| |
|
GL teams up with leading European shipyards to produce breakthrough design solutions |
|
|
|
Saturday, 13 March 2010 |
 Maritime research project "BESST" signed the contractual grant agreement with the European Commission earlier this week. "BESST - Breakthrough in European Ship and Shipbuilding Technologies" is formed of Europe's leading shipbuilders, including STX Finland, STX France, Fincantieri, Meyer Werft,
Thyssen Krupp Marine Systems and Damen Group. In addition, Germanischer
Lloyd (GL) along with 20 research institutes and universities, further
four classification societies and 31 industrial companies is part of the
research network.
Initiated by European Economic Interest Group EUROYARDS, BESST aims to
achieve a breakthrough in competitiveness, environmental friendliness
and safety in EU built ships with a focus on passenger ships, ferries
and mega-yachts. The strategic objective of BESST is to secure and
improve the competitive position of European shipyards in a sustainable
way.
The primary goal is to increase the competitiveness of European built
ships through decreased life cycle cost, drastically reduced
environmental impact and continually improved safety. The estimated
overall impact of BESST will result in a reduction of life cycle cost of
roughly 120 million Euro per Panamax ship and a reduction of CO2
emissions by approximately 12 % per ship each year.
The key areas of technical developments include space optimisation and
easy maintenance, improving payload to gross tonnage ratio, cost
efficient building and refurbishment processes, improved energy
efficiency and reduced emissions, noise and vibration, improved
reliability through model-based design and condition monitoring,
optimization of logistic chains as well as improving safety and
security.
Advancements from the project will also be applied to other ship types
built in Europe through modular and adaptable solutions. This will
ensure an impact reaching far beyond the passenger ship sector. The
results will be integrated into virtual show cases, i.e. ship concepts
demonstrating the technical solutions as well as the life cycle impact
compared to current designs. Continuously improved R&D cooperation
and networking is seen by the project consortium as the European answer
to the challenge of large Asian yards, overcoming the historic
fragmentation of European shipbuilding and combining the high
flexibility of smaller industry groups with the critical mass to achieve
a breakthrough in innovation and market impact.
BESST will achieve close interaction with ship operators through a
dedicated Advisory Group. A multi-level management structure, based on
experience of the shipyards in previous research and development as well
as commercial projects, will ensure efficient and targeted work of the
large consortium to ensure the desired impact. The maritime research
project began its work in September 2009 and will be completed in summer
2013.
About Germanischer Lloyd (GL)
The ship classification society and technical consultancy for the
maritime industry Germanischer Lloyd (GL) is dedicated to ensuring the
safety of life and property at sea, and the prevention of pollution of
the marine environment. As an independent third party, Germanischer
Lloyd develops state of the art rules, procedures and guidance for ship
owners, ship yards and the maritime supply industry in order to offer
commercially sound answers in times of economic challenges and tight
regulatory regimes.
Germanischer Lloyd is strong in the classification of container ships,
tankers, bulk carriers, multipurpose vessels, high-speed ferries, cruise
ships, mega-yachts and sport boats. GL's fleet in service amounts to
84.5 million gross tons. Roughly 7,000 ships are currently surveyed on a
regular basis by GL surveyors.
Besides traditional classification services of plan approval, inspection
and certification of materials and components as well as technical
assessment of ships in service, GL puts particular emphasis on ship
energy efficiency and environmental issues. The new business line
"Maritime Solutions" provides expert advice towards optimizing hull
design, propeller performance, engine output, energy management, and
even crew performance. In addition, our scope of services covers
consultancy, advanced engineering, certification, training and software
solutions. GL maritime experts are advisors to governments, IMO, flag
states and port states.
Source: GL
|
| | |
|
Rss
Online - Contact Send us your news
