A step toward the preliminary design of seagoing multi-purpose cargo vessels

Abstract

The preliminary design stage is a starting and vital step in the ship design process which generally involves the adaptation of a prototype selected from an available and trustworthy vessel database. This investigation was prompted by the noticeable lack of systematic literature data on multi-purpose cargo vessels (MPCV), especially in the range of medium size fleet, with respect to gross tonnage. A procedure is presented for optimum MPCV characteristics determination in the preliminary design stage. It is grounded on a statistical analysis of the database gathered upon reliable MPCV built over the past 30 years. Using the proposed set of diagrams and formulas, the designers could determine ship principal dimensions upon required deadweight as a main prerequisite, as well as optimum energy efficiency design index, tank capacities, lightweight, etc.