Freire, Paulo Eduardo Meirelles;
(2004)
An investigation into the design of an unmanned ship.
Masters thesis , UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
The shipping industry is again facing a shortage of manpower, a situation similar to the one experienced in the 1960's, which caused the first wave of widespread introduction of automation on board merchant ships, thereby enabling substantial crew reductions throughout the world fleet. The automation process has continued at an increasing pace with the introduction of 'periodically unattended machinery spaces' and 'integrated bridge control systems', which have made "one man on watch" operations possible aboard many merchant ships. However, information overload being experienced by seafarers on highly automated ships, together with the life style due to working watches, limited onboard companionship and very short periods ashore, are seen as sources of stress, fatigue and psychological strain, which can compromise the effectiveness of a crew and consequently the safety of the vessel. Further slimming of crews is therefore highly unlikely, despite the continuing high costs of manpower, and a new concept in ship design and operation will be needed, if the present manpower problems and further cost reductions are to be addressed. The project aims were to investigate, from technical and economic viewpoints, the feasibility of a totally automated, unmanned ship as an option to solve the existing manpower difficulties at sea. An analysis of the marine manpower forecast as well as the calculation of the true total cost of a crew in ship procurement and operation is presented. An engineering assessment has been undertaken in key automated systems and their operation philosophies needed in a ship designed to eliminate the crew in the key areas of navigation, propulsion and damage control. Finally, a complete ship design is presented and the cost, profitability and safety of this new concept will be compared with those achieved by state-of-the-art conventional designs.
| Type: | Thesis (Masters) |
|---|---|
| Title: | An investigation into the design of an unmanned ship |
| Identifier: | PQ ETD:602788 |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Thesis digitised by ProQuest. Third party copyright material has been removed from the ethesis. Images identifying individuals have been redacted or partially redacted to protect their identity. |
| UCL classification: | UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Mechanical Engineering |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1446846 |
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