Ahoy Captain Crunch Sorry Could Not Resist :^0
Originally Posted by Juliancw
This is removing the present standrad design and thinking outside the box a bit. If you had a chance to build a perfect bulk carrier what would you add into the mix in terms of engines, ballast systems and such.
Here is my basic specifications so far. What else would you add if you had a chance to change the present design to cater for all ports?
REQUIREMENTS FOR VESSEL VESSELS SPECIFICATIONS AND JUSTIFICATION
Ship Design: This data has been compiled from Pilot notes, surveyors and operators. I have broken this down into Key information
VESSEL SIZE
• The draft should be a little as possible (i.e 180000dwt ~16.5m)
• The ships should be gearless with a marked helicopter hatch.
• No matter what the size of the ship the deballast system should be the same as that of larger vessels so they can load at a fast rate and be underway within a short period of time.
VESSEL MAIN ENGINE
•Overall size does not affect the manoeuvrability of the current vessels as much as engine size.
•Min 1,000KW per 10,000 DWT, i.e. 180K DWT = 18,000 KW engine
DWT BHP Kw
150,00020,11515,000
180,00024,13818,000
205,00027,49120,500
250,00033,52625,000
•Horse power should be as large as possible. This will also allow time to be made up after any form of incident, either on the vessel itself or another vessel leading it out, (in the case of multiple sailings.)
•Larger engines will aid in the safety of vessels transiting. In this case it is not usually extra speed that is required, but extra propeller rpm which will push more water past the rudder helping the vessel to turn, i.e. increasing manoeuvrability greatly.
•Less strain on the engine is also achieved through larger horsepower, especially on berths where vessels are taken off the berth straight into the maximum effect of the tide. Here it is important to get the RPM up as quickly as is possible to achieve both vessel speed through the water and also maximum water movement past the rudder for manoeuvring.
•Critical revolutions should where possible be between Slow and Half, so as to provide a wider range of options for manoeuvring.
•Critical revs will be between slow and half ahead / astern
•Dead slow speed < 7 knots
•Full ahead speed > 12 knots
•No 'program run up' for settings below full ahead (becoming more common on new ships)
RUDDER
•A larger rudder will facilitate manoeuvring. (Or improved design such as Hinged, Becker etc)
•Turning circle are to be less than 0.45 nautical miles as a minimum requirement.
BRIDGE LAYOUT
The “traditional” Bridge layout is a far better arrangement than any of the more modern designs that incorporate wrap-around consoles etc. These modern designs are more suited to one-man Bridge operation in open sea, and can seriously compromise the effectiveness of the Pilotage operation due to reduced visibility both outside and of the instruments on the Bridge itself.
•No airplane style console bridge layouts.
•Consoles approx 1.5m from bridge front to allow 2 people to walk between the bridge front and the consoles
•Rate of Turn Indicator required
•ECDIS
•GPS and AIS on bridge front
•3 VHF radios on the bridge console
•Electronic display echo sounder (not paper chart)
•Echo sounder fwd and aft
•Elevator to the bridge
DE-BALLASTING ARRANGEMENTS
Increasing the rate of deballasting will greatly help in increasing production. Increasing the size of the ballast pumps themselves can achieve this and/or separating the main deballasting system with the stripping system.
This means that tanks can be stripped at the same time as other tanks are utilising the main ballast pumps. This will reduce the total time needed for deballasting as well as utilise windows of positive trim more effectively. Providing separate piping systems is easy to achieve when building a vessel but of course more difficult to retro-fit.
Another option to improve deballasting operations is the fitting of Topside Tank Dump Valves. These used to be quite common in the past. Here, the valves are opened once alongside and gravity helps to get rid of the ballast in all of the Topside Tanks whilst the normal deballasting via pumps is taking place.
Minimum requirement for all vessels are as follows:
•2 x 5000tph ballast pump system =10,000tph
•3 x 3500tph ballast pump system =10,500tph
• Central Ballast Control room
•Real time stress management system installed and available
•Accurate remote draft gauges
•Wind indicator in control room
GANGWAYS
Midships gangways are not suited to the current wharf designs and are best avoided in favour of the aft gangways. Midships gangways usually interfere with the placement of the Spring Mooring Lines and create difficulties for wharf personnel and increased times for making fast.
•All vessels will have aft gangways with the ability to extend 4m past the side of the vessel once alongside.
•No midship gangways
•Gangway to have no ropes, all aluminium construction
•gangway have ability to slew horizontally for safer access
MOORING SYSTEM
Using a conventional mooring arrangement has improved efficiency if there is one winch per mooring line, i.e. all lines operate onto their own winch drum, and not where lines are hove in on a drum end and then made up on the bitts. The latter system is slower, more dangerous and less efficient. These lines are almost a waste of time as they will not have anywhere near the tension as the lines onto the winch and will not be sharing the load.
•Enough bollards on each side to the vessel to accommodate making 4 tugs fast. When tide and or wind is pushing the vessel onto the berth, the pilots make all 4 tugs fast approaching the berth, unfortunately a lot of vessels don't have the facilities to make the 4 the tug fast on the outboard shoulder.
