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R.G. Hekkenberg

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20 records found

Master thesis (2023) - F.W. Boer, A.A. Kana, J.L. Gelling, R.G. Hekkenberg
There is uncertainty as to whether the stability criteria in the Dutch regulatory framework for commercial cruising vessels are safe and obtainable for the current Dutch commercial sailing fleet. Therefore, this paper aims to determine a suitable set of intact stability requirements for monohull sailing vessels operating under the Dutch flag, striking a balance between safety and practicality. A literature review was conducted to identify potential stability risks and the state-of-the-art of sailing stability criteria. Models of representative vessels in the Dutch sailing fleet have been defined to study the practicality and safety level of various stability criteria in more detail. It is concluded that the current criteria are not obtainable for sailing yachts designed to sail at large heel angles. Moreover, it was found that the current criteria cannot identify vessels that can be vulnerable to squalls or waves. Therefore, a new set of criteria is proposed, which is more practical for vessels in the Dutch commercial sailing fleet, whilst providing an improved measure of safety. ...
The pressure to reduce emissions in the sector of inland shipping is increasing. Especially considering emissions of environmental pollutants, the increasing pressure gives rise to the question how to get insight into emissions distributions along an inland waterway network. In this research, a bottom-up method is developed that is able to map the potential CO2, PM10 and NOx emissions levels of a single inland vessel on a certain waterway network, as a function of time and space. This method uses the dimensions of the ship, its speed and the waterway characteristics to estimate the energy consumption and corresponding emissions of a vessel. This method can be used in the support of development and evaluation of emission reduction policies. To illustrate the potential of this method, it is applied to a case study: the inland fleet on the Rotterdam-Antwerp corridor, one of the main transport axes in the Netherlands. The developed method is applied to observed AIS data, to map the current potential emission patterns (‘t0 emission scenario’). In addition, a model has been developed that simulates the ‘t0’ case. This model serves as a tool to assess alternative measures to reduce emissions. ...

A case study to determine the impact on ships operation capabilities and power plant performance, when using a modular power plant for a 2999 gross tonnage general cargo concept ship

Master thesis (2021) - Harmen Pik, P. de Vos, R.G. Hekkenberg, S.A. Miedema, Harry Linskens
This paper examines a case study to determine the effects on system performance of the power plant and ship operational capabilities, this case is a ship designed by the company DEKC. It is a small general cargo vessel of 2999 GrT (Gross Tonnage) called the Future Trader. The ship design is finished and the ship will be equipped with a modular power plant and fuel storage on the aft of the ship. In total four different power plants will be compared. The first is the base line system, this consists of a single internal combustion engine fuelled by Marine Diesel Oil (MDO). The three other systems will be modular systems. They all use the concept of distributed generation. There is looked into a system with three internal combustion engines fuelled by MDO. Besides this there are two fuel cell systems. Each consists of two separated fuel cells and one uses hydrogen and the second ammonia as fuel. For those systems mathematical models are created to compare three modular power plants to each other and to a base line. With those models the effects on the Future Trader's range, fuel costs (operational capabilities) and emissions are researched. A modular power plant is installed on the aft of the ship, constructed of four power packs each in a Twenty foot Equivalent Unit (TEU). The four systems will be simulated on four voyages and the results will be normalised with respect to the first setup. It can be concluded that a modular system with the concept of Distributed Generation (DG) will reduce the ships overall performance in comparison to the single engine diesel electric system (base line). When reviewing the fuel cell systems with respect to the base line system it is found that the ammonia fuel cell system has zero emissions and it still offers a sufficient range. The increases in fuel costs are lower than that of the hydrogen fuel cell system. Hydrogen will also reduce harmful emissions to zero but the reduction in range is more severe. The increase in fuel costs is also significantly higher than for the base line. Overall ammonia seems the most promising of the non hydrocarbon fuels. The DG system is also useful as long as emission regulations remain unchanged. The MDO DG system can be loaded for large distance voyages and hydrogen can be loaded for short voyages if desired. ...
As the world is shifting towards a more sustainable economy, regulation could be implemented to reduce emission from the chemical shipping industry. Confronted by regulation, it is important for shipowners to be able to select the most promising measure or alternative fuel for their specific operations and vessel to comply with such regulation. The research objective of this thesis is therefore to develop models that can help to gain better insight into the financial impact of using alternative fuels and speed reduction to comply with emission reduction regulation. By applying these models on a broad range of vessels and scenario’s, trends could then be found.

