Determining loads for a challenging symmetrical ferry design
Conference/JournalMARIN Report 146
Date20 Jan 2026
Particularly when it involves novel or complex ship structures, MARIN assists its clients with determining the loads on the ship that are necessary for its design.
For this project, the loads were obtained from a combination of model tests and finite element simulations.Maximum lifetime bending moments and shear forces are an important aspect of ship design. These global loads can be obtained from a long-term analysis. The first step involves the examination of the wave conditions, together with assumptions on how the ship will sail in these conditions. As the ferry sails in the English Channel between France and the UK, wave information from this region was used.
For this project, the loads were obtained from a combination of model tests and finite element simulations.Maximum lifetime bending moments and shear forces are an important aspect of ship design. These global loads can be obtained from a long-term analysis. The first step involves the examination of the wave conditions, together with assumptions on how the ship will sail in these conditions. As the ferry sails in the English Channel between France and the UK, wave information from this region was used.
Contact
Ingo Drummen
senior project manager | team leader
Linear 3D potential flow method
Environmental and operational information was combined with calculated transfer functions of the vertical bending moments and shear forces. These were calculated with a linear 3D potential flow method. The fact that the method is linear implies that the contribution of whipping is not included. Results from model tests were used to make a correction on the linear results. To do this, the contribution of whipping had to be derived from the model tests.
First‑mode vertical bending moments and shear forces.