Objectives
The proposed project SHOPERA addresses the above outlined challenges by looking holistically at integrated ship design and operational environments, and implementing multi-objective optimisation procedures to optimise a ship’s powering while ensuring safe ship operation; but at the same time seeking the right balance between the ship’s efficiency and economy, safety and greenness. Upon completion, SHOPERA will submit key results to IMO for consideration in the rule making process.
More specifically, the SHOPERA key objectives are:
- Further development and refinement of existing high fidelity, hydrodynamic simulation software tools for the efficient analysis of the seakeeping and manoeuvring performance and safety of ships in complex environmental and/or adverse sea/weather conditions (including the consideration of winds and extreme sea events).
- Performing seakeeping/manoeuvring model tests in combined seaway/wind environment by use of a series of prototypes of different ship types (bulk carrier/tanker, gas ship, containership, general cargo, RoRo ferry), to provide the required basis for the validation of the employed software tools and the results obtained by numerical simulations.
- Integrating validated software tools for the hydrodynamic/manoeuvrability assessment of ships in adverse seaway/weather conditions into a ship design software platform and set-up of a multi-objective optimization procedure in which a ship’s performance is assessed holistically, thus, looking for the minimum powering requirement to ensure safe ship operation in adverse seaway/weather conditions, while keeping the right balance between ship economy, efficiency and safety of the ship and the marine/air environment.
- Putting together design teams that comprise designers, shipyards, owners, class and national administrations to conduct investigations on the impact of the proposed new guidelines for the assessment of the minimum propulsion power to maintain manoeuvrability in adverse conditions (MEPC 64/4/13) on the design and operational characteristics of various ship types. To investigate in parallel the impact on EEDI by implementation of the developed integrated/holistic optimisation procedure in a series of case studies. Herein, to assess in addition ship types currently not covered by the EEDI provisions, like tugs and Offshore Support Vessels.
- To develop new guidelines for the required minimum propulsion power and steering performance to maintain manoeuvrability in adverse conditions. Establishing minimum propulsion power and likely new EEDI requirements ensuring safe operation for various types of ships.
- Upon completion, submit results for consideration by IMO.