Ship Design Process

Detailed Engineering
Detailed engineering is the phase of the project when future vessel is built virtually in 3D digital
environment in order to provide necessary manufacturing information to produce the final product.
To shorten delivery times our engineering teams always work in concurrent manner when detailed
engineering is overlapping with basic design phase. Therefore we are very good in managing of changes in
the design while keeping quality and delivery time towards building yard untouched.

Below is the list of typical services we provide during detailed engineering:

 Final MTO
 Surface fairing to production quality
 Shell plate development, bending information
 3D model of hull structures
 3D model of structural outfitting and foundations
 Workshop drawings for hull/outfitting/foundations
 Production Information hull/outfitting/foundations
 Nesting-cutting information for plates and profiles
 3D models and arrangement of equipment
 3D model of pipe systems, HVAC, cable traces
 Arrangement drawings of decks and technical spaces
 Workshop drawings for piping
 Production Information piping

Basic design
Extension of the initial design and to ensure ship performance characteristics
• Refinement of general arrangement
• Basic design of the ship hull (classification)
• Basic design of ship systems and arrangements
• Routing and space reservations
• Approval of the technical documents with customer, classification society and authorities
•Procurement and reservation of the key materials defined in systems schemas and arrangements
• Approval of the materials with customer i.e. ship owner
• Acquisition of knowledge from the suppliers and requirement transmission to the suppliers
• Preparation of plans, guidelines, list of standard solutions needed for the detail design and
engineering
• Creation of production plan

Creation of the workshop drawings, material lists, and numerical data for hull production

 Creation of the workshop drawings and materials lists as well as material procurement
 Pre-fabrication and workshops
 Block outfitting and material logistics
 Area outfitting

• Supplement of materials procurement

• Material acceptance in factory (quality assurance of delivery)
• Support for the assembly and participation of the working team activities

SHIP DESIGN PROCESS

FEASIBILITY STUDYOUTLINE PROJECTPROJECT DEVELOPMENTCONTRACT
PROJECTBASIC DESIGNDETAIL DESIGNCONSTRUCTION AND COMMISSIONINGSHIP
IN OPERATION
Deltamarin’s services cover all phases and disciplines of the ship design process. Each project
is planned according to your needs and preferences.
Our research and development (R&D) function has carried out more than 670 application
studies exploring various markets, project feasibility, product applicability, machineries and
systems. These also serve as an excellent basis for developing state-of-the-art vessel concepts.

Feasibility Study
The ship design process starts with a feasibility study which is the first phase of concept
development. The purpose of the feasibility study is to develop the first vessel design(s) for
the ship owner in order to be able to check the required investment and the feasibility of the
intended service. The starting point for the feasibility project is the customer’s business plan
or basic description of the vessel or the service. Basic statistics of built vessels are applied.
Comparisons to existing designs are essential to achieve a good result.

Deltamarin has carried out hundreds of feasibility studies for different types of vessels. We are
also one of the few companies to utilise a 3D parametric presentation of the arrangement at
this early stage, allowing easy and quick alterations and later development of the vessel
concept. At the end of the feasibility phase, the customer is in a position to discuss further
with other parties involved, and to decide whether to go ahead with the concept.

Outline Project
The purpose of an outline project is to develop the available vessel concept to a level where
the inquiry material can be sent to shipyards for tendering purposes. The main focus in this
phase is to create reliable design material describing the design to a sufficiently detailed level
for the shipyard’s pricing purposes. An interactive 3D model can also be developed for the
customer’s own use.
With a prototype vessel, it is essential that the project is well defined before approaching
yards. All yards can then start with the same basis, the owner receives comparable proposals
and gets the desired design at an affordable price. Not all yards have the capacity or the
experience to produce the necessary design by themselves. In China, for example, an owner’s
outline project is practically always required to receive a proposal from the yard.

At this stage, the preliminarily selected classification society, which also works as a
representative of the national authority, should be called in. This is especially the case when
there are new rules to be applied. Major suppliers should also be approached to receive both
commercial and technical proposals.

At the end of the outline project, the owner can send yards invitations to tender.

