Identification of multi-ship maritime traffic situation based on ship traffic complexity measurement model

Maritime Traffic Situation (MTS) is crucial for enhancing the efficiency and safety of maritime navigation, with the complexity of ship traffic serving as a key aspect of identifying and managing maritime risks. This paper proposes a ship traffic complexity measurement model for MTS. The proposed model quantifies the complexity between ships by evaluating factors such as density, proximity factor, and mitigation index, and then integrates these evaluations into multiple ships interaction scenarios to enable a comprehensive assessment of ship traffic complexity. The results of case study have fully demonstrated the model's capability in identifying potential collision risks during the interaction processes of multiple ships situation within a navigational sea. Research on the ship traffic complexity measurement model can provide strong theoretical and practical support for maritime traffic management and navigational safety. •Building on an in-depth exploration of the intrinsic attributes of ships, this paper introduces ship domain (SD) into the calculation of proximity factor within the ship traffic complexity measurement model. By constructing different SDs for different ships, the model can more accurately assess collision risks.•Incorporating the mitigation index, based on ships' speed and course parameters, into the ship traffic complexity measurement model enables the quantification of ships' movement trends within specified temporal and spatial domains. This integration allows the model to accurately assess the mitigation complexity of ships in various MTS, taking into account their dynamics.•Expanding the ship traffic complexity measurement model from focusing on pairs of ships to encompassing the quantification of traffic complexity in multi-ship interactive scenarios has significantly enhanced the model's practical application value.