All Hands on Deck: Naval architecture and marine engineering require communication and collaboration.

• Author: Joyal, Brad

It's easy to marvel at the size and scope of the large marine vessels that pull into port in Glacier Bay, Juneau, Ketchikan, or Sitka. Between their size, design, and stature, the sight of some of the vessels can take a person's breath away.

Vessels of this scale are typically used for decades, but every vessel, including cargo ships, barges, fishing boats, container ships, and bulk carriers, was first ignited in a moment by an idea--a vision that somebody once dreamed would become reality. The process of turning a project from an idea to actuality is time consuming, stressful, and exciting; it's also invariably costly. Undertaking the process of engineering and building a marine vessel requires input from a vast range of people with specific areas of expertise, but it all starts when a prospective owner approaches an architect or engineer with the hope of turning a dream into a tangible blueprint.

Because every owner has different operational needs and mission requirements, designers must be versatile and flexible.

"Naval architects and marine engineers are really kind of like Jack-of-all-trades," says Pat Eberhardt, owner and principal engineer of Coastwise Corporation. "It takes reasonable knowledge of many different subjects to put a vessel together."

Understanding Mission Requirements

In most cases, vessel owners will approach a naval architect with an idea. They can envision the finished vessel at sea, but the vessel's look and shape are open to interpretation. Although customers might be unaware of how the finished vessel will look, they always know what they need their vessel to accomplish. Mission requirements vary depending on the industry in which the vessel will be used, and, like with all design-work, some ideas are much more difficult to execute than others.

"A big modern factory trawler is one of the most complex vessels," explains John Waterhouse, who is the principal engineer and serves as the concept engineer for Elliott Bay Design Group. "They're so expensive because they have to do so many different things. They have to not only capture the product, but they have to process the fish and store them at very cold temperatures. They have to have their crews on board; they have to feed those crews and have safety equipment for them."

Waterhouse describes fishing vessels as among the most challenging to design because of their mission requirements, but that isn't to say passenger ferries and major cruise ships are a breeze.

"Ferry boats are challenging because it's all about the main deck on a ferry," Waterhouse says. "You have to find room for cars and for people to get on and off. You also have to find room for elevators and ventilation and exhaust piping. All of that makes the main deck the puzzle that needs to be solved."

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