The study included the fossil and renewable versions of ammonia, methanol, and methane as alternative fuels. The results showed that generally, ammonia is positioned as the most cost-effective fuel to comply with a range of regulation scenarios. When speed reductions were also used as a secondary emission mitigating measure, the most cost-effective alternative fuel was depended on the freight rate. For low freight rates the results showed that methane is a promising alternative fuel. For high freight rates, the results showed that ammonia has a high potential.
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A case study on MSC container shipping in the Port of Rotterdam

Master thesis (2020) - Maurice Vermeulen, J.W. Frouws, E.B.H.J. van Hassel, L.A. Tavasszy, H.J. de Koning Gans, R.G. Hekkenberg, B. den Ouden
The IMO has proposed Just-In-Time arrivals and services as one of the short-term solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in maritime shipping. The Just-In-Time concept allows vessels to optimize their speed during the voyage. If a vessel earlier knows at which time it is requested to arrive at the pilot boarding place, the vessel can adapt its speed to arrive when the berth, nautical services and the fairway are available. Besides environmental reasons, shipping companies as MSC consider the Just-In-Time initiative as a major port call process optimization. It has obvious advantages for MSC since this concept aims to minimise unnecessary ad hoc waiting times and reduces fuel consumption per mile steamed. In the past, it has become clear it is extremely complicated to implement this initiative. Research is required in order to find out what needs to be improved to enable Just-In-Time arrivals and services. The current port call processes must be analysed. As start point, a case study is conducted on the port call processes of the world’s second largest shipping company in the biggest port of Europe. In this study, the current port call processes of MSC container shipping in the Port of Rotterdam are identified and improved in order to enable Just-In-Time arrivals and services. First, an actor-stakeholder analysis is conducted to understand the incentives and relations between actors involved in a port call. Subsequently, this information is used in the process analysis. In this study, the port call processes are analysed by both qualitative and quantitative research. The research has emphasized the complexity of the port call business processes. Actors primarily act on the basis of their own incentives. In order to enable Just-In-Time arrivals and services, collaboration is required among the involved actors. Today, most actors see the benefits of this concept. However, some actors are not willing to share data about their processes since this is considered as sensitive information. In case actors are willing to share data, it can be concluded that the information is not exchanged frequently enough or does often not meet any data standards. As last, this study shows that adaptations are required to the current business process of a port call in the Port of Rotterdam in order to enable Just-In-Time arrivals and services. ...

A software tool to mitigate design risks in early stages of the process

The expansion of the cruise market in the last decades and the significant increase in the size of cruise ships, led to a revision of the safety standards for passenger vessels which resulted in the introduction of the so-called "Safe Return to Port" regulatory framework (SRtP). These regulations strongly impacted every aspect of the life of passenger ships, from commissioning to operations. Clearly also the design of these vessels was highly affected, inducing the design companies to face with the risks entailed by SRtP regulations on a daily basis. Indeed these regulations require great complexity of the systems in terms of redundancy and segregation, and their great interdependence further complicate the assessment of the functional capabilities requested by SRtP. The complexity required in the designs and the difficulties in assessing the compliance with the regulations contribute to increase the risks associated with SRtP projects. Obviously design companies are negatively affected by these risks and preventing expensive re-designs in later stages of the process is mandatory to improve the company's performance. Due to the complexity of the task, a support method for the mitigation of the risks entailed by the non compliance of the designs with SRtP regulations is proposed. The method comprises a through analysis of the spaces on board and a software tool to support designers in the assessment of the correct placement of the components of the systems, in order to guarantee the required capabilities in every casualty scenario. ...

