Applications of the manoeuvring prediction program SIMSUP to meet the new IMO standards

Abstract

The activity of IMO recently culminated in the adoption of the interim Resolution A.751(18) on ship manoeuvring performance standards. To demonstrate compliance with these standards mathematical models can be used in alternative to scale model tests. To assist designers in this task, Cetena recently upgraded the manoeuvring prediction program SIMSUP, already in use at Fincantieri for several years. The program was upgraded with a module, that allows the simulation of the main engine behaviour, in order to predict the crash-stop test included in the IMO standards. To verify the applicability of the program an extensive validation was carried out, with a total of about 30 ships, covering a wide range of ship’s type and sizes. Full-scale trial data, taken from Cetena’s manoeuvring data base, were used in the validation process. The program and the results of the validation task were also evaluated by Registro Italiano Navale (Italian Classification Society) who declared the program adequate to perform the simulation of all the manoeuvres considered in the IMO Resolution. In this paper a brief description of the program is given and some results of the validation are shown. Cetena’s full-scale trial data are also compared against the manoeuvring standards. Recently, Fincantieri Merchant Shipbuilding Division applied the program to a tanker, a container and a cruise-liner; results of the simulations together with full-scale manoeuvring results are shown for comparison purposes. In general, manoeuvring predictions are submitted to Registro Italiano Navale in order to obtain the Class notation “MAN”, introduced for ships complying with the new standards.