Propeller-Induced Seabed Scour: A Review of Hydrodynamic Mechanisms, CFD Modeling, and Coastal Engineering Implications

Abstract

Seabed scour caused by propellers is an increasingly widespread issue with respect to offshore developments as a result of the continually rising sizes of vessels. This literature review aggregates current research literature from 2020 through 2025 with respect to hydrodynamic principles of propeller jets, seabed scouring, computational fluid dynamic models of scouring, and related coastal engineering principles. Major research findings buttress the importance of jetting confinement factors, sediments, and transient conditions of vessel operation. Although research progress in computational fluid dynamic models of seabed scouring from Reynolds averaged Navier Stokes models to more complex models has been beneficial, major research gaps must be filled in models of seabed scouring on cohesive sediments, more representative models of maneuvering conditions, and valid comparisons with real-world data. Major research areas that need to be emphasized in the not too distant research future must encompass research on dynamic principles of seabed sediments, real-world hydrodynamic principles of vessels, data gathering for real-world applications, and engineering models of enhancing seabed scouring resilience.