Fuel saving by asymmetric afterbodies for single-screw vessels

This article deals with model test results of a container vessel having a low block coefficient. It was fitted with an asymmetric afterbody in order to improve the water flow to the propeller and thus the propulsion. Power savings of more than 7% were attained, an interesting percentage under economic aspects. Calculations based on the wake distribution measurements showed that the variations of forces and moments at the propeller shaft were markedly below the permissible limits and that the pressure fluctuations on the shell could be reduced considerably.     

Practical control of underactuated ships

This paper presents a design of global smooth controllers that achieve the practical stabilization of arbitrary reference trajectories, including fixed points and nonadmissible trajectories for underactuated ships. These ships do not have an independent actuator in the sway axis. The control design is based on several nonlinear coordinate changes, the transverse function approach, the back-stepping technique, the Lyapunov direct method, and utilization of the ship dynamics. Simulation results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed control design.     

Eventual stability of flooded ships

This paper deals with stability investigations of forced nonlinear rolling motion of a ship with a flooded compartment. The mathematical stability analysis has been realized in the sense of Eventual Stability. Two stability regions have been constructed through two Lyapunov functions generated by using Variable Gradient Method and the method of Puri. Having obtained stability conditions for the governing equations of the motion, dissipativeness of the motion, and maximum rolling angles have been obtained by using a theorem given by Bibikov and Sanovskii (1971).     

Model experiments on moored ships

At present the position keeping of ocean going vessels, offshore service vessels, etc., is performed by mooring systems to resist external forces under severe environments consisting of wave, current and wind. A variety of mooring systems are employed depending on the shape, principal dimensions, etc., of the vessels in addition to the surrounding conditions of the water areas. Ocean going ships are moored to the shore structures through a multiple system of moorings. The determination of the forces in the cables is essential for the design of moorings and the berthing structures. However, the ships engaged for offshore operations are moored by the mooring cables, spread around the ships with the other ends of the moorings anchored to the sea bed. In these cases, the required number and length of cables can be arrived for a given ship of known dimensions and environmental conditions. With the increased overall dimensions of the vessels, it is necessary to conduct a study on enhancing the accuracy in estimating the mooring system performance. Hence, the present work is mainly intended to carry out model tests to investigate the behaviour of moored ships that are subjected to wave and current loadings. These model experiments were conducted in a 30 m × 2 m × 1 m wave-current flume at the Ocean Engineering Centre, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.     

Parametric rolling behaviour of azimuthing propulsion-driven ships

The study investigates the experimental and numerical analysis of the occurrence of auto-parametric rolling for large, high-speed pod-driven ships in waves. Considering unique design and performance targets, the aim here is to exploit susceptibility to auto-parametric rolling behaviour and to identify probable design and operational precautions. In order to achieve this aim, an existing non-linear time-domain software to simulate capsizing and other critical manoeuvring behaviours of slow- to medium-speed conventional and podded ships in waves is being enhanced for fast pod-driven vessels and then compared against the dedicated model test conducted in long-crested regular and random waves for a large, pod-driven containership model. This paper includes the presentation of current numerical modifications for pod-driven ships and the verification analysis.     

On the parametric resonance of container ships

This work deals with parametric resonance which poses a great danger especially for container ships sailing in following or head seas. Important parameters that are effective in roll resonance are pointed out. For this purpose, a containership is taken as an example to analyze its stability in longitudinal waves based on the method worked out by American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). Unfavorable sailing conditions such as heading and speed, which directly depend on the environmental conditions, have been determined for this particular ship. These conditions may be reported to the master to guide him to keep his ship out of parametric resonance zones. Numerical details of the procedure have been worked out and provided as well.     

