The average lifespan of a vessel is between 30 and 50 years. This longevity is not attainable without constant and ongoing maintenance, repair,and refit. But these activities significantly change the vessel over its lifespan and make it difficult to get a clear picture of the ship that is currently being operated.
Additionally, constant changes to rules and regulationsoftenrequire significant refits of existing vessels, which causes the ship in operation to deviate further from any informationthat wascaptured during its construction.
Leveraging the Digital Twin
While as-built and as-maintained digital twins are becoming more common on newer shipbuilding programs, they still aren’t being delivered with the majority of ships – especially in the commercialsector.Whena digital twin is available,it may not be compatible with the information systems in useor could be inaccessible to those that would benefit the most from one. In the worst-case scenarios, the information is available in legacy or proprietary formats that are not accessible with the technology now available. As a result, shipyards involved in repair and refit seldom have the information they need to effectively plan and carry out required work on an existing vessel. Thetruth is, because significantly more of a vessel’s life is spent in operation, a digital twin hasthe potential to result inassignificantanimpact thereasinthe design and engineering stages.
Managing change throughout
For your organization to make maintenance, repair, and refit seamless,throughout the lifespan of a vessel,it’s crucial to ensure that your design and engineering teams:
- Can quickly capture the as-is conditions of an existing vessel when a digital twin is not available.
- Utilize any existing digital and hard copy designs and information.
- Deliver technical data packages and digital representations of the project that will always be accessible.
Explore SSI’s solutions for providing a complete overview of your ship from build to decommission.
[eBook] Managing Fleet Costs from Design to Decommission
Vessel lifespans of 30 to 50 years are not attainable without constant and ongoing maintenance, repair and refit. But these activities significantly change the vessel over its lifespan. If you’re a digital twin fanatic, fleet life cycle expert, ShipConstructor die-hard, or are just dipping your toes in for the first time, this eBook has something for you.
