Short Course Modules
Module A: Types of Ships and Their Functions and Features
This module will provide an introduction to the design of vessels, including ships, boats and offshore structures with an emphasis on vessels in operation in Canada.
The first part of the lecture will introduce the basic parameters used in naval architecture to characterize ship designs. Topics will include both dimensional (length overall, draft, depth, etc.) and non-dimensional parameters (block coefficient, prismatic coefficients and ratios such as length to beam) and how various parameters vary based on the service type of the vessel.
The second part will discuss vessel types, including but not limited to icebreakers, containerships, large and small fishing vessels, lakers, ferries and floating offshore structures. A case study will be presented on how regulatory frameworks influence vessel design.
Module B: Regulatory Environment I – History and Current Operations
This module will provide a brief introduction to the history of marine regulations, from medieval load lines to the development of the International Marine Organization (IMO) and the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS).
The module will explain the current system of marine regulation, including international and national regulators and flag and port state certification inspection regimes. Materials will cover the roles of classification societies and other standards organizations, and how insurance is applied to vessels themselves and to their cargoes.
Some of the key regulatory instruments will be outlined, including the SOLAS, MARPOL, Load Line and ISM Conventions. Canada’s specific approach to marine regulations will be outlined, noting how vessels outside the IMO framework are handled and noting the scope of various Acts that apply to Canadian vessels and their operations.
Module C: Regulatory Environment II – Future Development and Challenges
This module will continue from Module B to review the initiatives now underway in the regulatory world and their implications for stakeholders.
Two main themes discussed will be digitization and environmental protection. Rapid progress in information technology is providing opportunities to operate with reduced or even zero human intervention, and to replace scheduled inspections and certifications with processes based on continuous monitoring and other types of “big data” analyses. Challenges include cybersecurity and effective monitoring and audit.
Environmentally, the critical need to decarbonize marine transportation is generating new regulations and an urgent need to update many existing regulations and standards to handle non-traditional fuels and their supply chains. Other types of environmental protection include vessel quietening, the ongoing need to control invasive species, etc.
The module will address both the international and the Canadian contexts, and specific domestic challenges.
Module D: Shipbuilding
This module will step through the end-to-end shipbuilding process. Starting from establishing owners’ requirements and the preliminary, concept, and functional design cycles, the module will highlight the critical decisions and design elements to stabilize early in order to minimize late-stage changes. The detail production design phases will also be introduced to explain how the total ship design is broken down into producible assemblies, modules, units, and blocks that can be planned in detail for production. This will describe the detailed planning functions and demonstrate the importance of an integrated master schedule.
Each stage of ship construction will be introduced, starting from early steel procurement and steel preparation into minor, complex and unit assembly. Unit outfitting stages will be shown next, highlighting the objectives of maximizing outfitting (pipe, electrical, HVAC, etc.) efficiency at the earliest possible stages of construction. Later stages of block consolidation, paint, mega block erections, and mega block joins will also be highlighted.
Finally, this module will highlight the launch process and outline the test and trial activities which ultimately lead to commissioning and delivery to the customer. Additional topics throughout the lecture will include material specifications/requirements, welding processes, accuracy control, corrosion prevention, and anti-fouling.
Module E: Operation of Ships
This module will briefly introduce course attendees to some of the onboard and operational aspects of the maritime industry. It is intended to provide course attendees who have no onboard experience with an understanding of how shipboard life differs from life in shore-based maritime industry professions. The lecture will cover three broad subject areas: shipboard life, voyage planning and port operations.
In discussing shipboard life the lecture will outline who is onboard and what they do. The organization typically found on ships is described. Those on board are the officers and the crew. These are discussed together with the departmental organization (deck, engine and hotel/supply). Also discussed are the temporary specialists, external or temporary. This is exemplified by riders, pilots and ice navigators. Issues associated with time away from home are discussed. These include the impact on personal, social and family wellbeing, and also related fatigue issues.
The important subject of voyage planning will be discussed. This part opens with a brief overview of how voyages are planned and executed, and the associated administrative burden. Also discussed are ice operations and the differences experienced between operations in the Arctic and the Southern Ocean. The role of the IMO Polar Code and Ice Navigator training are introduced.
The final broad area of ship operations discussed is port operations. The key aspects of cargo handling are introduced including interactions with agents, cargo planning and dealing with port requirements. The importance of being aware of differences in cargo requirements for different types of trade such as passenger, bulk, liquid, breakbulk, and containers is outlined. A similar treatment is presented for specialized ships such as self-unloaders, geared ships; product, crude, chemical, gas tankers and others. Bunker operations are also discussed. Also summarized are the interactions with agencies beyond those concerned directly with ship operations, including agents, auditors, and inspectors leading to administrative overburden which contributes to fatigue.
Module F: Maintenance of Ships
Ship maintenance concerns the management and engineering activity that is required to keep ships, and the systems in them, functional and safe. Maintenance is a cradle-to-grave activity and gets more intensive as the ship ages. This module opens with a discussion of the relevant general aspects by summarizing the importance of maintenance, and the business and management aspects of maintenance. The organizations relevant to this activity are introduced.
This is followed by a summary of the types of maintenance methodologies that have developed over the decades focusing on those used on ships. The hull structure and all the systems contained within are all subject to wear and tear. The process of deterioration that hull structure and other systems suffer is described and illustrative examples are provided. The main preventive measures taken to avoid deterioration during design, construction and operation are also outlined. Emphasis is given to the hull structure as the part of the ship that most maintenance resources are applied to during the lifetime of the vessel. Repair measures necessary to maintain strength are introduced.
Surveys are an important systematic task undertaken to determine the state of the vessel at a given time; this is summarized. The important subject of human factors is briefly surveyed. The module concludes with a discussion of trends that are likely to impact the way ships are maintained. Some of the future challenges are also noted.