Project Development
The purpose of the project development phase is to utilise the time period between the tender
request and contract negotiations. The vessel concept will be developed to a more defined
level, thus minimising the technical and commercial risks of the project. The main focus in this
phase is to further refine and verify the developed design principles with more detailed
calculations and design. Typically the general arrangement (GA) drawing, structural analysis
and hull form/stability are further developed. Preliminary model tests can also be carried out
to ensure the performance of the project.

Optimisations are applied as much as possible in the development of the above features. If
opted for, the general arrangement (GA) with the aid of a 3D product model will act as a
coordination model for all design activities. The model will be developed to a level where
most of the separate spaces are identified and defined. The design will be updated until it can
be seen that the design criteria and targets have been reached. Specific studies are conducted
when needed, and the outline project documentation is finalised.

Contract Project
The purpose of the contract project phase is to provide technical assistance and consultation
during the evaluation of different yard proposals, to further develop the design material, to
participate in technical and commercial contract negotiations and to assist the owner in
finalising the contractual technical specification. The main aim of this phase is to reach a
confirmed technical specification and supporting documents.

The work starts with the review of the proposals received from the bidding yards. The
customer should decide which of the proposals seem interesting and should be included in the
first round of the evaluation process. The first evaluation round will be performed at most for
10 yard proposals and will concentrate on finding deviations in the tender material (i.e. the
outline specification developed in an earlier project phase). The deviations of each proposal
will be listed and their impacts assessed, and a summary of all proposals will be prepared.

After this, a short listing of the most interesting proposals should be carried out and feedback
given to the shortlisted yards. The yards should be given time to develop and update their
proposals before arranging a technical clarification meeting where the customer, yard and
Deltamarin discuss all different aspects of the yard proposal and especially the items deviating
from the outline specification. After this, the yard will continue developing its own material
and Deltamarin will perform a more detailed assessment of the technical specification.

After this round, a preliminary selection of the building yard should be made, and discussions
with this yard continued. Deltamarin will then continue updating and preparing proposals for
final contractual material based on the final technical negotiations. Once the final technical
details are agreed, Deltamarin will prepare the final contractual documentation that can be
confirmed and signed, and will then work as the final technical specification and supporting
documents to the shipbuilding contract. In China, for instance, an owner’s contract project is
practically always required as not all yards have the ability to develop it.

As a result of this phase, the shipbuilding contract is signed.

Basic Design
The purpose of the basic design is to develop the project in order to achieve approvals from
the classification society, national authority and other related authorities as well as to define
the project to meet the owner’s requirements. This means that an efficient basic design class
and flag should be decided upon. At the same time, the project will be technically defined to
allow the procurement of the main equipment. The basic design process cannot proceed
without the selection of manufacturers for the main systems, as makers’ data is required for
the design to proceed.

Basic design is typically ordered/carried out by the yard, but can be carried out on behalf of
the owner as well, even before signing the shipbuilding contract. This, however, means that
the owner may have to make the classification agreement as well as select the main makers,
subject to the shipbuilding contract.

Basic and detail design schedules often overlap. The basic design is finished once all approvals
have been received.
At Deltamarin, we typically carry out 4-6 basic design projects a year, including technical
procurement handling.

Hull form development

Deltamarin’s strong team of hydrodynamic experts are highly experienced in optimising hull
forms for the actual operating conditions of ships. By careful optimisation with state-of-the-art
tools, we can reduce needed propulsion power while maintaining good manoeuvring and
seakeeping characteristics. With hundreds of model-tested vessels as a reference and the
cutting-edge RANS CFD solver STAR-CCM+ as a tool, we optimise vessels to the highest
efficiency level.

In addition to CFD simulations, we carry out 10-15 model test series a year at different
European model basins. Successful execution requires experience and knowledge of developing
the hull form, and the model tests need to be carried out to verify that the optimisation
targets have been achieved. We have very good experience in managing this process to a
successful end result.

Detail Design
To ensure a uniform basis for detail engineering and interface agreement between the yard,
owner, different suppliers and Deltamarin as designer, precoordination design is carried out.
This coordination phase is important as the last check concerning system redundancy and
availability. This phase may also be called integration design.

Space reservations will be checked and necessary definitions for the location of various main
items will be accomplished. The ship-wide routing of piping, ducting and cabling will be made
to prevent any discontinuity in design at areas of interface.

The basic design diagrams for piping, the main cable trays and ventilation ducts will be
brought on top of the space arrangements and layouts, taking into consideration the structural
arrangement as well.

