Changes in Wind Forces of a Container Ship Depending on Loading Conditions on Deck

Container ships are becoming larger in order to reduce fuel consumption per unit transportation volume. As the ship size grows, the number of bays in which containers are loaded will increase, and the number of containers per bay will also increase. The loading order of a large number of containers is usually optimized by a computer-aided planning system called a Loading Computer that can comprehensively consider ship stability and cargo handling efficiency. However, due to the increase in the size of ships, the number of ports of call in one voyage and the number of empty containers to be transported also increase, and the container loading patterns are more diverse than before. There is more than one solution. On the other hand, the loading condition of the containers on deck affects the wind forces during the voyage. The above-mentioned Loading Computer does not consider the wind forces acting on a ship, but from the viewpoint of improving energy efficiency, it is desired to consider the wind forces that change depending on the loading patterns as one parameter. In this paper, the relationship between the loading patterns of containers on deck and wind forces was clarified by means of wind tunnel tests, focusing on the number of gaps between container bays.