From idea to vessel: the design process of DEKC Maritime

Designing and building a vessel is an incredibly broad and complicated process. That’s why the several departments of DEKC Maritime work together to launch each and every vessel successfully. Bram van Kleef, business development manager at DEKC Maritime, gives a sneak peek into the intricate design process of vessels at DEKC. How are clients’ ideas translated to a fully designed and constructed vessel? Which factors are taken into account?

Three departments

DEKC Maritime provides full vessel design, from idea to execution. Van Kleef: “We have experience in many areas, such as offshore wind and construction, dredging, heavy lift and transport, shipping, passenger transport and yachts. DEKC Maritime is divided into three main departments: Design & Support, Mechanical Engineering and Detail Engineering.”

Van Kleef continues: “The Design & Support department is where the vessel is designed, calculated and tested to prove that it meets the required expectations. Offshore wind installation vessels, for example, have to be able to lift heavy turbines while withstanding the many forces of currents and waves. Our Design & Support department therefore ensures vessels can perform their duties safely.

The Mechanical Engineering department then translates the vessel design to an actual working ship, which includes choosing and placing the necessary machinery, electrics, all piping systems, and outfitting such as stairs, ladders, and platforms. Also, the Mechanical Engineering department designs custom supports for transporting heavy components, such as wind turbine towers, on the deck of a ship.

Lastly, the Detail Engineering department provides information about the construction of every single part of the vessel. They do this by building up the steelwork of the vessel hull part by part in a 3D computer model. This model is then used to create a specification of each steel part in the ship, which can subsequently be cut out of steel plate and delivered to the shipyard.”

DEKC over the years

This third department actually formed the basis of DEKC Maritime, Van Kleef explains. “Years ago, DEKC Maritime was founded with the goal of supporting shipyards with detail engineering: the design of each plate, each bolt and how it all fits together. Over the course of time, DEKC Maritime has expanded to different areas in which the team supports shipyards and shipping companies to create new vessels or improve existing vessels. Our background in detail engineering, combined with fifteen years of experience in designing and testing, means we can help our clients in a very complete way: from idea to vessel.”

The process

How does the design process take form? “It all starts with the client’s ideas. The dimensions of the vessel, special requirements and the budget. Using our technology, we can then create a digital first impression of the vessel. Next, we calculate every part of the vessel, such as the structure and the impact of currents in air and sea. Safety concerns, stability, optimization – everything is taken into account. You could compare it to climbing the Eiffel Tower: once you’ve reached the top, you trust that the structure won’t collapse beneath your feet. This applies to vessels as well: from the start, we prove that our design works and is safe, so it meets the requirements of the client.”

Next, the calculations are checked externally by a classification society to ensure the safety and design. “This is a mandatory requirement. Once everything is checked, the Detail Engineering department comes into the picture. They design every part of the vessel, big and small, in detail. Every stair, every railing and every metal plate. The parts are numbered and constructed and then delivered to the shipyard, where the actual construction begins.”

Challenges of the sea

The sea always brings interesting challenges to designs. “Take the Acta Orion, for example: an offshore support vessel for wind farm installation and maintenance. We built this vessel to work in the wind turbine parks in the North Sea and it supports 80 people. The construction had to be performed in just 16 months. The area in which the vessel would work was particularly challenging. Waves in the North Sea are quite difficult to design for, due to the wavelength and inconsistent frequency caused by convergence of ocean currents towards the English Channel. Therefore, one of the challenges was the stabilization of the vessel. This was an interesting project. We had to analyze: what are the properties of the water in the field of work? How can a vessel function optimally in this area?”

Actively involved

During the design, the client can be actively involved, says Van Kleef. “We leverage our strength in 3D Modeling with Cadmatic to give our clients a visual representation of the work in progress. They can see the status of the vessel’s design whenever they want. And if a client wants to meet us weekly to discuss the progress, we gladly facilitate this. But if they want us to fully design the vessel without much discussion, that’s also possible.”