Port tugboat formation multi-agent control system

The publication presents the structure of the agent system, tasked with control of the formation of unmanned port tugboats capable of performing pilot and towing services. The use of autonomous tugboats with installed software was presented with respect to the existing regulations related to Resolution MSC.467 developed by the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) belonging to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which creates guidelines for the definition and harmonization of the structure and format of maritime services in the context of e-navigation. The use of a multi-agent system structure enables synergistic cooperation of tugboats carrying out joint port operations, such as: assistance in maneuvers of ships, precision movement of ships and other objects in port areas, monitoring and patrolling of port areas, carrying out ice operations, carrying out inspections of quays, the possibility of assistance in liquidation of petroleum and similar pollutant spills. The paper presents the structure of the agent system and the description of possible scenarios of port operations. The control algorithms and the applied methods of artificial intelligence, such as evolutionary algorithms with elements of fuzzy logic, were discussed. The recorded traffic parameters from the actions carried out in the simulator of the marine navigation environment were presented.