Simulation-Based Optimization of the Sea Trial on Ships

Abstract

As well known, ships which have complex production processes are subject to various tests made on every stage in many fields from the beginning to the end of the production. After the tests are completed successfully, the ship is delivered to the ship-owner. "Sea trial" being the last stage of these tests, is examined in detail in this study. The purpose of this study is to plan the tests performed in the sea trial by the means of computer programs and to suggest shorter completion period for the tests. Thus, reducing the total cost of the cruising. Moreover, shortening the duration of the cruise will be a factor that can speed up the delivery of the ship. For this purpose, the tests and processes performed during the sea trial are listed. A cruise process flow diagram including all the tests applied under normal conditions was created, and the data were entered into the SIMIO simulation program. As a result, it was determined that the total cruising time was 28,0989 hours. After that, a new flow diagram was created by making some improvements in the current testing process, and a new simulation model was built up. In the new simulation model, total time spent to complete the tests were 25,3567 hours, so the testing time was shortened by 2.75 (9,76%) hours.