NAPA streamlines ship design compliance

It said that updates to its 3D structural design software, NAPA Steel, and the release of state-of-the-art geometry modelling tool, NAPA Designer, will help to eliminate duplication between software systems and save time conforming to the new rules.

Tapio Hulkkonen, NAPA Steel Product Manager, NAPA, said: “We have enhanced our offering to provide seamless support for CSR BC&OT rule checking with class societies that will allow designers and yards to deliver safer vessels more productively. This will be achieved through powerful design tools, valuable strength data and reducing the man-hours needed for tasks.”

From 1 July, compliance with CSR BC&OT, which unifies and expands existing IACS rules for tankers over 150m in length and bulk carriers over 90m in length, becomes a mandatory step in the design process.

In line with the CSR BC&OT, vessel designs must meet additional strength requirements for aft-ship and fore-ship for FE analysis, in addition to the existing mid-ship strength requirements.

To help designers achieve this, NAPA has established integrations between the NAPA Steel 3D product model and major class society rule check software. Cross-section geometry and initial scantlings, as well as compartment information can be exported to these rule check systems with up to date FE mesh for global, local and fine mesh analyses. These can then be imported directly back to the 3D product model.

NAPA Designer, the new geometry modelling tool, meanwhile offers an intuitive, interactive 3D modelling interface for ship designers, requiring only little training to adapt to from a conventional 2D approach. It has been developed in co-operation with Tekes, the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation, and Idean, a global design agency.

The updates to NAPA Designer and NAPA Steel are both already in use at a number of major shipyards, including Sanoyas Shipbuilding Corporation, and delivering positive results for NAPA customers.