An engineering lead time reduction strategy for yachts

In the super-yacht industry, value is added by customisation of design. From an engineering perspective, standardisation contributes to working more efficiently and effectively and thus less costly. The perspective of naval architecture company C-Job is that standardisation can contribute to engineering lead time reduction. Since customisation (adding value) and standardisation (reducing costs) are counterparts, a conflict arises when both are aimed for. This thesis proposes a strategy to implement design reuse principles to answer the main research question: How can reuse of design of the non-owner spaces on super-yachts, support reduction of engineering lead time? To provide a substantiated answer to this question three topics are studied. These topics are the design process within C-Job, principles of design reuse and commonalities within existing super-yacht designs. The results of studying the three pillars of this thesis substantiate the proposed solution called the Scale-To-Order strategy. Analysing the design process at C-Job shows that a great portion is consumed by iterating the design to solve all space claim clashes and grid mismatches. Omitting space claim clashes and grid mismatches in an early stage of design would therefore eliminate a significant part of the design process. Reviewing literature on design reuse leads to suggesting the underlying principles of design standardisation, modular design and parametric design for application in the S-T-O strategy. The proposal of using these three principles is based on the commonalities that are found in existing yacht designs. The resulting strategy consists of three stages that follow the kick-off meeting with the future yacht owner. In stage one, principle solutions are chosen, based on the greatest commonalities in existing yachts, that include a typical arrangement below the main deck and a corresponding structural global model and HVAC and sewage principles and routing. In stage two, modifications to the solution chosen in stage one are made if desired. Anticipated modifications can be made modular on beforehand and new modifications can be introduced as modular in the future. Stage three is the scaling of the global model to the desired dimensions and serves as a compliance check for integrity of the model. The goal of the S-T-O strategy is to accommodate engineering lead time reduction in the design phase of super-yachts at C-Job. The expected amount of time saved by employing the strategy is roughly fifty percent of the original concept and basic design phases. ...

A MILP optimization approach to explore future scenarios

In this study, various scenarios were developed that correspond to estimations of future biomass availability and biofuel demand from the maritime industry. These marine biofuel demand scenarios were based on the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reduction targets of the Renewable Energy Directive II (RED II) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO). A multi-objective Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model was developed which is used to optimize the Well-to-Tank (WtT) phases of each studied scenario. This resulted in an overview of the most feasible use of feedstocks, deployment of new conversion technologies, and trade flows between regions. Additionally, the results provided insight into the costs and emission reduction potential of marine biofuels. By analyzing the results from this study, improved insight into the potential of drop-in biofuels to reaching the proposed emission reduction targets for the maritime sector was developed. A tradeoff between costs and emissions was found to result in potential GHG reductions between 68%-95% compared to Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) for 800-2300 EU/ton. More specifically, 80% GHG reduction compared to HFO can be achieved at fuel costs of between 900-1050 EU/ton over the studied time period. The potential of drop-in biofuels to serve the shipping industry is currently limited due to the availability of oils and fats. Depending on the supply scenario, this entails maximum blending ratios of only 0.6-6%. However, when new conversion technologies are introduced, enough biomass becomes available to serve the shipping industry, even with the increasing use of competing sectors. Hence, the potential of drop-in biofuels to reduce emissions from shipping is significant. Nevertheless, to achieve the proposed GHG emission reduction targets enormous investments in new bio-refineries are required. Therefore, the focus should be on policy mechanisms that, on the one hand, achieve rapid development of new conversion technologies, and on the other hand bridges the price gap with fossil fuels to stimulate the large-scale uptake of these new biofuels. ...

