The IACS Common Structural Rules for Oil Tankers and Bulk Carriers will result in more robust ships being built. The new rules have also imposed additional requirements for strength assessment as the number of load cases to be considered has seen a dramatic increase in numbers. These factors have all contributed to the need for a new type of flexible and powerful software solution which can maintain the productivity among ship designers and ship yards throughout the world.

DNV Software is confident that the September version of Nauticus Hull can satisfy these requirements. The new upgrade of Nauticus Hull has brought forward a significantly more user-friendly system compared to the traditional modelling environment in Nauticus Hull where multiple graphical user interfaces and programs were involved to obtain the desired results. Moreover, the system is able to handle the significant number of load cases imposed by the new rules with an intuitive and user friendly interface which allows the user to transpose multiple load definitions for individual ship compartments into the strength assessment environment available in GeniE.

This enhancement has been achieved by incorporating GeniE and Nauticus Hull into one common framework. GeniE has traditionally been a modelling and analysis tool for offshore structures, and it has undergone a significant upgrade which sees it capable of meeting the requirements needed for maritime structures. In addition to the new modelling features, the user will also benefit from having integrated meshing and automatic application of the rule loads available in the same workspace. This enables the user to iteratively perform strength assessments and generate the results far more efficiently than in the past.

The benefits can be summarised as followed:

• New tool for defining compartments in the whole length of the vessel
• New tool for defining compartment loads and global loads
• New 3D modelling and strength assessment environment by use of GeniE
• Excellent transition from Computer Aided Design (CAD) to Computer Aided Engineering (CAE)
• New workflow using Brix Explorer which efficiently integrates Nauticus Hull into an Enterprise Design Solution

As more and more of the rule requirements are supported by new features in Nauticus Hull, the ship design quality will also have an impact on the ships in service. When properly operated and maintained, the life-span, repair and maintenance costs may be reduced and the quality and safety margins increased. For example, with the new net thickness requirements, the owner can easlily determine the wastage allowance prior to contracting the vessel and hence use this to determine if additional owner’s extras are to be added. As all the calculations performed during the newbuilding assessment are on the net scantlings, no further calculations are required to be performed in service to determine the allowable wastage.

By integrating our common ship server tool which manages the compartments data and loading definitions with the finite element technology found in GeniE, DNV Software is now able to offer a solution which will provide significant value to the marine industry for years to come.