Formation control of marine vehicles during replenishment operations

Formation control consists in stabilising distances between ships during their motion at the same speed. Due to necessary coordination of motion of the ships, a structure is composed which allows constant distance to be kept between the ships with an assumed accuracy. Formation control makes use of the Leader-Follower algorithm. The steering structure includes the superior formation controller and real-time trajectory controllers. Direct course and speed steering is executed using PD fuzzy controllers. The application of advanced technologies provides opportunities for reducing the number of crew involved in at-sea reloading activities and increasing ship safety during operations of this type.