Butyltin in ballast water of merchant ships

The time series of analyzed values indicated that concentration of butyltin (BT) compounds in ballast water varied widely depending on the tanks, depths, and dates of sampling, ranging 4–93 ng l⁻¹ during 7-day voyage. Variations in concentrations of BT in the two ballast tanks corresponded well with the level of BT contamination in different pumping sites of ballast waters. Concentrations of BT species detected in ballast water were rather consistent with those found in port waters and sediment of Taiwan and Japan. This study suggested that the problems concerning BT contamination were neither static nor localized.     

Total (practical) stability of ships

In this paper the “total (practical) stability” concept is introduced to nonlinear forced rolling motion of a ship. This is achieved by employing “boundedness” and “Lyapunov's function” approach. In this respect two new theorems are proved and conditions and domain of Practical Stability are evaluated. The Paper also contains a critical review of the present status of international intact ship stability regulations. A qualitative discussion of oscillatory rolling motion and the capsizing phenomena is presented.     

Parametric studies on seaworthiness of SWATH ships

This paper reports seakeeping studies performed on a parametrically varied set of SWATH hull forms. The SWATH form, because of its de-linked nature of design affords many variations of the underwater hull geometry without affecting overall deck length and beam. For a given displacement, the hull form can be varied in terms of length, basic section shape, maximum area of cross section of under water hull and strut water plane shape. Using these variants, a parametric family of hull forms has been generated employing Chebychev polynomial scheme for representing sectional area distribution and using a bi-quintic B-spline based surface definition scheme. Not all designs offer optimal performance in a given sea state. A twin-hull motion analysis program SEDOS has been used to study the motions and other dynamic effects. Setting criteria for operability, these dynamic effects have been quantified into a single value namely, operability index. The approach here fulfils an investigation at the design stage in order to tap the full advantage of the SWATH form. The study brings out a methodology for assessment of the SWATH at the design stage highlighting interesting results related to section shapes and sectional area distribution. Thus, combining a newly developed interactive surface generation scheme with an analysis package, a rapid assessment tool is offered for new design.     

Seakeeping of two ships in close proximity

Underway replenishment is an essential component of long-term naval operations. During underway replenishment, two ships travel in close proximity at moderate forward speed. This paper examines the hydrodynamic interactions that can influence seakeeping during such operations. Presented numerical predictions include the influence of interaction effects on hydrodynamic forces for two ships in waves. A scarcity of validation material for numerical predictions prompted new towing tank experiments for two ships in waves. The experiments used semi-captive models, and the numerical code was modified to include restraining forces for specified modes. The numerical predictions and experiments show that the presence of a larger ship can significantly influence the motions of a smaller ship in close proximity.     

Prediction of added resistance of ships in waves

The prediction of the added resistance of ships in waves is a demanding, quasi-second-order seakeeping problem of high practical interest. In the present paper, a well established frequency domain 3D panel method and a new hybrid time domain Rankine source-Green function method of NTUA-SDL are used to solve the basic seakeeping problem and to calculate first order velocity potentials and the Kochin functions, as necessary for the calculation of the added resistance by Maruo's far-field method. A wide range of case studies for different hull forms (slender and bulky) was used to validate the applicability and accuracy of the implemented methods in practice and important conclusions regarding the efficiency of the investigated methods are drawn.     

Government response to marine pollution from ships

The Marine Pollution Control Unit (MPCU) is the competent national authority for discharging the Secretary of State for Transport responsibility for pollution from ships under the Prevention of Oil Pollution Act 1971 and subsequent legislation covering other hazardous substances. It is an integral part of The Coastguard Agency, an executive agency of The Department of Transport. MPCU is responsible for maintaining the National Contingency Plan, for monitoring and assessing all pollution incidents within UK waters including dealing with pollution from ships and for advising on/co-ordinating shoreline counter pollution operations, and for fostering and maintaining international relationships for mutual support.     

