Future technology
Twenty-first-century technology is changing so rapidly that the need for safety devices and rule changes to protect owners and enhance operational performance has never been greater.
Twenty-first-century technology is changing so rapidly that the need for safety devices and rule changes to protect owners and enhance operational performance has never been greater.
The sheer speed, scale and invention of today’s products have set everhigher and more rigorous standards for owners and shipyards to absorb and follow.
Which is where Lloyd’s Register comes in.
Our Marine Technology Plan covers the key aspects of design and technology to give owners and shipyards the high level of safety and security that today’s high-tech innovations and engineering usually require.
The scale of the projects included in the Marine Technology Plan varies and can change as new products are developed. Here we summarise some of the projects detailed in our January Horizons magazine: we featured a group that ranges from computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to the human factors involved in the running of a ship.
What exactly is CFD? It is an online alternative to the use of scale models to study and solve problems and faults on vessels and marine engineering products. Lloyd’s Register’s Technical Investigation Department uses CFD to analyse and assess the extent of, say, a damaged propeller or a rudder on a bulk carrier and, in many cases, predict the likelihood of the problem re-occurring. Owners have also used this sophisticated software to help trim their fuel bills.
A team from Lloyd’s Register’s Marine Product Development department is currently studying the IMO’s Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) and how it can benefit owners of certain types of ship. Lloyd’s Register has been working closely with technology providers, owners and shipyards to enable us to support the verification of energy-saving technologies on ships.
The human element is involved in every stage of a ship’s lifecycle – from the training, recruitment and management of employees to the systems used on ships, the supply chains and the endusers. A Lloyd’s Register project looks at the interaction between the technical and the operational side of life on a vessel and how the study of human factors can improve this.
As technology changes and becomes more sophisticated, the need for sturdier fire and lifesaving equipment rules and standards in design and materials has become evermore crucial. Lloyd’s Register is studying the problems and accidents caused by poorly designed equipment. This will help us to establish rules and regulations for new technology to make sure it is fit for purpose.
Lloyd’s Register’s technology teams
Technical leadership, based on strategic research and development, is at the heart of Lloyd’s Register’s Marine ambitions. The ability to understand technology and its applications enhances our technical capability to maintain and support the industry as a leading Classification Society.
Technology and investigation leadership
Our global technology leaders provide the guidance and professional understanding in the key areas of hull structures, engineering systems, materials and welding, risk and electro-technical systems. As the heads of Lloyd’s Register’s global technical community within their specific disciplines, each oversees our internal governance framework to ensure technology is applied consistently by colleagues worldwide. Their work is vital in allowing and guiding the constant development and evolution of our technical capability.
Lloyd’s Register’s Technical Leaders: (l-r) Ed Fort, Head of Marine Engineering Systems; Peter Thompson, Head of Hull Structures; Bernard Twomey, Head of Electrotechnical Systems; Vince Jenkins, Global Marine Risk Adviser; David Howarth, Chief Metallurgist and Global Head of Materials, Welding and NDE.