Revolutionizing Ship Design: The Role of AI and Simulation-Driven Approaches
In the ever-evolving landscape of 2024, the uncertainties once associated with real-world challenges disrupting meticulously planned endeavors are fading into obsolescence. The triumvirate of big data, advanced computers, and artificial intelligence (AI) is ushering in a new era for vessel designers, where models leave little room for chance, ensuring ships perform with almost unparalleled certainty in any given condition. The realm of ship design is rapidly transforming, and with AI at the helm, what was once unimaginable at a human scale is now not only conceivable but achievable.
Siemens Digital Industries Software, a Texas-based unit of the multinational technology and engineering giant Siemens, exemplifies this paradigm shift. Through a series of recent webinars on 3D simulation and computational fluid dynamics (CFD), the company’s engineers unveiled expansive digital tools capable of modeling and simulating a vessel’s structure, operating systems, and hydrodynamics comprehensively. Unlike mere theoretical constructs, Siemens’ modeling data undergoes rigorous verification through real-world studies. The adoption of 3D modeling provides expedited answers at a lower cost, offering practical insights into real-world scenarios.
Beyond addressing in-house performance requirements, vessel owners grapple with the escalating demands of energy and environmental regulations. Stringent international standards on sulfur emissions, ballast water quality, alternative fuels, and engine performance necessitate compliance information before a vessel’s launch. Simulation-driven ship design (SDSD) emerges as the solution, providing crucial answers in advance of pivotal purchasing and construction decisions.
Despite the maritime industry’s historical hesitation, there is a growing trend in the adoption of SDSD. The imperative for greenhouse gas reductions, as mandated by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), propels the industry to revamp existing procedures and enhance processes. Siemens’ Marine Team acknowledges this push, emphasizing the need for integrated ship design approaches supported by fully integrated tools and processes.
Beyond Siemens, other companies are seizing the opportunities afforded by these technological advancements. Designers of America’s Cup vessels, for instance, are transitioning from traditional in-water testing to SDSD methodologies. The collaboration between NYK Line and Japan Marine United Corporation (JMU) in 2020, introducing a shipbuilding contract guaranteeing propulsion performance in actual sea conditions, underscores the integral role of simulation-driven approaches in such commitments.
Wärtsilä, a prominent player in the industry, is increasingly relying on 3D models. The company emphasizes the importance of high-fidelity hydrodynamic vessel models to instill confidence in simulation results. Wärtsilä also highlights the critical role of web-based application programming interfaces (APIs) in SDSD. APIs facilitate seamless communication between different software applications, streamlining data transfers and providing cost-effective solutions that were previously challenging or impossible to obtain. Unlike proprietary systems, web-based APIs offer versatility, eliminating the labor-intensive and repetitive nature of older modeling systems, thereby enabling a more extensive analysis of ship designs in detail.
The OCX (Open Class eXchange) initiative is making significant strides, with a pivotal development completed in November. Bureau Veritas (BV), in collaboration with the Shanghai Merchant Ship Design & Research Institute (SDARI) and NAPA, successfully concluded the first phase of a joint development project (JDP). The primary objective was to facilitate 3D model-based approvals for ship classification, marking a departure from the conventional process of multiple conversions to 2D drawings.
The project’s success validated the feasibility of 3D model-based approvals, leveraging an open file format to enhance design efficiency. The overarching goal was to streamline processes, save time and costs, and foster improved accuracy and communication among all stakeholders involved.
Olivier Degrand, Director of Business Ownership for Digital Solutions at BV, highlighted key learnings from the SDARI project. Notably, the elimination of the need for 2D drawings resulted in a reduced workload for shipyards, accelerated design verification, and enhanced collaboration. Degrand emphasized the significance of a centralized 3D model, describing it as a “single source of truth” where all parties could simultaneously access and exchange information.
The OCX Consortium’s efforts also received an endorsement from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), listed as an “Observer” member. Patrick Ryan, ABS Senior VP and Chief Technology Officer, expressed active support for the consortium’s work, emphasizing its place in the broader landscape of digital transformation. However, he cautioned against imposing a standardized format on shipyards, recognizing the unique CAD attributes varying between shipyards and class societies.
Ryan stressed ABS’s position that shipyards should communicate with downstream stakeholders using the most efficient format for them. While acknowledging the value of OCX, he affirmed that ABS accepts multiple digital review formats, with OCX being just one of them. The flexibility to accommodate diverse formats aligns with ABS’s perspective, allowing for optimal efficiency throughout the ship construction value chain. Ryan anticipates that OCX will evolve and become more useful over time, serving as a valuable component in the ongoing digital transformation of the maritime industry.