Conceptual design investigations of a very high speed transpacific container vessel

Integrated transportation chains and faster ships based on developing technology are capable of significantly reducing the time of delivery of products from manufacturer to consumer. Having researched the different international markets, considered various alternative ship types and identified an appropriate target mission statement, this paper indicates how a particular high-speed twin-hulled ship design was developed for a particular niche market based on container transport of high-value, time-sensitive cargoes.
To reduce wetted surface area and increase effective payload, the ship operates on fixed, non-retracting hydrofoils. To minimize the space/weight requirements for fuel, a novel gas turbine/water jet based propulsion system is proposed. For completeness, estimates of resistance and propulsion requirements with the establishment of intact stability and likely loads within structural strength analysis are presented.
Modifying a seakeeping motion analysis to reflect the effect of lift and drag developed on the hydrofoils facilitates operational analysis. A translating-pulsating source based hydrodynamic analysis is used to provide radiation and diffraction analysis of the main body of the ship structure. Some insight regarding the applied enhanced motion analysis procedure is provided. A transport factor analysis provides a simple means of evaluating the design using ship weight, installed power and service speed. Extensions of this approach are indicated.
Proposed modifications of the analysed candidate design and future developments are presented in the paper closure.