OPTIMISE

Optimal Maintenance Intervention of Ships in Europe
ESPRIT 4: 25415 (01/98 - 07/00)

General Information:

To achieve this, OPTIMISE develops new IT tools for managing high-level data. These new IT tools will be integrated into the TRIBON data management system, which in turn, encapsulates the standardised Ship Product Model Data being developed in SEASPRITE (EP 23990). The components will improve the quality of the inspection process by

• an IT component to use design data from Ship Product Model Data to determine which areas require inspection (and which can be left to the next inspection);
• a simulation component, to predict growth of defects (cracks, corrosion and strain damage) in the material of the ship;
• intelligent NDE equipment, ultimately including an automated 'magnetic crawler' device, controlled by the OPTIMISE software;
• export of data in STEP format for third-party tools.

Specific quantitative targets have been set by OPTIMISE i.e. a 30% reduction in ship structural repair costs after allowing for the costs of a more rigorous preventative maintenance regime. A 50% reduction in inspection costs, for inspections of an overall superior quality to current practice. These in turn will enable the safe and economic life of the world's largest ships to be extended by up to 5 years.

More info:
Project page on Cordis