Detail design and engineering are carried out in accordance with the selected building method.
Normally hull, machinery and piping are taken care of by the yard, and the rest by the area
and system suppliers. However, this depends on the selected shipyard. Detail/production
design is typically carried out by the yard alone and/or together with the designers. In China,
the practice is different as, in detail design, only the final vendor data is implemented and the
production design is carried out by the yards with their own 3D programmes.

Basic and detail design schedules often overlap. The detail design ends in production start-up.
Construction and Commissioning
During the construction, we at Deltamarin can supervise the project as well as work in close
cooperation with the yard to ensure successful project execution.

Newbuilding supervision is typically subdivided into three phases:

 Yard and supplier meetings

 Document control/approval/special studies
 Supervision
Depending on the owner’s involvement, we are in a position to take responsibility of all three
phases if needed.

Document approval is handled mainly through our main office, where we have required
specialists available concerning, for example, safety, noise and vibration, structural finite
element method (FEM) analysis, naval architectural calculations, weight, etc. Yard meetings
are handled by the supervisors and/or by required specialists. Supervisors are mainly our own
experienced people. Local capacity can be used when necessary. We have partners in different
countries and locations, which enables us to respond locally, sometimes very quickly.

Training should be started as early as the model testing phase concerning, for example,
manoeuvrability, crabbing and harbour approach, and continued with system simulations, etc.
while the basic design proceeds.

System redundancy and availability should be simulated during the design phase and not be
left for the commissioning phase only.

Ship in Operation
For sailing vessels Deltamarin offers a wide range of services to maintain your fleet in
excellent condition, or even to upgrade it to the next level. For conversions, we offer design
services for the complete project from feasibility studies to full EPCM packages. All this based
on our long track record and knowledge of latest technologies.

Our products and services during operation include the following:

 One-stop shop for conversions: studies, design, management and execution

 Energy efficiency audits and improvement studies, read more here
 Energy efficiency training, read more here
 Updating of stability documentation
 Updating of technical documentation
 Technical documentation lifetime management and storage services
 Safety audits and studies
 Dynamic Positioning (DP) class upgrades
 Environmental studies
For more information please contact

KRISTIAN KNAAPI
HEAD OF SALES & MARKETING
Tel. +358 2 4336 453
Mobile +358 40 7006 905
kristian.knaapi@deltamarin.com

Designing for Success

The Çiçek Shipyard decided in 2005 that it should be creating its own ship designs specially tailored
to the needs of its customers, the markets and the capabilities of its own construction facilities. Adding
this capability has proved very successful, attracting a number of owners and resulting in the
production of a number of highly efficient ships that have secured profitable employment in a variety
of trades.

Çiçek Shipyard's speciality for several years was in the construction of chemical/products tankers and
these continue to be the mainstay of its business. With its new design expertise, the company has
been able to modify the detailed design of such vessels, reducing costs and building time so as to
deliver complex ships at competitive prices.

Çiçek's latest designs include a 25,000dwt bulk carrier and a 3,080dwt chemical/products tanker. Both
types are now under construction and are attracting strong interest despite the current economic
situation as they meet a range of new mandatory requirements that will render redundant many older
ships currently trading in these market sectors.

The shipbuilder prides itself on now being able to take on contracts for a wide variety of ship types.
Recent deliveries have included multi-purpose /breakbulk container vessels and tankers of up to
40,000dwt while the yard's new building dock now enables Çiçek to build Panamax vessels.
Cicek Shipyard Design Department

The Çiçek Shipyard Design Department was established in 2006 as a design bureau with the major objective of
providing professional services in the fields of Naval Architecture, Ship Design and Ship Construction. Assisted
by a strong team of qualified professionals including engineers and naval architects, the department is headed
by Celal Çiçek, a highly regarded naval architect who has 39 years' experience working in shipbuilding and ship
design.

The department is equipped with powerful modern computers, which are used for the design of a wide range of
ship types and are capable of

producing highly detailed drawings and performing a wide range of complex calculations extremely
quickly.

Çiçek utilizes the latest programs supplied by leading international software specialists. These include
Napa, Nupas-Cadmatic (for improving quality and design & production efficiency) and AutoCAD (for
preparing all necessary drawings and detailing).

