An optimization method for HSC design: technical problems and project financing

The parameter "time" is more and more worth in the trading and business world and the recent technical innovations in ship-building gave to the ship speed a determinant role whereas in the past reliability and low costs played as decisive factors. No doubts on the fact that financial aspects have a fundamental part in every commercial activity and that a good organization of the management is necessary to grant the working capital return and hopefully a capital gain. The well known Anglo-Saxon synthesis ability completely express this concept as: "in the shipping business first the financial frame is to be done and after the vessel can be made". This paper deals with technical problems of HSC design related to economical and financial aspects without forgetting regulations and feasibility constraints. An optimization procedure is outlined which provide an estimation of the technical design parameters making the largest profit from the ship transport demand of the market. At first, on the basis of a necessary market analysis giving the profitable routes and determining ship carrying capacity (passenger, trucks and cars), the building and managing cost of the ship are studied. Even if approximate, a prediction of dead weight and installed power is obtained through appropriate statistics of built ships. Later on, reasonable financial parameters are associated to dimensions and technical data of the HSC and, assuming a 10 years ship life, the state of revenues, costs and gains are evaluated. An application of the method is also presented with reference to a particular case: for each year, several technical and financial resulting parameters (building and managing costs and gains, cash-flow, rate of investment, break even point, etc. changing ship's dimensions, installed power and propulsion) are evaluated, shown in tables and eventually plotted.