Ship Types > Patrol
PHILOSOPHY :: THE
DESIGN PROCESS :: CONSTRUCTION
SUPPORT :: CONTINUING OPV
TRENDS
Aker Yards Marine has developed a
suite of OPV designs, ranging in size from 25 to 90 metres,
with varying operational and performance capabilities, to meet
the requirements of clients around the world.
PV 45 - Offshore Patrol Vessel (25 Knots) 
Traditionally, OPV's have been designed to the
same military standards applied to surface combatants, whose
primary function has been to deliver a sophisticated long range
weapons package using a vessel as small and as light as possible.
The use of military standards for almost all material
and construction, plus the tightly packed spaces, has resulted
in high shipyard costs. Equipment and systems designed
for high shock and low noise requirements have further increased
the overall ship price. Applying this approach to the
changing role of OPV's makes them unnecessarily expensive and
often unsuited to their intended function.
Aker Yards Marine's philosophy is
to design the ship to relevant commercial standards, fit a weapons
system as appropriate, as well as simplifying the ship design,
material procurement and construction phases.
Examples of this philosophy are:
- Design to a moderate level of shock, radiated noise
and damage survivability;
- Achieve a practical degree of stealth capability;
- Engineer greater seaworthiness at higher speeds in a
slightly larger, but easier to build vessel;
- Use commercially available equipment;
- Design high internal volume, easy to outfit spaces;
- Install weapons systems to meet the requirements of
the navy in question;
- Provide shipyards with a design and build package, including
detail design, material data and complete equipment packages.
The result is a robust
offshore patrol vessel, which is more cost effective than similar
size surface combatants designed in the traditional way.
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Experienced Aker Yards Marine staff work closely
with our clients, using many in-house computer programs
and our extensive vessel database to define vessel
characteristics and to assure that, whenever possible,
the proposed vessel design will be improved based
on the success of an in-service Aker Yards Marine
designed vessel. The design process includes
the following:
- General arrangements showing compliance
with Owner requirements;
- Hull form development from one of a series
of existing vessels with operational experience
matching the performance requirements;
- Structural arrangement and analysis, including
FEA, as required, to ensure optimization of
strength and vibration characteristics;
- Machinery arrangements and systems development,
confirming simplicity of installation, operation
and maintenance;
- Contract design package that permits a builder
to provide the client with a firm fixed price
for delivery of the vessel.
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48 M "Rauma" Class OPV (30
Knots)
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While many design firms reach the limits of their
expertise at the end of the design phase, Aker
Yards Marine, with its shipbuilding background,
supported by the Aker-Kvaerner Shipbuilding Group,
can continue to assist clients with the following:
- A qualified bidders list and evaluation
of shipyard bids;
- Production drawings to support construction
and outfit of the vessel;
- Purchase specification and vendor selection;
- Qualified personnel on-site to supervise
construction and equipment installation;
- Trials procedures and supervision;
- Crew instruction and vessel operations manuals.
Aker Yards
Marine's continued presence throughout the design
and build process can eliminate many of the direction
changes experienced by ship owners when project
responsibility is relinquished to others.
Aker Yards Marine continues
to field inquiries for OPV's designed for the patrol
of territorial waters and to perform non-military
duties such as:
- Customs enforcement and drug interdiction;
- Fisheries protection;
- Search and rescue and marine evacuation;
- Disaster relief.
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Accordingly, OPV designs
will continue to focus on the development of several important
vessel characteristics, including:
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PV80 -Irish OPV "LE Niamh" (22 Knots)
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- The ability to launch and recover boarding or interceptor
boats in open ocean conditions;
- The ability to support helicopter operations, allowing
an increased search horizon;
- The ability to accommodate and deploy an enforcement
detachment;
- The ability to rescue and provide life support to the
survivors of marine accidents;
- Low through-life cost by the use of commercially available,
good quality equipment;
- Efficient operation through optimum hull configuration
and structural design;
- A propulsion power plant having provision for adequate
intercept speed and loiter drives for slow speed surveillance
operations, if necessary;
- Superior crew habitability through a reduction in ship
motions, low noise and vibration levels and a good standard
of accommodation;
- Incorporation of appropriate stealth technology such
as low radar signature.
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