A modular design to reduce engineering costs and maintain customer value

Master thesis (2020) - Guus Koppes, Hans Hopman, Robert Hekkenberg, Ronno Schouten, Wouter Beelaerts van Blokland
The aim of this research is to create a yacht design for Feadship between 50 and 60 metres that will reduce costs and maintain the customer value. To do so, first, existing yachts are analysed to determine the requirements for the design. Second, an analysis is made of the engineering hours spend on a yacht in this range. Lastly, the engineering process is analysed to determine how the different processes affect the customer value. These three parts form the basis for the design of a modular product platform. The platform is optimised to reduce engineering hours by reusing parts of the design with little customer value and high engineering costs. The result is three platforms and eleven modules to offer the client enough customisation and still reduce the engineering costs. This thesis is made at De Voogt Naval Architects part of the Feadship group. ...
Master thesis (2019) - Belle van Zuijlen, Jeroen Pruijn, Robert Hekkenberg, Yusong Pang, J.J. Kouwenhoven
The supply for luxury yachts is growing which increases the competition between yachtbuilders. Additionally to lead time reduction, yachtbuilders are trying to maximise their output with the available space. This puts extra pressure on the logistics process. Waste in the logistics process reduces the efficiency and for that must be avoided. The available data of the logistics process of yachtbuilders can be limited since it is not their core-business. The objective of this thesis is to explain how a model of the logistics process of a yachtbuilder can be made and how it can be used to improve and predict the logistics performance. This thesis focuses on improving the interior logistics process at yachtbuilder Oceanco by reducing the non-value added movements waste. ...
When placing orders of new vessels, shipowners are most concerned about two things: how much they need to pay and how long they need to wait, and the estimation of newbuilding prices and lead times for new vessels is important to both shipowners and shipbuilders. This thesis introduces the generalized additive model (GAM) as the specific regression method, explains what factors are influential to newbuilding prices and lead times of bulk carriers, and illustrates how to use GAM to construct the estimation models ...
This study was conducted to address the lack of insight port authorities have in port competitiveness. Within this thesis a data-driven model is presented that allows to assess port competition within a bounded scope. This model is developed from the ground up and programmed in the Python programming language as a stand-alone solution. The model doesn’t rely on extensive black-box models as often found in related literature. Due to its generic nature, the logistic chain choice model can also serve as a base model for different scenario analyses. Scenarios could include the change of ship-size, (oil) price or cost scenario’s and future throughput forecasts. The model can provide insights regarding effective port investments and policy making. ...
Master thesis (2019) - Folco Blanker, Hans Hopman, Peter van der Hoek, Sebastian Schreier, Robert Hekkenberg
This thesis investigated the possibility of alternative ways to loading and offloading flexlay vessels and provides a concept design. This was investigated because currently, the vessels designed by IHC, have to sail back to port to restock on pipes. During this time the expensive pipelayer is not laying pipes and thus not making money for its operator. Some operators have already moved to designs which use cranes to load pipes at sea. However, lifting heavy objects results in limited operability and wide vessels. The problem owner (IHC) wants to avoid this. The goal was to find a way to transship pipes offshore, which improves on the current performance of the reference vessel without resorting to cranes to transfer the pipes.

The research was mainly focused on the modelling of the logistical process of getting pipes from the port to the location. The results of this were used for the conceptual design of a flexlay vessel capable of being supplied at sea. The reference vessel built by the problem owner turned out to be a suitable candidate for adaptation for this purpose. To reach this conclusion, a logistical model was made, which was used as a basis for parametric studies. As input to that studies, a seastate timeseries is generated together with different transshipment methods. Two sets of simulations were used to evaluate the effect of the transshipment method in relation to a range of operational limits, and the effect of the distance on the operation.

