The development of a standardized general cargo ship to meet the future requirements of the U.S. Merchant Marine would yield substantial benefits to ship operators, shipbuilders, and the Government. Series production of such a ship could significantly lower construction costs and cut production time, helping make the American Merchant Marine more competitive in the world shipping market. The firsts step of the study involved forecasting general cargo movements and service requirements on selected worldwide trade routes served by seven ship operators that shared costs with the Government in performing the study. The forecasts, which extended through the year 2000, produced profiles of each carrier's cargo mix (percentages of breakbulk, containerized, and Roll-On/Roll-Off cargoes) and service requirements (itinerary, service frequency, and port and canal constraints). Based on these individual profiles, a conceptual ship design was developed for each operator. These designs were tailored to each company's specific cargo and service requirements. The final step was the development of a composite design based on the most important characteristics of the seven individual designs. The resulting composite design can be modified to facilitate different cargo mixes depending on the container, Roll-On/Roll-Off or breakbulk requirements of the shipowner. The report recommends continued development of a standardized vessel and concentrated research on optimizing such a ship. This would involve such efforts as model testing and applying technological advancements to ship production and cargo-handling systems.
Next Generation Cargo Liner. Phase I. Executive Summary
1979
19 pages
Report
Keine Angabe
Englisch
Marine & Waterway Transportation , International Commerce, Marketing, & Economics , Marine Engineering , Marine transportation , Cargo ships , Forecasting , Bulk cargo , Shipbuilding , Standardization , Design criteria , Commerce , Econometrics , Containerships , Roll on roll off ships , Computer aided design