Page 10 - 2024 - Q3 - Minerva in Focus

MINERVA IN FOCUS A look into Minerva’s Newbuildings

Ships and ship design have evolved over time, utilising different materials,
propulsion methods, and fuels, as well as construction and production
methods. For millennia, wood was the primary construction material,
with propulsion provided by oars and sails until the advent of the In-
dustrial Revolution. The demand for larger and faster vessels led to the
use of riveted iron as the hull material, with ships being propelled by
reciprocating steam engines, often supplemented by sails.
The first oceangoing iron steamship equipped with screw propellers
was the SS “Great Britain”. The application of existing materials and
technology for this revolutionary vessel’s construction set the standard
for basic ship design and the construction of merchant vessels and pas-
senger and navy ships for the next century. Steel gradually replaced iron
as the hull material and oil replaced coal as the fuel of choice. However,
shipbuilding techniques remained largely unchanged until WWII, when
huge numbers of merchant vessels were required to transport goods,
raw materials, and military assistance. For the first time, standard design
“Liberty” freighters and type “T2” tankers were built by applying pre-
fabrication methods, which enabled mass production, and extensively
using welding instead of rivets, which significantly reduced man-hours
and total construction time.
The ever-increasing world population required food, energy, construction
materials, and consumer goods, necessitating the construction of more
and larger merchant ships. Shipbuilders gradually optimised their designs
Past, present and production methods using improved materials – such as higher-grade
steels, advanced welding techniques, automation, and coatings – resulting
in more efficient, larger, and safer vessels. By the 1960s, propulsion was
& future: provided either by steam turbines or diesel engines, with the latter dom-
inating due to their high thermal efficiency and lower fuel consumption.
Almost 90% of the world’s goods are transported by sea, whilst merchant
The evolution ships consume less than 5% of the world’s fossil fuel production, with
minimal environmental impact. Although huge technological advances
have been made in ship design, the sea remains an unpredictable and
of shipbuilding often dangerous environment. Furthermore, the maritime industry is
directly affected by economic and geopolitical factors, which can create
significant disruptions to world trade.
Within this complicated framework of conflicting parameters, we now
face the challenge of complying with international and national legislation
by Marinos G. Anastassiou, for the gradual reduction of GHG emissions. Future ship design is no
Key Account Manager Newbuilding, longer limited to designing efficient port-to-port carriers but a vessel
Southern Europe & Africa, that is part of an extended, interconnected transportation and supply
RINA network, striving for global environmental compliance.
As technology advances rapidly, cybersecurity, digitalisation, and AI will
transform ship design in terms of operational requirements. In addition
Future ship design to GHG emissions regulations, from July 2024, new vessels and their
equipment must comply with IACS cyber resilience mandatory require-
is no longer limited ments. Within an increasingly demanding legislative and operational
to designing efficient environment, digitalisation is now essential for efficient operations, and
the advent of AI may lead us to a future far different from the present.
port-to-port carriers The history of ship design and construction has proven that simple,
but a vessel that is functional solutions based on common sense, innovation, and imple-
mentation of proven technologies are the most effective. These are the
part of an extended, principles of how future ship designs should be approached. Radical
interconnected choices, experimentation, or high-risk solutions are not viable or sustain-
able in the maritime industry, which is conservative by nature – rightly
transportation and so, given the dangers and unpredictability of the sea combined with
supply network, striving the geopolitical and commercial factors influencing shipping, requiring
a cautious yet innovative approach. Unless a new fuel or means of pro-
for global environmental pulsion is discovered or developed to meet the needs of the maritime
compliance industry, we must utilise what is available in order to address future
environmental and other challenges. Thus, we will ensure that our ships
remain practical, efficient, effective, and, above all, safe for our seafarers.

10 ISSUE 29 / Q3 2024