The resulting pipelayer is fitted with two mailbox type docks in the side, this elongates the vessel and decreases its initial draught. These docks are closed and drained afterwards in order to secure the barge. The main conclusion is that it is possible to redesign the original pipelayer to accommodate the transshipment of pipes offshore. ...
Master thesis (2019) - Lili Braam, Erik-Jan Boonen, Xiaoli Jiang, Henk Polinder, Robert Hekkenberg, Jaap Vleugel
Due to the global climate change there is a increasing demand for transportation on renewable fuels. An increasing trend in electric propulsion can already be seen in the automotive industry and this is now also gaining popularity in the maritime sector. Due to limited capacity if the onboard battery, especially electric ferries are becoming more popular, because of the relative short sailing distances. The first electric ferry became operational in 2015 in Norway and since than a hand full of electric vessels was developed. An electric vessel requires a charging mechanism to charge while unloading and loading passengers in the port. Besides, generally also a mooring mechanism is necessary. This enables the vessel to turn off the propeller while charging which limits the energy demand while charging. Various systems have been developed already. However, these are not standardized solutions but all one of a kind systems designed for a specific vessel or fleet. Which of these is the best solution is not easy to determine and strongly depends on the vessel characteristics and the operating environment. To supply the expected increasing demand for electric vessels, a guideline is developed which will help the engineer to find a suitable charging and mooring mechanism and to decrease the selection time for this system. The will provide Damen a strategic advantage towards other shipyards in vessel tenders since both the development costs and delivery time is lower.
This guideline is developed based on the knowledge gained during a case study for a 81m Ropax ferry, sailing in the surroundings of Vancouver Island. For the case study an engineering design method was selected from literature and applied to this case, for which Damen had a hard time finding a charging and mooring mechanism. First thought was to combine both into one mechanism, but this is difficult due to conflicting functionalities of both systems. Due to the limited time available for the research, the design of the mooring mechanism is not taken into account for the case study. Setting the requirements for the charging mechanism is complex due to the range of different fields of interest that should be taken into account. However, the requirements of these various aspects are often related in some way to one another. This makes it easy to lose sight of the structure of all requirements. Comparing the functions that the charging mechanism should fulfill within these requirements and the existing charging mechanisms, it can be concluded that no suitable system is available yet. The gap between these is defined as a set of three functions; to compensate the tidal difference, deal with misalignments between the vessel and the shore and to provide flexibility for vessel motions. A new design was made which covers this gap. Additional research was done to ensure sufficient flexibility from the power cable, since this proved to be critical in the state of the art systems.
From the knowledge gained during this case study, the guideline is developed. The guideline provides insight in the influential factors while selecting an mechanism. This should offer the engineer a structure to set the requirements and ensures that no aspect is left out of the requirements. An overview with the already existing mechanisms is provided which should be consulted multiple times during the process, to check whether a suitable systems exist, if the requirements should are too tight or if the project is not profitable at all. The structure of the requirements is designed such, that the relative easy requirements are set first. This prevents from doing demanding calculations or going on expensive business trips, while it could have been seen earlier that a project is not feasible or profitable at least. The guideline is validated while selecting a charging mechanism for a different type of vessel. This validation proved to decrease the selection time for a charging mechanism significantly compared to previous projects within Damen. After the test, a charging system was found which is preferred for the vessel. This charger is now further discussed with the supplier of the system.
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A case study at Heerema Fabrication Group

Master thesis (2018) - Pritish Bose, Mark Duinkerken, Cees Spaans, Rudy Negenborn, Robert Hekkenberg, Jan Krielaart
Decrease in oil prices have negatively affected the investment towards offshore oil and gas explorations. This has in turn compelled offshore structure fabricators to find cost effective ways of fabricating oil platforms and jackets, to stay competitive in the industry. In this research paper, three alternative configurations to the conventional jacket production process are explored. The configurations are derived from a morphological table that is designed to include major tasks and resources of the production process. To evaluate the effects of these options on performance of the production process, in terms of production time and cost, a simulation model is presented. During the validation of this model through cycle time of the preassembly and assembly sub-processes, high variations are observed. On further analysis, these discrepancies are attributed to the number of shared lifting resources, workspace utilization of the available fabrication area and release dates of orders of parts used in jacket production. To increase the accuracy of the model, these aspects must be modelled in more detail. However, to show the potential of the simulation model, the previously proposed configurations are evaluated and a possible alternative is proposed as a promising solution. Additionally, throughout this research, the potential of a simulation-based approach to explore new configurations for offshore jacket production is suggested. Together with the morphological table, this results in a novel decision-making tool which can be used by fabrication companies to indigenously explore new alternatives. ...

