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Completed Project/Initiative

Project Title:   Dynamic Dry-dock Decision Support System

Project Executive: Dr. Bahadir Inozu, Gulf Coast Region Maritime Technology Center - UNO, (504) 280-7182

Each dry-dock activity, ship owner/operator determines which dry-dock jobs will be carried out based on regulatory requirements, machinery & structural history and maintenance policies under budgetary and scheduling constraints.  These dry-dock jobs are usually categorized under two classes: standard (preventive & regulatory type) jobs and non-standard (corrective type) jobs.  Based on dry-dock specifications, the owner/operator selects the shipyard and signs the contract usually one year before the dry-dock period to allow enough lead time for the delivery of parts needed.  As the vessel continues its operation until the dry-dock date, new repair needs arise and additional dry-dock jobs (mostly non-standard in nature) are identified and added to the dry-dock contract.

Even though, each ship owner/operator has a unique process for finalizing dry-dock activities, most steps are common.  It was decided to collect information regarding how ship operators currently made decisions regarding dry-docking actions.  Personal interviews were conducted with participating companies to identify the requirements.  Surveys were conducted among four SOCP ship operators that compiled results regarding the manner in which dry-dock decisions are made by the various companies.

Dr. Inozu has set up an intranet site providing further information on this subject at http://drydock.gcrmtc.org.


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