Energy-Efficient Route Planning Method for Ships Based on Level Set

To reduce the fuel consumption of ships' oceanic voyages, this study incorporates the influence of ocean currents into the traditional level set algorithm and proposes a route planning algorithm capable of identifying energy-efficient routes in complex and variable sea conditions. The approach introduces the influence factor of ocean current to optimize routing in dynamically changing marie environments. First, models for the energy consumption of ships and flow fields are established. The level set curve is then evolved by integrating the flow environment and energy consumption gradient, solving the Hamilton-Jacobi equation with energy consumption parameters. The optimal path is subsequently determined through backtracking along the energy consumption gradient, enabling energy-efficient route planning from the starting point to the endpoint in complex ocean conditions. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, its performance is evaluated through two case studies, comparing energy consumption under different environmental conditions. The experimental results demonstrate that, compared to the shortest path method based on the level set algorithm, the proposed approach achieves an energy saving rate of approximately 2.1% in obstacle-free environments and 1.4% in environments with obstacles.