Resistance Analysis of a Fishing Vessel with a Dihedral Bulbous Bow and Retractable Bow Foil Variations
Abstract
Optimizing fishing vessel hull design is crucial for improving energy efficiency and meeting stringent environmental regulations. This study investigates the hydrodynamic resistance of a fishing vessel equipped with a dihedral bulbous bow and retractable bow foils, NACA 0015 and NACA 2408. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations based on Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations were conducted in calm water conditions. Contrary to the targeted resistance reduction, the baseline hull without foils exhibited the lowest total resistance across all tested velocities, recording 9.78 N at 1,286 m/s. Integrating the retractable foils increased total resistance by 27.48% (NACA 0015) and 15.23% (NACA 2408). This resistance penalty stems from an expanded wetted surface area amplifying frictional resistance, combined with interference resistance that disrupts the bulbous bow's streamline flow. Ultimately, the objective of a ?10% resistance reduction was unachieved, establishing the unmodified baseline hull as the most hydro-dynamically efficient configuration.
##Keywords:##
Computational Fluid Dynamics, Dihedral Bulbous Bow, Fishing Vessel, Retractable Bow Foil, Ship Resistance.
Published
Mar 30, 2026
How to Cite
AL JABBAR, Muhammad; RAYHAN, Dr. Fajri Ashfi.
Resistance Analysis of a Fishing Vessel with a Dihedral Bulbous Bow and Retractable Bow Foil Variations.
Journal of Ocean, Mechanical and Aerospace -science and engineering-, [S.l.], v. 70, n. 1, p. 64-71, mar. 2026.
ISSN 2527-6085.
Available at: <https://isomase.org/Journals/index.php/jomase/article/view/592>. Date accessed: 25 apr. 2026.
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.36842/jomase.v70i1.592.
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[5] Lin, Y., He, J. & Li, K. (2018). Hull form design optimization of twin-skeg fishing vessel for minimum resistance based on surrogate model. Advances in Engineering Software, 123,38–50. doi: 10.1016/j.advengsoft.2018.05.010.
[6] Yu, J.W., Lee, M.K., Kim, Y.I., Suh, S.B. & Lee, I. (2021). An optimization study on the hull form and stern appendage for improving resistance performance of a coastal fishing vessel.Applied Sciences (Switzerland), 11(13). doi: 10.3390/app11136124.
[7] Iqbal, M., Terziev, M., Tezdogan, T. & Incecik, A. (2025). Hull form optimisation to minimise the total resistance and dynamic responses of small fishing vessels. Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology, 321. doi: 10.1016/j.oceaneng.2025.120357.
[8] Díaz-Ojeda H.R., Pérez-Arribas F. & Turnock S.R. (2023). The influence of dihedral bulbous bows on the resistance of small fishing vessels: A numerical study. Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology, 281. doi: 10.1016/j.oceaneng.2023.114661.
[9] Bøckmann, E., Yrke, A. & Steen, S. (2018). Fuel savings for a general cargo ship employing retractable bow foils. Applied Ocean Research, 76, 1–10. doi: 10.1016/j.apor.2018.03.015.
[10] MollandA.F. & Turnock, S.R. (2007). Principles, data, design and applications. Marine rudders and control surfaces. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-7506-6944-3.X5000-8.
[11] Abbott, I.H. & Von Doenhoff, A.E. (1959). Abbott, I.H. & Von Doenhoff, A.E. (1959). Theory of wing sections: Including a summary of airfoil data. Dover Publications.
[12] Chrismianto, D., Yudo, H. & Rangga Dewa, N. (2020). Article ID: IJARET_11_04_007 Cite this Article: Deddy Chrismianto, Hartono Yudo, Kiryanto and Narendra Rangga Dewa, Modification of 30 Gt Fishing Vessels Using Hull Vane Naca 2408 Type for Reducing Ship Resistance. International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology (IJARET), 11(4), 57–62.
[13] Birk, L. (2019). Fundamentals of Ship Hydrodynamics: Fluid Mechanics, Ship Resistance and Propulsion: Wiley Liblary Online.
[14] Versteeg, H.K. & Malalasekera, W. (2007). An Introduction to Computational Fluid Dynamics: The Finite Volume Method (2nd ed.). Pearson Education.
[15] Menter, F. R., Kuntz, M. & Langtry, R. (2003). Two-equation eddy-viscosity turbulence models for engineering applications. AIAA Journal, 32(8), 1598–1605.
[16] Pérez-Arribas, F., Silva-Campillo, A. & Díaz-Ojeda, H.R. (2022). Design of dihedral bows: A new type of developable added bulbous bows-Experimental results. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 10(11), 1691. doi: 10.3390/jmse10111691.
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