By
Rebecca Gibson |
Presented by the Royal Institution of Naval Architects in association with ICFR, the Design and Operation of Passenger Ships conference took place in London in November 2013. We present a few glimpses of the concepts that were debated by architects, class societies, operators, researchers and shipbuilders during the event
Safety and comfort were hot topics for many participants. DNV GL Germany tackled the issues surrounding risk assessment for passenger ships, in particular a method it has developed to assess the availability and functionality of onboard systems during operation. The method is based on Safe Return to Port principles with a particular emphasis on the design and arrangement of existing spaces and systems.
Lloyd’s Register reported on its role in the research project LYNCEUS (People Localization for Safe Ship Evacuation During Emergency), which examines the human element in technologies for search and rescue, overboard tracking and safe evacuation of ships during emergencies.
The Centre for Maritime Simulator Training (CSMART), which is part of the Carnival Group, explained how function-based bridge organisation can reduce the risk of accidents by creating a resilient socio-technical system to manage errors and threats. The introduction of navigator and co-navigator functions with clear task allocations helps overcome skills and experience gaps between the captain and members of the bridge team.
British firm Burness Corlett Three Quays discussed the practical difficulties inherent in assessing the stability of cruise ships with the growing tendency for operators to conduct lightship tests during service. The added challenges of refurbishment work, with the potential for significant changes in weight distribution during refits, led to the conclusion that stability should always be tested in drydock.
Following updates to European Union survivability guidelines (GOALDS), accident investigation specialists Brookes Bell LLP worked with the University of Strathclyde, UK to optimise the baseline design of a large ro-ro passenger vessel to significantly raise the damage survivability of the vessel. The required commercial viability of the design remained unaffected.
Netherlands-based company Marin considered the impact of hydrodynamic aspects in the design of passenger vessels. Various possible ways of optimising hull lines were discussed, along with their effects on efficiency, operability, comfort and safety. The presentation ended with a recommendation that powering, manoeuvring and seakeeping aspects should be integrated during the design phase.
Vessel efficiency was another strong theme among presenters. An innovative, environmentally and economically sound alternative to underwater ship hull coating was the topic for Hydrex, which presented the case of a cruise line that had gained 10% in fuel efficiency since switching from a biocidal antifouling coating to a surface-treated composite.
The Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) was debated by several participants. While admitting that there is no such thing as a perfect EEDI formula, Kattegat Design of Sweden presented an MEPC 65-endorsed EEDI correction methodology for ro-ro cargo and ro-ro passenger ships, which have been excluded from the first phase of EEDI implementation. The University of Zagreb, Croatia also focused on the EEDI, introducing a method of calculating the attained EEDI for passenger ships, tailored to their specific exploitation requirements and power system configurations.
Together with the private-public partnership Green Ship of the Future, Danish firm OSK Ship-Tech reported on a low-emission ro-pax ferry project. Research took place on the existing 1,500-passenger Destination Gotland ferry Visby, led to a saving of 22.9% in CO2 emissions which will be applied to a new 1,930-passenger ferry due for delivery in 2017.
This article appeared in the Spring/Summer 2014 edition of International Cruise & Ferry Review. To read other articles, you can subscribe to the magazine in printed or digital formats.