In the Sales phase at Feadship

Master thesis (2018) - Danique van Velzen, Hans Hopman, Robert Hekkenberg, Henk Polinder, P. van Loon
When your dream yacht is being built at Feadship, the process starts with a blank page. This early stage is defined as the Sales phase. In consultation with a designer, the look and the feel of a yacht is easily captured. The expertise of the designer will lead to a yacht fitting the vision of the client. In the current process, the lines drawn on paper restrict the design freedom of the naval architect. Next, not all consequences of decisions are known, which leads to the probability of alterations in later phases. The current design method is called a point-based method. A single starting point is chosen, which is gradually refined in a couple of iterations. This method has some disadvantages. Design exploration is a method in which many solutions are generated in a design space and no single starting point is chosen. The main focus of this approach is to postpone the design decisions until they can be made with the required knowledge. This will prevent alterations and rework in future phases. In this research, there is investigated whether design exploration could be implemented in the Sales phase at Feadship, using design drivers for the exploration method. The design driver origin from the stakeholders (client, regulatory bodies and Feadship) and are used to structure the design requirements and to evaluate the solutions.
Creating the design space is done with help of a simple Design Model. Due to the limitations of the Sales phase this model is built with help of regression lines, empirical formulas and rules of thumb. The set of solutions are explored with eight design drivers which originated from the stakeholders and Sales process: Aesthetics, Usage, Performance, Rules, Costs, Space, Comfort and Safety. The design drivers are categorised into three parts: input, constraint and output. The input will follow from the client, where the constraints will follow from the other two stakeholders. The final choice for the output is made by the client, which can be underpinned with help of the output design drivers.
This research concludes that design exploration could be an improvement on the current used point-base design method. Since design exploration fully utilises the design freedom available in the early stage design. The solutions produced by the Design Model show reasonable results, which lie within a 10% margin of the existing designs. Due to the limitations of the Sales phase the choice was made to use regression lines. As a result, the design space consists of solutions of which the trend is clearly visible. Nevertheless, the variety within the design space is sufficient enough to create a diversity in solutions. The results produced by the Design Model will be a good starting point in the starting phase. In order to use the results as more than a starting point, the detail level of the calculation methods should be improved. Generating a set of solutions will enable the designer and client to make well-informed decisions. Especially when the client is involved in this process.
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A concept exploration study

Master thesis (2018) - Wessel Schot, Hans Hopman, Robert Hekkenberg, Sebastian Schreier, R.A. Huijsman
The goal of this thesis has been to develop a concept exploration tool for zero-emission double ended ferries, that determines the feasibility of different energy systems, creates corresponding design parameters and helps decide between zero-emission energy types.

The research goal was achieved in three steps. Firstly, knowledge was gained on double ended ferry design, double ended ferry operations, zero-emission energy systems and the early design stage. Research into zero-emission energy systems resulted in lithium-ion battery energy systems, hydrogen fuel cells energy systems and supercapacitor energy systems being identified as likely feasible energy systems for double ended ferries. In the second step, the knowledge was used to create the concept exploration model. This model consists of a set of algorithms that determines technical and economical parameters of double ended ferry concepts for each of the identified zero-emission energy types, for a provided transportation need. The model also does this for a diesel-electric energy system, that serves as a benchmark. Equal economical comparison of the concepts is aided by providing the net present value of the investment in the energy system, for each concept. In the third step, the model is transformed into the concept exploration tool, through implementation in the Python programming language. This step also includes obtaining results from the concept exploration tool.

One use of the concept exploration tool is by shipyards, in their early design process. The tool can provide naval architects with insights into which zero-emission energy systems are possible for a provided transportation need, as well as the characteristics of the corresponding concept designs.

A second use for the concept exploration tool is the analysis of large amounts of input. This can provide insights into how design input parameters influence the concept designs and the preferences for certain energy system types. This was done by performing a parameter variation study. The results of analysing the obtained data are expressed through 24 conclusions. These are divided into four sets, per party for which the conclusions are expected to be of the highest interest. These are Energy System Suppliers, Governments, Ferry Operators and Shipyards.