In the early design stages and also during construction and delivery, it is vital to obtain reliable and
accurate information quickly. It is also essential that extensive design changes to the geometry model
can be made swiftly and easily, as needed. With Napa, we can quickly and easily model surfaces and
compartments in 3D, perform relevant detailed analysis, make changes and re-evaluate the design to
ensure that it is technically feasible and satisfies the requirements of the nature, the shipowner, the
shipyard and the authorities.

The Napa system contains all of the functions needed by users when designing ships and performing
the many and varied calculations required, so enabling optimum solutions to be selected for a wide
range of tasks including:

- Hull form design

- Compartments and internal geometry
- General arrangement
- Speed and power predictions
- Hydrostatics and stability
- Damage stability
- Loading conditions and intact stability studies
- Longitudinal strength
- Weight and cost estimation
- Required freight rate studies
- Tank calibration and capacity tables
- Freeboard and tonnage calculation
- General purpose optimization tools
- Drawings and documentation

Nupas-Cadmatic is used for 3D modelling of the hull structure from the basic design through to the detailed and
production engineering of hull blocks, assemblies, panels and parts`. Piping design and production is also
handled by this system. Nupas contains all of the functions necessary for the construction and plant design of
ships so that the optimum design solutions are obtained.

AutoCAD is the 2D and 3D drawing software which we use to produce all types of drawings. For the entire
design process, AutoCAD presents an easy way to prepare detailed engineering and architectural drawings,
production drawings and 3D modelling images.

The Çiçek Shipyard Design Department is able to design a wide range of ship types that fully satisfy customer
needs, international rules and the requirements of national authorities. From the beginning of a project, all of the
necessary documents, technical papers, drawings and calculations can be prepared, including:
 ? Conceptual design and brief technical specifications for new ships
? Contract specification and technical consulting
? Detailed ship design and documentation, consisting of:
- Plan drawings according to classification society specifications
- Engineering calculations (such as form design, longitudinal & transverse strength, stability, CFD,
FEM)
- Workshop documentation and cutting files
? Consulting and assistance on site during shipbuilding process
? Onboard delivery documentation (ship manuals, instructions and service guides, etc.)
Çiçek Shipyard Design Department always develops its own working processes enabling us to
construct for our customers better ships whilst minimising man-hours and time spent on construction
procedures.

The NUPAS system contains all of the functions necessary for the Construction and plant design of ships so
that the optimum design solution is obtained.
Future of Shipbuilding: Detail Design and
Production Planning (Part 1)
August 16, 2016 By Denis Morais 0 Comments

In my previous blog posts I discussed factors that are forcing us to change virtually all aspects of
how we build marine structures. These include challenges related to how we decide what to build
and how we determine functions and requirements. Another factor is an increased desire to
integrate the customer into the design process more tightly. The next step is to see how we will
take those initial concepts and designs and translate them into detail designs for procuring
materials, optimizing logistics of the yard and physically building ships and rigs.

During the basic and detail design phase there are so many people involved in different roles,
each of whom are responsible for a specific aspect of the ship. A very small set of examples are:
production planners, purchasing & procurement, weight engineers, multiple different types of
simulation experts, suppliers, 3D CAD modelers & designers for various different systems, lifting
& turning engineers, customers, classification societies, multiple different types of facility
operations and logistics roles, etc. All of these and hundreds more require information from many
different departments and stakeholders. The question I will try to answer is, “How will the future
change how these people do their jobs?”
Moving from Static Processes & Architecture to a Dynamic one

One of the trends of the last decade was “Concurrency.” We all know there are thousands of
activities that have to happen to build a marine structure and to execute them in parallel instead
of linearly is better. Concurrency obviously reduces the duration (time from start to end) of
building the structure but technically does not reduce the total amount of hours. This is largely
because of that fact that it introduces new challenges, which require a different process, tools
and most importantly, a new culture. Having said that, I do think most of the people in our
industry practicing a more concurrent workflow are overcoming the initial challenges and are
building their product in less hours.

