Application of Holistic Ship Optimization in Bulkcarrier Design and Operation

Abstract

The recent years have seen an evolution of traditional approaches in ship design. Raising fuel costs, tough and volatile market conditions, the constant societal pressure for a «green» environmental footprint combined with ever demanding international safety regulations pose a new challenge for today’s Naval Architect. As a result of this current status of shipping commercial ship design is shifting towards new approaches where holistic approaches are deemed necessary. Apart from considering all the interrelationships between the subsystems that consist the vessel, lifecycle and supply chain considerations are the key in successful and «operator-oriented» designs. The paper presents a methodology within the parametric design software CAESES® for the optimization of the basic design of a new vessel and the operation of an existing one with regards to the maximization of the efficiency, safety and competitiveness of the final design. A case study with the design optimization was undertaken based on the simulation of the anticipated operation of a vessel engaged in the supply chain of Iron Ore. The target was the minimization of costs, fuel consumptions as well as of the Energy Efficiency Operating Index (EEOI) under conditions of uncertainty.