Recent research, such as that found on ScienceDirect and ResearchGate , suggests improving basic CPA by:
The is the estimated position where the distance between two ships (the "own ship" and a "target vessel") reaches its absolute minimum. It is the primary metric used by Watchkeeping Officers to assess the Risk of Collision (ROC) . If the CPA is too small, a collision is possible, requiring immediate maneuvering according to COLREGs . 2. Core Parameters The method relies on two primary mathematical outputs:
Calculated by dividing the relative distance projection by the relative speed.
): The vector difference between the own ship’s velocity and the target's velocity.
Provides GPS-based data including SOG (Speed Over Ground) and COG (Course Over Ground). 4. Calculation Methodology
The CPA is traditionally calculated using vector geometry. Determine Relative Velocity ( Vrcap V sub r