However, if we really look at how today’s concurrent workflows actually function, we will see that
they are made up of many discrete static chunks; one set of tasks are completed by a person or
team then moved to another. That is one reason I believe we have not really resolved the
challenge of department silos. Departments are producing smaller deliverables, which reduces
the time it takes to pass on information to another department; however, they are still working in
their own bubbles with the information contained in their own systems.
In the future of shipbuilding we will be taking the next leap, moving from this
concurrent static workflow to a concurrent dynamic workflow. This will result in information being
available with significantly higher frequency, allowing better decisions based on true up-to-date
information.

The transition to the concurrent dynamic workflow providing very high frequency information will
have the same challenges as when we moved from a purely linear workflow to a static
concurrent workflow. The future will require existing systems and potentially new systems and
tools to allow information to be provided instantaneously to any other system or stakeholder that
requires the information it contains in a context they can use. It will also require a method that
allows the identification of the maturity of the information since we will need to distinguish if the
information is in the preliminary phase or the completed phase and all stages in-between.

Transparent Connections to Systems and People

The higher frequency data which will be our environment in the future will be driven by the trend
we are seeing today of connecting our systems as well as the changes organizations are making
to improve communication between teams. However, the way you connect a static concurrent
environment and a dynamic one is completely different. It is similar to the difference in turning on
the TV to the weather channel and then waiting until today’s temperature is displayed vs. looking
at your smart watch and seeing the information on the home screen. One is much more dynamic
and instant than the other.

The integration of these systems will transfer data between one system to another as most
integrations today but will handle a more “live” mode. In addition, these systems will also be able
to initiate actions from one system that will be executed in another system. The connections
between systems will be much more sophisticated yet will not seem complex to end users. This
is due to the trends in software development which I will not focus on in the post.

We will see many more systems and people who are only connected via some convoluted
manual process to be connected by a seamless and effortless connection. An example is the
“interesting” ways some companies have their different discipline modelers exchange information
today. If the company uses external subcontractors for electrical or HVAC it can even get more
convoluted. The serial and manual generation of data with low fidelity between teams will be
long gone. Information from each required discipline will be available with the need to generate
the information.

There will be completely new Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data systems that will be
connected to various aspects of our business. This can be an AI system that will take in all
factors to determine cost and even risk of manufacturing. These factors will include the ones we
take into consideration today such as labor, materials, etc. but also many more that we do not
currently take into account.

New Factors to be analyzed in the future:

  Empirical probability of days we cannot work due to weather (looking at short/medium/long
term predictions)
 Amount of sick days employees take during the week a block is being built
 Current cost/resources of lifting and turning using previous shipyard data
 Cost/resources of moving assets around the yard
 Risk of supplier delays during specific seasons
 Many, many more factors

The key to analyzing these factors is the connection of systems within a dynamic concurrent
environment. To make that work, there must be user transparency. This means that the
connections between the systems are hidden away from the user. The end user does not need to
prepare any information to be sent nor follow some sort of manual recipe (series of ordered steps
that if not followed will not give you desired results). The proper information will be transferred to
the correct stakeholders and systems in the correct context/format like magic. Without user
transparency of all these connections, dynamic concurrent environments would simply not exist.

The presence of these connections will allow much more opportunity as to how/when we get
information.

Next Blog Post

In the next blog post I will continue discussing how users will no longer need to context switch
(switch between many applications) to request information as well as initiate an action in several
connected systems. I will also explain why we will finally have an 3D As-Built model.

Next Blog Post

In the next blog post I will continue discussing how users will no longer need to context
switch (switch between many applications) to request information as well as initiate an action
in several connected systems. I will also explain why we will finally have an 3D As-Built
model.

Blog Posts in the Future of Shipbuilding Series

1. Future of Shipbuilding (15+ years)

2. Future of Shipbuilding: Engineering Design
3. Future of Shipbuilding: Detail Design and Production Planning (Part 1)
4. Future of Shipbuilding: Detail Design and Production Planning (Part 2)
5. Future of Shipbuilding: Manufacturing (Part 1)
6. Future of Shipbuilding: Manufacturing (Part 2)
7. Future of Shipbuilding: The Journey Forward

Filed Under: Shipbuilding, TechnologyTagged With: Future

 About Denis Morais
Denis has been internationally recognized for his published blogs, articles and papers and continues to provide
insights on innovative solutions for the marine industries. He has worked hand in hand with industry partners
and SSI’s clients around the world to solve their most difficult business and technology challenges. This depth
of understanding of both the current and future state of technology and the business of shipbuilding serve Denis
well as he leads SSI towards the delivery of innovative products and services .

