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.)