Considerations on the squat of unevenly trimmed ships

In existing publications about empirical studies of ship squat trim is only dealt with implicitly by focussing the concern on the maximum squat. This restriction is only sufficient if a non-zero static trim is always increased dynamically, which, however, turns out to be wrong. Instead of maximum squat, we suggest a more suitable definition of the quantity relevant for under-keel clearance. In an example, it is shown that a non-zero static trim can actually be reduced dynamically, indicating a possible optimisation of trim. For a correct estimation of the squat effect on under-keel clearance, trim must be treated as an explicit parameter. Our arguments are based on full-scale experiments as well as results from numerical simulations.     

Manoeuvring behaviour of ships in extreme astern seas

In an attempt to contribute to efforts for a robust and effective numerical tool addressing ship motion in astern seas, this paper presents the development of a coupled non-linear 6-DOF model with frequency dependent coefficients, incorporating memory effects and random waves. A new axes system that allows straightforward combination between seakeeping and manoeuvring, whilst accounting for extreme motions, is proposed. Validation of the numerical model with the results of benchmark tests commissioned by ITTC's Specialist Group on Stability demonstrated qualitative, yet not fully satisfactory agreement between numerical and experimental results in line with other predictive tools. The numerical results indicate that the inclusion of frequency coefficients definitely affects the accuracy of the predictions. In order to enhance further the numerical model and obtain useful information on motion coupling, extensive captive and free running model tests were carried out. Good agreement with the experimental results was achieved. These studies provide convincing evidence of the capability of the developed numerical model to predict the dangerous conditions that a ship could encounter in extreme astern seas. As a result, it could offer new insights towards establishing relationships linking ship behaviour to design, environmental and operational parameters.     

防火隔热材料在海洋船舶上的应用研究

研制耐火度高且无毒的防火隔热材料,增强船舶结构的防火能力.对于确保船舶的安全运营具有重要意义.文中深入分析了国内船舶防火隔热材料的性能、优缺点及其应用情况.介绍了国外绿色船用材料的研究现状和性能,对船用防火隔热材料的研发具有一定的参考价值和指导意义.     

Stochastic rolling motion of ships in following seas

The aim of this study is to examine both the stochastic rolling motion of ships in following seas by using analytical and numerical safe basin concept and to show how the concept of safe basin can be utilized for the assessment of the stability of ships. First, the boundary of the analytic safe basins of stochastic rolling motion is obtained by using the Lyapunov function used by Schurz (2009). Second, the safe basins of stochastic rolling motion are obtained numerically by using stochastic Euler (Euler–Maruyama) method. It is concluded that the analytically and numerically obtained safe basins are coherent. Lastly, the practical intact stability criterion for ships in following seaway is developed by proposing a formula given for the maximum width of analytic safe basin.     

Propulsion system with flexible/rigid oscillating fin

The purpose of this paper is to describe the feasibility research on an oscillating fin propulsion control system as a vehicle actuator. The system is designed and constructed in order to be combined with ship models. Tank cruising tests are conducted to confirm the system's feasibility. As a result, several advantages of the oscillating fin system are found. A neural network is successfully applied for an identification of the ship model with the oscillating fin, and its effectiveness is confirmed     

Empirical calculation of roll damping for ships and barges

For a large floating structure in waves, the damping is computed by the linear diffraction/radiation theory. For most degrees of freedom, this radiation damping is adequate for an accurate prediction of the rigid body motions of the structure at the wave frequencies. This is not particularly true for the roll motion of a long floating structure. For ships, barges and similar long offshore structures, the roll damping is highly nonlinear. In these cases the radiation damping is generally quite small compared to the total damping in the system. Moreover, the dynamic amplification in roll may be large for such structures since the roll natural period generally falls within the frequency range of a typical wave energy spectrum experienced by them. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that a good estimate of the roll damping is made for such structures. The actual prediction of roll damping is a difficult analytical task. The nonlinear components of roll damping are determined from model and full scale experiments. This paper examines the roll damping components and their empirical contributions. These empirical expressions should help the designer of such floating structures. The numerical values of roll damping components of typical ships and barges in waves and current (or forward speed) are presented.