Project Summary  

The main objective of the IMPROVE project is to develop three new ship generations in an integrated multiple criteria decision making environment by using the advanced design synthesis and analysis techniques at the earliest stage of the design process, which innovatively considers structure, production, operational aspects, performance, and safety criteria on a concurrent basis. The product types focused on this project are new generations of LNG gas carriers and chemical tankers, and an innovative concept of a large Ro-Pax vessel.

The specific objectives of the project are to:
a) develop improved generic ship designs based upon multiple criteria mathematical models,
b) improve and apply rational models for estimation of the design characteristics (capacity, production costs, maintenance costs, availability, safety, reliability and robustness of ship structure) in the early design phase,
c) use and reformulate basic models of multiple criteria ship design, and include them into an integrated decision support system for ship production and operation.

The objectives will be achieved by identification of new product concepts and stakeholders’ requirements, establishing problem and model definition for design synthesis and analysis (WP2), identification of structural load and response calculation modules (WP3), assessment of production and operational aspects (WP4), integration of identified models from above-mentioned WPs (WP5), application of integrated IMPROVE platform for the design of three new product generations (WP 6-8), and exploitation and dissemination activities of the project results, and coordination of them within (WP9).

This STREP project addresses the scientific, technological and wider societal and policy objectives of the Sustainable Surface Transport thematic priority, and in particular focuses on new ship generations through good product and production design (Research Domain 2.2).

The project consortium consists of 18 complementary partners from 9 member and 2 candidate member states; 4 ship owners/operators, 4 universities, 3 shipyards, 2 ship design companies, 2 engineering companies, 2 software companies, a classification society and an International Association of universities.