WEB-BASED DECISION SUPPORT FOR RETROFITTING SOLUTIONS
Dr. Thomas Koch1, Andreas Roppelt1, Dr. Stefan Harries2, Dr. Hannes Renzsch2, Dr. Fabian Thies2
1 Atlantec Enterprise Solutions GmbH, 22419 Hamburg, Germany,
2 Friendship Systems AG, 14482 Potsdam, Germany
Presented at the 20th International Congress of the International Maritime Association of the Mediterranean (IMAM 2025) – Crete, Greece – Sep/Oct 2025
ABSTRACT
A large fleet of commercial sea-going vessels is currently operating under conditions that are different from those assumed during their design. With the introduction of a continuously growing number of greening technologies as well as mandatory regulations related to environment protection measures, a strong need has evolved for ship operators and engineering companies to determine optimal solutions for retrofit of vessels that are already in operation. A selection and optimized combination of technologies are key questions for which answers are hard to find.
Within the R&D project RETROFIT55 (funded under the EU Horizon Europe program), a web-based decision support system is being developed that aspires to address this challenge. It is designed to provide functions to model an existing vessel and its operational profile in a straightforward and simplified way, to identify and configure a collection of greening technologies and to assess the expected effects regarding vessel performance by executing a guided, semi-automated design process. An important feature in this optimization process is the substantially reduced processing time that enables users to investigate many options. Using data from different levels of analysis – ranging from estimates based on data from previous projects to specific simulations – the approach taken allows first checks as well as more sophisticated studies, enriching data quality successively.
The underlying architecture of this approach is discussed, explaining the key features implemented to facilitate the rapid evaluation of complex engineering tasks and to determine the net effects of suitable combinations of greening technologies in terms of vessel performance, cost and life cycle assessment. The aim is to offer high-level decision support for retrofitting so as to identify potential combinations before engaging in detailed design work.