The most important conclusion of this thesis is that zero-emission energy systems are technically feasible and can be cost competitive with diesel-electric energy systems. This to such an extent, that they should be seriously considered for every double ended ferry. Based on the net present value of the energy systems over the vessel lifetime, battery energy systems are most frequently cost-competitive with diesel-electric systems. Hydrogen energy systems are only competitive in highly specific cases and mostly too expensive to be cost competitive with diesel systems. Supercapacitor energy systems are cost competitive when upward of 30 daily trips are sailed, over short distances.
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Master thesis (2017) - Koos Toebes, Cornelis van Dorsser, Tiedo Vellinga, Robert Hekkenberg, Arnaud Burgess
The inland waters of Ghana have a considerable potential for the operation of inland water transport (IWT) services. These services could be part of a multimodal transport corridor, to connect the northern regions and the northern landlocked countries with the industrial southern part of the country, which also includes the port of Tema, one of the gateways of the landlocked countries. However, despite the many advantages of IWT, these waters are currently barely used for freight transportation. The absence of a high quality IWT service is mainly unfortunate, as Ghana suffers from the consequences of the unilateral road transport market: the many trucks leads to congestions, traffic hazards and long (and unreliable) transport times. Besides this, the freight transportation by road is rather expensive.
An IWT service on the Ghanaian inland waters could be able to improve the cost and time performances of the Ghanaian transit corridor.
The Ghanaian inland waters are mainly formed by Lake Volta and the upstream Volta Rivers. The water levels of these waters are subject to the local climate, which results in (very) low water levels during the dry season (from November to July). The water levels of Lake Volta allow year round navigation, but that does not hold for the Volta Rivers. In fact, Buipe Port, along the Black Volta, is probably the most upstream location that can be reached for most part of the year, while a year round accessibility can be guaranteed after dredging a shoal, a bit downstream of the port.
The potential container market for the IWT service is quite small, being about 8,000 TEUs per year. Nearly all these containers are currently transported by road from Tema Port to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Due to the congestions and (bad) conditions of roads and trucks, the northbound journey (about 1,000 km) takes about four days. The corresponding price for transport is also very high, being about USD 2,600 for a 20 ft. container. The only commercial IWT service at Lake Volta, is not able to deliver better performances, due to bad and inappropriate equipment.
The feasibility of three different IWT services is investigated: roll-on/roll-off of truck/trailer combinations or roll trailers on the one hand, and lift-on/lift-off of containers on the other hand. All the alternatives are based on the concept of barges being pushed by push tugs, as this is the most promising concept from a financial point of view.
It can be concluded that the potential transit container market of 8,000 TEU/year, for which the IWT service has to compete for, is too small to result in a profitable service. However, when relocating the transit traffic (clearance) procedures from Tema Port to Buipe Port, the yearly container throughput via Lake Volta will be much higher, making an IWT service viable and profitable. Besides, this relocation will result in extra space in the port of Tema, and can result in more efficient clearance procedures, thereby decreasing the total door-to-door time of transit traffic.
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As a Cost Estimation Method for the Ship Building Industry

Master thesis (2017) - Sanne Visseren, Robert Hekkenberg, Jenny Coenen, Gerrit Alblas, Wouter Beelaerts van Blokland
Accurate cost estimations are important for ship production companies such as Royal IHC. The research discussed is based on a feasibility study for a CBR cost estimation method. The current cost estimation method at IHC is a top-down price-to-win analogy cost estimation. This method uses mainly the weight of the ship as an input variable for the estimation. A problem with using only weight is that the actual work performed on a section is left out of the estimation as well as other cost drivers. Another problem occurring is the current estimation method being divided into three phases, with lacking evaluation, optimization and feedback possible. This research discusses two new cost estimation methods. The statistical method is a parametric cost estimation method, that uses equations with the main cost drivers. The graph database method uses the CBR theory as a basis for cost estimations. Problem solving is done by using a solution from an old ship and reusing this solution for a new ship. The graph database stores detailed information about the work performed on the ship and the main cost drivers. The qualitative and quantitative analyses showed that usingmultiple cost drivers and the work performed on a section creates more accurate cost estimations. With a solution as the graph database method also the possibilities of evaluation and process optimizations are broader. ...
Master thesis (2017) - Joan van den Akker, AW Vredeveldt, Hans Hopman, Robert Hekkenberg
Worldwide, drastic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are required to keep climate change to a more or less acceptable level. As of yet, the shipping industry has found no solution to this problem: it is expected that international shipping will be stuck with fossil fuels for the coming decades.
A promising way to tackle the problem is to capture the CO2 from the ship’s exhaust gases and storing it onboard until the ship reaches a port where the CO2 can be unloaded. By combining carbon capture with LNG as a fuel, far-reaching heat integration is enabled, thus making the system very energy efficient, requiring no external heat.
In this thesis the feasibility of onboard carbon capture is investigated for ships that use LNG as a fuel.
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