Determining the Best Possible Speed of the Ship in Shallow Waters Estimated Based on the Adopted Model for Calculation of the Ship’s Domain Depth

The purpose and scope of this article is to present the best marine practices used to determine the ship’s domain depth (compared to the safety depth parameter in ECDIS) and the safest and best possible speed (also known as optimal speed) of the ship in restricted sea areas limited by the depth of navigation waters. The author also presents a method that can be used to estimate the safe speed of a ship in shallow waters and the so-called navigational risk factor (specified in the range from 0 to 1), using the safety depth parameter specified in ECDIS based on the analysis of a three-dimensional model of the ship’s domain. The essence of the method proposed in this paper is a systematic approach to the operation of a seagoing ship in the aspect of assessing its navigation safety (navigational risk factor) when manoeuvring in restricted sea areas, in particular in shallow waters including navigable canals and fairways.