Science Berths

Published Requirement

Berthing related issues that directly impact vessel size and cost:

• Number of staterooms and total number of berths (16 to 20).
• The addition of 4 permanent scientist berths adds 2 staterooms and adds ~5ft to ship length.
• Number of people per toilet/shower (semi-private vs community toilet/shower spaces)
• 4 persons max per toilet/shower unit requires more space than community toilet/shower units
• Number of single person staterooms (all crew and resident techs, chief scientist, officers, or no one)
• Size of staterooms - may depend on endurance (length of cruises)
• Convertible space or vans may be considered
• Higher personnel complement increases space needed for auxiliary services.
• Berthing space competes with lab, deck and operational spaces.
• You will be asked to rank the need for additional berthing vs lab space vs deck space at the end of this form.

The concept for designing a surge capacity that can be effectively used when needed is important to the flexibility of these vessels to support a wider range of potential projects. Making space such as a lounge or conference room convertible to bunk space or other effective use of space should be considered. The use of vans could be considered as long as the resulting accommodations are integrated into normal ship services, and they can be safely utilized. Past failures involving the use of berthing vans should be avoided.

Questions

What should the minimum number of permanent berths be?

How many surge capacity berths are needed?

Can surge berthing be multi-occupant (more than two person)?

Should vans be used for berthing?

Should Toilet/Shower be semi-private (4 per unit) or community?

Should smaller staterooms (minimum allowed by regulations) be used to gain more berths if needed?

Comments on Berthing SMR

Working Deck Space

Published Requirement

Working deck related issues that directly impact vessel size and cost:

• Working deck area is required to be on the main deck.
• Approximately one foot of ship length req'd per 36 ft2 of work deck.
• At least 50 ft of clear deck space along rail.
• Space for two vans on main deck.
• Deck space competes with lab space and berthing space (rank order later)

A spacious stern working area with 1,000 sq ft minimum aft of deck houses open and as clear as possible from one side to the other is required. In addition, a contiguous waist work area along one side (starboard preferred) that provides a minimum of a 50 ft length of clear deck along the rail should be available. This area will allow for 10 to 15 meter piston coring and other operations. A minimum width of eight feet is needed for the coring operations and the overall width of the waist deck should be wide enough to accommodate all planned operations. The total amount of clear working area on the main deck aft should be maximized and equal at least 1,300 sq ft. It is desirable to accommodate at least a 10 meter (33 ft) core and up to 15 meter (50 ft) piston coring operations. The coring process design and design for other major operations should take place during the early design of the vessel. There should be space for up to two vans on the main deck with minimal interference with over the side operations.

A clear foredeck area should be capable of accommodating small, specialized towers, booms, and other sampling equipment as much as possible. Providing tie down sockets, power, water, and data connections will facilitate flexible use of this space.

Additional deck areas should be provided with the means for flexible and effective installation of incubators, vans, workboats, and temporary equipment.

Questions

What is the minimum required clear deck space on the main deck?

Is 50 ft of deck space along the rail required? (answer no if you think it can be reduced)

What should be the minimum number of van spaces?

Do both van spaces have to be on main deck?

Comments on Working Deck SMR

Lab Space

Published Requirement

Lab Space related issues that directly impact vessel size and cost:

• Required to be on the main deck.
• Approximately One Foot of Ship Length Req'd Per 36 ft2 of lab area

Laboratories: Total lab space should be a minimum of 1,000 sq ft (1,500 sq ft is desirable) including:

• Main (dry) lab area (800 sq ft)
• Separate wet lab/hydro lab (400 sq ft)
• Electronics/computer lab; separate or part of main lab.
• A separate electronics repair shop/work space for resident (and visiting) technicians is desirable.
• High bay/hanger space for multiple purposes adjacent to the aft main deck is desirable; may be combined with wet lab/hydro lab.
• Climate controlled workspace or chamber (~100 sq ft) as lab or in van.

Questions

What is the minimum required lab space?

Do all labs have to be on the Main Deck?