•Self tensioning winch for each mooring line (no lines on drum ends)
•all mooring equipment to have a SWL of > 90t
•measures to prevent mooring lines becoming fouled in anchors
•cooling water discharges not to interfere with Tug / Lines boat operations
•mooring systems designed to work in hot climates, no over heating due to ambient temp being high
MOORING LINES.
•All mooring will be in good condition with no joins, shackles or knots (or bends) in them.
•No wire mooring
•HMPE lines could be used if fitted with 15m tails on a self tensioning winch.
Anyone out there like to add their ideas for a pefect bulk carrier design?
A couple of items come to mind, The water ballast should be added/ removed using Roots blowers rather than pumps as it is done on submarines- much less work(meaning easier tank design and water storage and fewer worries as far as failures go.
The entire ship operating system meaning main bridge, main control room/living quarters/equipment control rooms should be capable of being jettisoned as one one separate vessel/unit in the event of a catastrphic failure/ship sinking etc. and be unsinkable.
Nobody cares how ugly it looks; just that it will save work, lives, space to increase cargoes, and money.
Where are your unsinkable self propelled life boats? the new ones that are colored orange these life boats are being used on the newer oil rigs and are capable of being slid right off the platform of the oil rig with the survivors strapped in like a race car driver, the head support has a velcro band to hold the head of the occupant in place during escape and water impact eliminating neck injuries from impact bounce/and the dive below water surface until it surfaces and rights itself.
As far power plants go why are you not using three electric driven screws fore and aft? would it not be simpler and less fuel consuming to run the screws with gear boxes and electric motors that can be reversed- no tugs needed that way either-if you include water propulsion jets for final positioning in port.
lzaharis ■
Re: Ideal Vessel Design And Configuration
Would have thought a speed of arnd 14.5k instead of only 12k
Could look at increasing the beam if there is no restriction there and increase the intake over the same draft, have to look at the out-reach of the loader
Have the deballast pumps as high as poss ■
Re: Ideal Vessel Design And Configuration
I am completing the design of a higher performance ship unloader ready for patent application submission. 
It is very unfortunate, overall, that such a design is feasible. 
Bulk carrying vessels pay scant regard to unloading.
As a child I was enthralled by the Elders Fyffes banana boats preparing to berth near the Princes Landing Stage. There were large elevators on board and they could be seen starting up as the ship came about in the Mersey. Bunches of bananas could be seen through the doorways which had already opened in the hull side.
While it might seem over ambitious to expect such a level of expertise in these modern times 
it is wistfully hoped that one day some bright young thing might see fit to furnish a few doorways in the sides of a bulker so that we poor landlubbers could poke our bits around the cargo without having to go OVER THE TOP. Ferries do it all the time.
Aside: Elders Fyffes banana boats twice pursued & sank U-boats in the 1914-18 Great War. So why didn't the Lords of the Admiralty standardise on them for the next scrap? 
And bananas would have been more plentiful too!
■
Re: Ideal Vessel Design And Configuration
Thanks for your input, I am interested in the root blower and will look into this more.
In terms of safety the points are understood. I am not sure if you have seen this system? it is an Australian Invention.
http://www.mobilarm.com/cat/index.cg...ductid=702294
I watched this product in an onboard demo recently and can see this product being made mandatory in future. The company links everyone into a MOB alarm system and if you fall over the side and everyone will know within 4 seconds, it also tells people where you are via sat-nav and puts out a distress call in english so you do not need a RDF. The system can also act as a panic alarm if you are injured. ■
Bulk Freighters Etc.
Originally Posted by JuliancwIn terms of safety the points are understood. I am not sure if you have seen this system? it is an Australian Invention.
http://www.mobilarm.com/cat/index.cg...ductid=702294
I watched this product in an onboard demo recently and can see this product being made mandatory in future. The company links everyone into a MOB alarm system and if you fall over the side and everyone will know within 4 seconds, it also tells people where you are via sat-nav and puts out a distress call in english so you do not need a RDF. The system can also act as a panic alarm if you are injured.
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We have similar set of operating equipment in some of the coal mines here involving radio beacons etc.
In regard to the roots blowers they are positive displacement and out of the seawater as far as machinery exposure is concerned.
Gardner Denver has complete packages of blowers for any use;
You have to remember water is lazy like electricity so multiple cylindrical tanks would be ideal as the water charge could be more easily monitored with level gauges such as those used on the panama canal at the locks.
A small blower will do a huge amount of work in both pressure and vacuum duty and they are not prohibitively expensive and repair/rebuild aboard ship.
lzaharis ■
Ideal Vessel Design and Configuration
I am looking at the design requirment that will be fed into a bulk carrier fleet design.
This is removing the present standrad design and thinking outside the box a bit. If you had a chance to build a perfect bulk carrier what would you add into the mix in terms of engines, ballast systems and such.
Here is my basic specifications so far. What else would you add if you had a chance to change the present design to cater for all ports?
REQUIREMENTS FOR VESSEL VESSELS SPECIFICATIONS AND JUSTIFICATION
Ship Design: This data has been compiled from Pilot notes, surveyors and operators. I have broken this down into Key information
VESSEL SIZE
• The draft should be a little as possible (i.e 180000dwt ~16.5m)
• The ships should be gearless with a marked helicopter hatch.
