Class NK and NAPA to cut ship design time and cost

Japanese classification society ClassNK and Finnish maritime software company NAPA have agreed on a new joint project to reduce the time and cost of designing vessels in accordance with the new
IACS harmonised Common Structural Rules. The new project will, according to the parties involved, enhance the data linkage between ClassNK’s PrimeShip-HULL(HCSR) design support software with NAPA’s 3D model based integrated design software NAPA Steel greatly improving the efficiency of the ship design process and reducing the cost of designing vessels in accordance with the new rules.

 Adopted in 2013, the IACS harmonised CSR will be applied to all tankers over 150m and all bulk carriers over 90m contracted after July 1, 2015. The harmonised CSR brings new requirements for more comprehensive structural analysis at the design stage, including FEM analyses covering the entire range of cargo hold structures, as well as new formulae for buckling, fatigue, and residual strength criteria to enhance safety and reliability.

 However, these new requirements also greatly increase the overall time needed for vessel design. In order to help reduce the burden of the new rules on ship designers, ClassNK released PrimeShip-HULL (HCSR), a multi-functional vessel design support tool that makes it easy for yards and designers to carry out rule calculations and optimize their designs in accordance with the new rules. According to ClassNK Executive Vice President Yasushi Nakamura, PrimeShip-HULL (HCSR) is the world’s first design support software to incorporate the requirements of the harmonised CSR.