STRUCTURAL PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT OF VLCCS - AN OWNER'S APPROACH

An owner's experience with structural design and performance of a wide range of ship types (oil tankers, gas tankers, semi-submersibles and tanker-based production systems) has enabled a new approach to be devised for assessing the structural durability of a class of five very large crude carriers (VLCCs). These vessels were built in the mid- 1970s and are experiencing varying degrees of corrosion, dependent on their operational life. The approach adopted combined conventional ship structural design techniques with structural dynamics, as well as fatigue and fracture mechanics techniques more commonly used in U.K. North Sea offshore projects. The combination of these technologies has led to the development of a structural management strategy for the operation of these VLCCs. The strategy has three basic components: structural enhancement, structural inspection, and structural monitoring at sea. The formulation of each component is described in detail. Installation of a stress monitoring system on five ships (four VLCCs and one offshore monohull production vessel) over the past 15 months is described and typical results are presented. The importance of these results to the prediction of ship structural durability and their value in ship operation is discussed.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Marine Technology, v 29 n 4, Oct 1992, p 250 [10 p, 8 ref, 1 tab, 14 fig]
• Authors:
  • Melitz, D T
  • Robertson, E J
  • Davison, N J
• Publication Date: 1992

Language

• English

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Monitoring; Structural analysis; Structural health monitoring; Structural mechanics; Structures; Very large crude carriers
• Uncontrolled Terms: Structural response
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Marine Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00703821
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: British Maritime Technology
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 14 1995 12:00AM