Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
The average age of the international fleet, including ferry boats and special
ships is 18.6 years. The oldest types of ships are reefers and passenger ships with
an average age of more than 25 years. Container ships and tankers are the newest
types of ships on the sea [
52
].
3.4.1 Main Construction Elements
The basic construction of a merchant vessel is shown in Fig.
3.9
.
The hull is subject to various hydrostatic and hydrodynamic constraints [
53
].
Therefore, it must be able to support the entire weight of the ship and maintain
stability even with unevenly distributed weight. Furthermore, it must withstand the
shock of waves and all weather conditions. Hulls are made of steel, but aluminum
can be used on faster craft. Glass fiber can be used for the smallest vessels or for
sport boats [
54
].
3.4.2 Classification of Ships
Ship technology is an important part of modern commercial and military trans-
portation. According to the old history of navigation the field of use, the propul-
sions system, the type and the construction materials of ships are variable and
multilayered (see Table
3.9
)[
55
].
3.4.3 Type of Ships
There is a very variable selection system of seagoing and inland ships of vessels
and passenger ships. One aspect of distingation in the construction. A further
criterion is the application in civil and in military service. In this context sub-
marines mean a specific class.
The main characteristic parameters of ships are contained in Table
3.10
.
3.4.4 Comparison of Fuel Consumption of Ships
Merchant vessels are becoming ever larger to adjust to the load requirements and
to decreased fuel consumption. Table
3.11
shows the main operation parameters of
several types of vessels [
63
].
The Queen Mary 2, one of the largest ships of the world, has an engine which
performs at 4 9 21.5 MW, i.e., 86 MW (two fixed and two azimuthing), i.e.,
115,436 HP. The installed board power reaches 126.7 MW (170,067 HP) which is
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