Analysis of Ship Evacuation during Tsunami Using AIS （Automatic Identification System） Data

External forces of marine weather, such as waves, currents and wind flows, affect the course and speed of a ship under way. As a result, marine accidents, such as collisions or grounding, may occur, particularly in inshore areas. On coasts where earthquakes and tsunamis occur frequently, such as the Japanese coast, a tsunami that advances into a bay from the open sea is influenced by the submarine topography. It grows into a huge wave that could cause tremendous damage to ships under way and at anchorage. A massive earthquake occurred in the Tohoku and Kanto regions of Japan on March 11,2011. In response, a tsunami alert, a tsunami warning and an advisory were issued for the entire Pacific coast region. This research investigates the evacuation behaviour of ships by AIS （automatic identification system） data in Tokyo Bay after the tsunami warning was issued. The unusual behaviour observed was attributed to the emergency evacuation of ships.

Research on a Multi-grid Model for Passenger Evacuation in Ships

In order to enhance the authenticity and accuracy of passenger evacuation simulation in ships, a new multi-grid model was proposed on the basis of a traditional cellular automata model. In the new model finer lattices were used, interaction of force among pedestrians or between pedestrians and constructions was considered, and static floor fields in a multi-level exit environment were simplified into cabin and exit static floor fields. Compared with the traditional cellular automata model, the multi-grid model enhanced the continuity of the passengers'track and the precision of the boundary qualifications. The functions of the dislocation distribution of passengers as well as partial overlap of tracks due to congestion were realized. Furthermore, taking the typical cabin environment as an example, the two models were used to analyze passenger evacuation under the same conditions. It was found that the laws of passenger evacuation simulated by the two models are similar, while the simulation's authenticity and accuracy are enhanced by the multi-grid model.

Analysis of Ship Refuge Action in Tsunami Using AIS Data： Case of the 2011 East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

A massive earthquake occurred in the Tohoku and Kanto regions of Japan on the 1 lth of March 2011. In response, a tsunami alert, a tsunami warning and an advisory were issued for the entire Pacific coast region. This research investigates the evacuation behavior of ships by AIS （automatic identification system） data in Onahama port after the tsunami warning was issued. The unusual behavior observed was attributed to the emergency evacuation of ships. This research investigates the evacuation behaviors of the vessels using the data obtained from AIS, around the Onahama Port during alerting the major tsunami warning. The result shows that most vessels in the port started evacuating approximately 10 min after the major tsunami warning and completed offshore evacuation 40 min after this warning. This contributed in understanding the actual status of the vessel evacuation. In addition, the travel paths of each vessel revealed the influence of the tsunami on the vessels. Furthermore, the exceptional situation where several vessels moved in the same direction at the speed almost same for about 2 hours was confirmed. As a result, it can be estimated that the waves that affected both vessels were the drawback of the tsunamis.

Verification of the Time Tsunami Attacked Coasting Ships Using AIS-Case of the 2011 Japan Tsunami

This research aims to elucidate the navigational situation of ships during the massive tsunami that occurred in the Tohoku district of Japan on March 11,2011. In particular, it focuses on the time the massive tsunami encountered ships. AIS （automatic identification system）, which is required to be fitted aboard large ships for identifying and locating vessels, was used for the analysis of the navigational status of ships. It was confirmed that a group of ships sailing off the coast suddenly changed course. It was also verified that the ships had been struck by the tsunami, and the time of the strike was identified. The novelty and importance of this research are as follows. First, the behaviour of many ships that encountered the massive tsunami was clarified. There are no earlier instances of simultaneous and detailed recording of the behaviour of many ships encountering a massive tsunami. Second, the movement of the ships that encountered the tsunami was analysed, and the time of the maximum wave of the tsunami was verified. The research presents, for the first time in ship history, the status of a ship at the time of a tsunami using objective navigational data.