Comments on Lab Space SMR

The majority of the lab space should be located in one or two large lab(s) that can be reconfigured, partitioned, and adapted to various uses to allow for maximum flexibility. This flexibility is an important design criterion.

To the maximum extent possible, labs should all be located on the same deck adjacent to each other and adjacent to the main working deck areas. Labs should be designed to minimize their use as general passageways. Doors and hatches should be designed to facilitate installing large equipment, loading scientific equipment, and bringing equipment and samples to and from the deck areas. Doorsills should be temporarily removable.

A total of at least 1,000 sq. ft. of lab space is required and 1,500 sq. ft. is desirable (dimensions below are approximate guidelines). On this class of vessel, the additional lab space may need to be provided in well designed and integrated laboratory vans in order to provide the flexibility in the amount of lab versus deck space available.

The main (dry) lab area (up to 800 sq ft) should be designed to be flexible with the provision for subdivision into smaller specialized labs.
A separate wet lab/hydro lab (up to 400 sq ft) is to be located contiguous to sampling areas.

An electronics/computer lab should be provided as a separate lab or as a defined area in the main lab. This space should be dry and separated as much as possible from sources of electronic noise. It may include a central watch standing space that should accommodate visiting science equipment as well as normally installed equipment. Provisions for remote displays in other labs should be part of lab designs.

A separate electronics and equipment repair shop/work space for resident technicians that includes provision for repair bench space for visiting technicians is desirable. Storage space for resident technician spares and tools should be defined in the design so that it is not taken from useable laboratory space. A small separate room or partitioned space for IT (server, telephone, and network) equipment is desirable.

High bay space for multiple purposes adjacent to the aft main deck is desirable. This space could support protected set up and repair of equipment, sample sorting, and other related functions. In this size vessel this function could be combined with the wet lab/hydro lab hanger space.

A climate controlled workspace or chamber (approx. 100 sq ft) is required. This can be provided using a van or to some degree by providing a well-designed area that can be partitioned from the main lab or wet lab. If the vessel size or layout allows, the space might be provided as a separate lab space that can be used for other purposes as well. This space should be capable of controlling temperature to ± 0.5°C. Lighting should be controllable and programmable.

Design of HVAC systems should be integrated with designed partitioning of laboratory spaces so that temperature control can be achieved. Access to labs should be designed to minimize effect on air-conditioning systems and climate control. Lighting control should also take into account partitioning plans

Space for two (20 cu ft) stand-alone refrigerator/freezer units with similar configuration and refrigeration equipment capable of maintaining temperatures between - 15°C and 10°C (these temperature requirements should be verified during design) should be provided. Additional units (such as 80°C) could be accommodated at the expense of other uses of lab space or in van space when needed. Built in units should not be needed and should not be included unless the space could be used for alternate purposes when not needed as refrigerated space.

Endurance

Published Requirement

Endurance related issues that directly impact vessel size and cost:

• Consumable storage (fresh vegetables and frozen stores) is most significant impact on endurance.
• Science party size and maximum occupancy of staterooms will be impacted as endurance increases .
• SMR mission scenarios all required endurance of 21 days or less.
• Range, Speed and Endurance compete with each other as shown by fuel/power curves in JJMA report.

Questions

What should the minimum endurance be?

Is the ability to have a surge endurance of 30 days a high priority?

Comments on Endurance SMR

Range

Published Requirement

Range related issues that directly impact vessel size and cost:

• 15,000 km range was specified in FOFC Renewal Plan, but may be more than needed.
• Longer range requires more fuel capacity (and ballast tankage) and larger displacement.
• Approximately 170 Tons Fuel Required (45 NM Per Ton) @10 kts for 15,000 km range.
• 170 tons = 53,000 gallons compared with 29,000 on Cape Class Vessels
• Cape Class Vessels have a range under 7,000 nm
• SMR mission scenarios all required a range under 3,000 nm.
• Range competes with speed, endurance and science load.

Range: 8,100 nautical miles at optimal transit speeds

Questions

Can the range be reduced below 15,000 km
(8,100 nm)?