Future of Shipbuilding: Detail Design and

Production Planning (Part 2)
 Published on August 24, 2016

Denis Morais
In this blog post I will continue the discussion of the Future of Shipbuilding series focusing on Detail Design and
Production Planning.

No more Changing Context and Waiting

With a dynamic concurrent environment, the current way we access information will fundamentally change in
the future. Currently when we have completed our static task, a person or multiple people generate different
formats/representations of that information and pass it to a different department. This manual generation of
information will not happen. Systems are great at these types of tasks and will do virtually all transformations of
information from one team to a context that can be understood by another team.

This means the team member that rely on certain information from another team will always have it available.
There are several ways information can be passed. These are outlined as follows:

1. User Initiated Request

An important point to mention is that a person will be able to query/request the information they need without
changing applications. This will allow the user to stay in the context (application) that they will use to make a
decision based on the information they received. We will no longer have over 30% of people’s time looking and
translating information from other teams into a format they need to make decisions.

Another reason that users will not have to change contexts is because there will be increasing use Intelligent
Virtual Assistants. These assistants are derived from the current chat bots we are hearing about from Microsoft
and Facebook among others, which allow users to ask questions to the assistant and get answers. Examples
would be:

 Who made modifications to …?

 What parts were modified in ECR 123?
 What are the type of equipment's I can use in zone X?
 What compartment is this object in?
 Where is this stock used in the other ships?
 How many parts did I create today?
 Which parts do not have production details verified?
 What is the weight of block 123?
 Show me all related classification drawings for this section.

In addition Intelligent Virtual assistants will be able to do all of above with the addition of providing content and
performing actions. Examples would be:

 Open the drawing where this part is modeled

 Create me a visual representation of all changes in ECR 123
 Get me the Vendor Furnished Information for pump ABC
 Get visual representation of assembly X
 Send an email to the creator of this part and tell them that they need to….
 Create an ECR for this assembly
 Approve all production drawings associated to this assembly
 Show me all model parts which are inconsistent with functional design
 Notify simulation team to conduct a local FEA of this section and send me the results

2. Asynchronous Automatic System Determination

Another way, and a much better method a person will get information will be automatically determined by the
system’s environment. Sometimes a person may not know that there is an issue, a potential issue or even
something they need to take action on. With future systems information will be provided to stakeholders with all
the artifacts they need to make a decision which does not necessarily mean they need to "do" the work. An
example could be a weight engineer who is automatically sent information from the detail design model with a
maturity level that is relevant to a weight engineer of a potential issue in a certain weight zone. The weight
engineer will review the information provided and can make a decision without changing context (applications)
to:

1. Ignore the automatic error/warning

2. Create a task for another team member to investigate and add additional notes
3. Choose to solve the issue at that time.

With the dynamic concurrent workflow, teams will have the information available to them when it is at a level
of maturity that they need. They will no longer need to wait for a static push which contains the information
they need as well as other information needed from other departments allowing them to get information faster.
An example is currently when a designer is building a package deliverable for a block it will contain
information for the shop floor and the planning department as well as many other stakeholders. Since the
information that the planner needs is only a subset of what is needed for the waterfront (ex. Annotations of
details) the planner will be able to get the information they need when it is complete for them. This means they
do not need to wait for the static push from the designer which includes a bunch more information not directly
needed by the planner.
3. Synchronous Knowledge Aware Engineering

When a user is performing their task they need to refer to a lot of sources of information to make their decisions.
Since there are a lot of sources it can be time consuming for a designer to reference all pieces of information
created by different stakeholders.

The key to a synchronous system is that as the user is performing their action, it will refer the result of what is
being done to information contained in other connected systems. If there is a discrepancy it will immediately tell
the user in the current application they are using of this discrepancy. In certain cases it can also provide actions
to take.

A couple of examples of this would be if the designer is modelling a frame and they accidently selected the
wrong stock of a plate or stiffener. The synchronous system would compare the result of what the user did with
the information that is in the classification drawings. It would provide a window in the CAD application and tell
the user that the stock they picked does not match the classification drawing. It will then be able to provide the
user an option to ignore or to change the stock.

