Automatically determining the latest possible equipment installation times for shipbuilding

Abstract

Determining the latest possible point in time during which a component can be installed is important to the efficient implementation of automatic outfitting planning methods. This point is a function of a component's size, the vessel's general arrangement, the size of the openings connecting the compartments, crane access, and the section building schedule. This paper develops a method for automatically determining component installation deadlines by modeling a vessel as a dynamic network of compartments which grows as the ship's sections are erected. A test case of a recently delivered pipelaying vessel was used to assess the developed methodology.