ABSTRACT
This paper proposes an evaluation method for the ship resistance at seas, taking into account both the calm water resistance and the wave added resistance of the ship. In the light of the Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) concept, a long-term performance prediction model based on the ship’s operational profile is proposed, which systematically takes into account the influencing factors such as the ship’s speed profile, the navigation sea areas and the long-term wave statistics. Through this model, a more comprehensive and more robust comparison between different hull form designs can be achieved from the long-term operational perspective. To demonstrate the method, two cruise ship hull forms are evaluated in order to determine the preferred design in terms of smaller total resistance at seas. One design adopts a bulbous bow while the other one adopts the vertical bow concept. The calm water towing test of the two hull models are performed in the towing tank of MARIC, and the added resistance in regular waves are evaluated numerically. Using the proposed evaluation model, the resistance performance of the two designs in waves are analyzed in detail. It is shown that the long-term mean wave added resistance of the two hull forms are very close to each other, which are approximately 20% of their calm water resistances. Finally, the comparison result shows that the total resistance of the vertical bow design is 2.7% lower than that of the bulbous bow design.