The second example is to have the synchronous system check a rule based knowledge system. These systems
will continue to gain and build on it's knowledge using artificial intelligence and machine learning strategies.
The workflow would be similar to when the user models a deck drain system as usual but if a rule is not met,
(e.g. such as not extending a drain hole inlet a certain distance from the deck to account for the final surfacing) a
window will be displayed about the error listing several actions the user can take.

Synchronous systems will find mistakes and provide guidance much earlier to users and this will save a
company both time and money. It will reduce the requirement, or at least the effort involved with tedious
checking and re-work that currently occurs weeks/months after the design was submitted.

Finally, the Future has an As Built 3D Model

As-built 3D models have been a topic of discussion for a very long time. There are several reasons we have not
achieved this. In my opinion, we have not achieved this because as we are in the business of shipbuilding and
not technology, the cost of generating and maintaining the As-Built model was not worth the benefit which
would be realized. Notice I said "would be realized" not "could be realized." This is an important distinction as I
think if done right the benefits we can currently get from an As-Built exceed the cost. However, most companies
today will not exploit or realize all the benefits of the As-Built because they believe the cost vs. benefit is too
low.

In the future this will definitely change. There are several reasons for this:

1. Context is King in the future

2. Realization of benefit for production
3. Digital Ship (aka. Digital Twin)

1. Context is King in the future

With the high frequency of information being exchanged it would be hard to interpret the information you are
provided into actionable decisions without some visual context. Leveraging the 3D model and incorporating
information in the model is a much faster way to communicate. You can communicate much more information
with tremendous clarity compared to any textual method. I have blogged about this before Visualization of
information is a powerful thing
2. Realization of benefit for production

The production floor will be reaping the benefits of the 3D model. I really, really want to say 2D paper
documents will be gone but it is hard to say it. However, what I can say with confidence is that a digital
representation of the ship will be used on every production floor. There will be various ways to access it
possibly with some new technologies not even invented yet. Automation of shop floor machines will come
directly from the 3D model which forces the 3D model to be 100% accurate. Because of the use of the digital
model being used on the waterfront, shipyards will start gaining the benefit of keeping the model up-to-date.
This additional benefit will encourage shipyards to invest more in maintaining an As-Built model and drive its
adoption into the mainstream.

3. Digital Ship (aka. Digital Twin)

There is no argument that maintaining an as-built has additional costs. That is why I think that probably the
strongest driver for as-builts will be the customer. As mentioned, future ship owners will need to have a better
understanding of their asset and one way they will do this is with their requirement for a Digital Ship. The
reason this is important and will push the generation of the as-built is because they will pay for it. You are right
that they will try not to, but at the end they will fork over extra cash to get their digital ship because it will save
them a lot of money during operations.

Generative Design & 3D Printing

Unfortunately, I did not have time to talk about Generative Design and 3D printing. The combination of these
two can change the way we design our marine structures by allowing us to leverage new types of designs which
before were not possible with current manufacturing techniques. I will plan to have a blog post on this topic
sometime in the future.

Closing Remarks

The future sounds a lot like what many vendors say we have today. Some do a small portion and may require
users to follow a specific recipe (order steps which cannot be deviated from). However, in the future, it will be
much more fluid and systems will connect items more freely without requirements. The systems that will be
connected are the ones we have today, but also include new systems, which, for example, will leverage artificial
intelligence, machine learning and Big Data.

The improved seamless flow of information between the systems we use will allow us to evolve from a static
concurrent environment to a dynamic concurrent environment. This will enable the ability to have access to the
information we need at a much higher frequency. It will also provide other stakeholders the information we are
creating to make decisions earlier and give feedback to our work.

Finally, there will be a move towards As-Built models. This has been a topic in shipbuilding since I can
remember. In the past we were not able to achieve this mainly because no-one was driving this initiative.
Owners did not want to pay for it and shipyards did not see the benefit from the additional effort. However, in
the future the changes related to how we will work using the 3D model to provide the main source of context as
well as the realization from the owners of the benefits of the digital twin will change this.

Blog Posts in the Future of Shipbuilding Series

1. Future of Shipbuilding (15+ years)

2. Future of Shipbuilding: Engineering Design
3. Future of Shipbuilding: Detail Design and Production Planning (Part 1)

Original Posted on Waveform Blog