• No matter what the size of the ship the deballast system should be the same as that of larger vessels so they can load at a fast rate and be underway within a short period of time.
VESSEL MAIN ENGINE
•Overall size does not affect the manoeuvrability of the current vessels as much as engine size.
•Min 1,000KW per 10,000 DWT, i.e. 180K DWT = 18,000 KW engine
DWT BHP Kw
150,00020,11515,000
180,00024,13818,000
205,00027,49120,500
250,00033,52625,000
•Horse power should be as large as possible. This will also allow time to be made up after any form of incident, either on the vessel itself or another vessel leading it out, (in the case of multiple sailings.)
•Larger engines will aid in the safety of vessels transiting. In this case it is not usually extra speed that is required, but extra propeller rpm which will push more water past the rudder helping the vessel to turn, i.e. increasing manoeuvrability greatly.
•Less strain on the engine is also achieved through larger horsepower, especially on berths where vessels are taken off the berth straight into the maximum effect of the tide. Here it is important to get the RPM up as quickly as is possible to achieve both vessel speed through the water and also maximum water movement past the rudder for manoeuvring.
•Critical revolutions should where possible be between Slow and Half, so as to provide a wider range of options for manoeuvring.
•Critical revs will be between slow and half ahead / astern
•Dead slow speed < 7 knots
•Full ahead speed > 12 knots
•No 'program run up' for settings below full ahead (becoming more common on new ships)
RUDDER
•A larger rudder will facilitate manoeuvring. (Or improved design such as Hinged, Becker etc)
•Turning circle are to be less than 0.45 nautical miles as a minimum requirement.
BRIDGE LAYOUT
The “traditional” Bridge layout is a far better arrangement than any of the more modern designs that incorporate wrap-around consoles etc. These modern designs are more suited to one-man Bridge operation in open sea, and can seriously compromise the effectiveness of the Pilotage operation due to reduced visibility both outside and of the instruments on the Bridge itself.
•No airplane style console bridge layouts.
•Consoles approx 1.5m from bridge front to allow 2 people to walk between the bridge front and the consoles
•Rate of Turn Indicator required
•ECDIS
•GPS and AIS on bridge front
•3 VHF radios on the bridge console
•Electronic display echo sounder (not paper chart)
•Echo sounder fwd and aft
•Elevator to the bridge
DE-BALLASTING ARRANGEMENTS
Increasing the rate of deballasting will greatly help in increasing production. Increasing the size of the ballast pumps themselves can achieve this and/or separating the main deballasting system with the stripping system.
This means that tanks can be stripped at the same time as other tanks are utilising the main ballast pumps. This will reduce the total time needed for deballasting as well as utilise windows of positive trim more effectively. Providing separate piping systems is easy to achieve when building a vessel but of course more difficult to retro-fit.
Another option to improve deballasting operations is the fitting of Topside Tank Dump Valves. These used to be quite common in the past. Here, the valves are opened once alongside and gravity helps to get rid of the ballast in all of the Topside Tanks whilst the normal deballasting via pumps is taking place.
Minimum requirement for all vessels are as follows:
•2 x 5000tph ballast pump system =10,000tph
•3 x 3500tph ballast pump system =10,500tph
• Central Ballast Control room
•Real time stress management system installed and available
•Accurate remote draft gauges
•Wind indicator in control room
GANGWAYS
Midships gangways are not suited to the current wharf designs and are best avoided in favour of the aft gangways. Midships gangways usually interfere with the placement of the Spring Mooring Lines and create difficulties for wharf personnel and increased times for making fast.
•All vessels will have aft gangways with the ability to extend 4m past the side of the vessel once alongside.
•No midship gangways
•Gangway to have no ropes, all aluminium construction
•gangway have ability to slew horizontally for safer access
MOORING SYSTEM
Using a conventional mooring arrangement has improved efficiency if there is one winch per mooring line, i.e. all lines operate onto their own winch drum, and not where lines are hove in on a drum end and then made up on the bitts. The latter system is slower, more dangerous and less efficient. These lines are almost a waste of time as they will not have anywhere near the tension as the lines onto the winch and will not be sharing the load.
•Enough bollards on each side to the vessel to accommodate making 4 tugs fast. When tide and or wind is pushing the vessel onto the berth, the pilots make all 4 tugs fast approaching the berth, unfortunately a lot of vessels don't have the facilities to make the 4 the tug fast on the outboard shoulder.
•Self tensioning winch for each mooring line (no lines on drum ends)
•all mooring equipment to have a SWL of > 90t
•measures to prevent mooring lines becoming fouled in anchors
•cooling water discharges not to interfere with Tug / Lines boat operations
•mooring systems designed to work in hot climates, no over heating due to ambient temp being high
MOORING LINES.
•All mooring will be in good condition with no joins, shackles or knots (or bends) in them.
•No wire mooring
•HMPE lines could be used if fitted with 15m tails on a self tensioning winch.
Anyone out there like to add their ideas for a pefect bulk carrier design? ■