How much range is adequate for work from a regional vessel? Choose Range 15,000 km / 8,097 nm 14,000 km / 7,558 nm 12,000 km / 6,478 nm 10,000 km / 5,398 nm 8,000 km / 4,319 nm 6,000 km / 3,239 nm 5,000 km / 2,699 nm
kilometers (km) / nautical miles (nm)

Comments on Range SMR

Speed

Published Requirement

Speed related issues that directly impact vessel size and cost:

• Feasibility Study Designs: Max Speed of 12 kts with 1,500 SHP is possible
• Cruise Speed of 11.5 kts @ 80% MCR (power)
• Meeting Max SMR of 14 kts Requires 2,800 SHP (almost double)
• Reducing Max Speed To 11 kts Requires 1,000 SHP
• Speed-Power Curve Steep Above 12 kts. Hulls Could Be Optimized For Higher Speed
• This might reduce sea keeping.
• Speed competes with endurance and range.
• Speed competes with sea keeping

12 to 14 knots maximum speed at sea trial is desirable and at least 12 knots is required. Optimum cruising speed should be between 10 and 12 knots with 10 knots sustainable through sea state 4 (1.25 - 2.5 m wave heights).

Speed control in sea state 3 or less (< 1.25 meters wave height) should be
0.1 knot in the 0-5 knot range and
0.2 knot in the 6-12 knot range.

Maximum speed and fine speed control should not be obtained at the cost of poor acoustical system operations, excessive noise, fuel consumption, or poor sea keeping.

Questions

Do you require more than 12 knots maximum speed?

What should the optimum cruising speed be?

Comments on Speed SMR

Seakeeping

Published Requirement

Sea Keeping related issues that directly impact vessel size and cost:

• Strong Driver of Hull Type (SWATH vs. Monohull)
• Maximum SMR Monohull Meets SMRs
• Minimum SMR Monohull Meets in Shortcrested Seas
• Smaller (and shorter) Vessel Will Have Reduced Seakeeping Capability
• No Seakeeping Analysis Done For Smaller Size Vessel
• Seakeeping competes with speed.

Sea keeping is the ability to carry out the mission of the vessel while maintaining crew comfort and safety, and maintaining equipment operability. It is an important design criteria to maximize the sea-kindliness of these vessels and maximize their ability to work in sea states four and higher within the constraints of their overall size. It is desirable for these vessels to operate 50% of the time or greater in the wintertime in the Pacific Northwest and in the Northeast/Gulf of Maine. The use of bilge keels, anti-roll tanks or other methods to reduce the motions of these vessels should be incorporated in the designs.

In sea state four (1.25 - 2.5 m wave heights) these vessels should be able to:

• Maintain underway science operations at 9 knots
• Maintain on station operations 80 % of the time, including:
  • CTD operations 90% of the time
  • Mooring deployments 75% of the time
  • Coring operations 50% to 75% of the time
  • ROV operations 50% of the time
• Limit maximum vertical accelerations to less than 0.15 g (rms)
• Limit maximum lateral accelerations to less than 0.05 g (rms) at lab deck level
• Limit maximum roll to less than 3 degrees (rms)
• Limit maximum pitch to less than 2 degrees (rms)

At sea state five (2.5 - 4 m wave heights), these vessels should maintain 7 knots and be capable of station operations 50% of the time.

At sea state six (4 - 6 m wave heights), these vessels should maintain 4 knots and be capable of station operations 25% of the time.

At sea state seven or greater (>6 m wave heights), these vessels should be able to operate safely while hove to.

These motion criteria specifications should be verified as adequate and achievable during the earliest concept design phase. Otherwise, other motion criteria that result in ship motions that allow personnel and equipment to work effectively can be utilized during the concept design phase as long as the intent of the above sea keeping specifications is not sacrificed. Tables showing sea state and the practical effects of ship motion are included as appendices V and VI.

Questions

Is improved sea-keeping capability over the Cape Class a high priority?

Comments on Sea Keeping SMR