Mooring configurations and motion responses of different-scale fishing vessels with alternating arrangement under typhoon conditions

With the continuous exploitation of marine fishery resources, the side-by-side mooring of fishing vessels in harbors has become increasingly common. However, under complex wind and wave conditions, the safety of the mooring is directly affected by the motion response of fishing vessels and the loading characteristics of the mooring system. A reasonable mooring configuration is crucial for reducing motion amplitudes, balancing load distribution, and enhancing overall stability. This study established a model of five fishing vessels using ANSYS-AQWA. In this configuration, the outermost and central vessels are large-scale fishing vessels, and small-scale fishing vessels are placed between each pair of large-scale vessels. By comparing different mooring strategies, the study systematically investigates the motion responses of the fishing vessels and the load characteristics of the mooring system, as well as the impact of wind–wave angles. The results indicate that the mooring configurations significantly influence the surge, sway, roll, and yaw responses of the fishing vessels. The configuration with three mooring lines appears to be the effective in reducing the amplitudes of translational motions and demonstrates higher reliability in mitigating the forces on the mooring system. Furthermore, as the wind–wave angle increases, the sway and yaw responses of the fishing vessels exhibit a significant rise. Meanwhile, the mooring lines, fenders, and hawsers at different positions demonstrate distinct load characteristics. These findings provide valuable insights for the safety assessment of fishing vessel mooring and the optimization of mooring system design.