Multi-body hydrodynamics

Multi-body hydrodynamics analyzes the coupled wave loads and motions of two or more floating bodies in proximity, where each body radiates and diffracts waves that the others feel. The standard tool is a multi-body boundary element method that assembles a combined radiation-diffraction problem, yielding cross-coupling added-mass, damping, and exciting-force terms between bodies. It is essential for side-by-side LNG transfer, FPSO and shuttle-tanker offloading, float-over installation, and ship-to-ship operations, where gap resonance and shielding can amplify or cancel relative motions. Viscous damping must be added at narrow gaps because potential theory overpredicts the resonant standing wave between hulls.