sciences, Kobe University, 5-1-1 Fukae-minami, Higashinada-ku, Kobe, Japan 
2
Toyama National College of Technology, 1-2 Ebie-neriya, Imizu city, Toyama, Japan 
3
International Research Institute for Disaster Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Tohoku, Japan 
  
Keywords:  Tsunami Disaster, Ship Evacuation, Maneuverability. 
Abstract:  When a tsunami warning is officially announced, as a measure for safeguarding ships from tsunami attacks, 
it is recommended that large ships in harbors be maneuvered to sheltered areas outside the ports until the 
tsunami subsides. In this paper, we develop mathematical simulation models to describe the dynamic 
behavior of a ship. Then, the evacuation maneuvers of a cruise ship and a cargo ship in a tsunami flow are 
analyzed and characterized. Finally, it is concluded that this kind of simulation could be very great help 
useful to evaluate the safety of ship evacuation methods against for the tsunami attacks.  
1 INTRODUCTION 
For over 1,000 years, large earthquakes have 
occurred along the Nankai Trough located in the 
Pacific Ocean off Shikoku Island and Ki-i Peninsula 
of Honshu Island, Japan, where the Eurasian Plate is 
subducting under the Philippine Plate. There is an 
increasing concern that a large earthquake may 
occur along the Nankai Trough in the Pacific Ocean 
near Japan, where the Tōkai, Tōnankai, and Nankai 
regions are located (the earthquakes in these regions 
are discussed hereinafter). Tsunamis have caused 
great damage along the coastal areas near the Tōkai, 
Tōnankai, and Nankai regions. Earthquakes of a 
magnitude as high as 8.0 on the Richter scale have 
occurred at these three locations in the past 1,500 
years. For example, the earthquake that struck 
Hakuhou in AD 684 was of a magnitude of 8.0 on 
the Richter scale. Other incidents include the 
earthquakes at Keicho in AD 1605 (magnitude: 7.9), 
at Houei in AD 1707 (magnitude: 8.6), at Tōnankai 
in AD 1944 (magnitude: 8.4), and at Nankai in AD 
1946 (magnitude: 8.4). As of January 1, 2015, the 
probability of the occurrence of earthquakes at 
Nankai and Tōnankai in the next 30 years is 
estimated as 70% (Figures 1 and 2). 
It is estimated that the time taken by a tsunami to 
arrive at the Osaka Bay after an earthquake is 
approximately 1 h. A tsunami wave on the coast of 
Japan would not only increase the sea level but also 
create strong horizontal flows in bays and ports. 
Consequently, ships may move uncontrollably, 
subjecting piers to tremendous sideways forces, and 
crash relentlessly against breakwaters. Ultimately, 
vessels would set adrift and run aground. 
To safeguard ships from tsunami attacks in 
Osaka bay and nearby areas, when a tsunami 
warning is officially announced, it is recommended 
that large general merchant vessels in harbors be 
maneuvered to sheltered areas outside the ports until 
the tsunami subsides. 
However, the guidelines provided by port 
authorities only state that ships must leave ports 
immediately if a tsunami attack is expected and do 
not clearly indicate how the ships can navigate and 
where they can relocate. 
Computer simulation is one of the most valuable 
and reliable techniques for developing appropriate 
evacuation plans for ships in ports if a tsunami is 
expected. There are numerous ports used by 
container ships, cargo ships, passenger ships, ferries, 
pleasure ships, and/or fishery boats along the coastal 
area of Osaka Bay, Japan. Cruise ships that regularly 
enter and depart from Osaka Bay are capable of 
carrying over 3,500 passengers. Moreover, large 
cargo ships are often docked at the Osaka Bay.  
In this paper, mathematical simulation models to 
describe the dynamic behavior of a ship are 
318
Kobayashi E., Yoneda S., Murayama M., Taniguchi Y., Hashimoto H. and Koshimura S..
Mathematical Modeling for Ship Evacuation from Tsunami Attack.
DOI: 10.5220/0005569103180325
In Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Simulation and Modeling Methodologies, Technologies and Applications (SIMULTECH-2015),
pages 318-325
ISBN: 978-989-758-120-5
Copyright
c
 2015 SCITEPRESS (Science and Technology Publications, Lda.)