ENGINE - Royal Australian Navy

6 Future Environmental Policy Trends
to 2020, Impact on Ship Design and
Operation, Edited by Glenn Kerr and
Barry Snushall, Sea power Centre,
Australia, page 1.
to keep up with the mod status of
their parent European product line.
In practice, Incremental Component
Replacement is likely to be highly
applicable to the building blocks
of computer based control circuitry
(such as software enhancements
and printed logic cards). In the
LHD, this type of control circuitry is
all pervasive. Examples include the
Communications suite, the Integrated
Platform Management System
(IPMS), High Voltage switching and
conversion equipment and local
control circuitry for hull, mechanical
and electrical equipment. Based on
current manufacturing trends, spare
parts for this type of equipment are
expected to be obsolete within two
to five years of fit out.
Apart from software based systems,
the LHD's main power generation
and propulsion systems are
equally suited to the Incremental
Component Replacement process.
Equipped with three prime movers
(1 x LM2500 and 2 x MAN Diesels)
and two podded propulsors, the
LHD's power plant resembles that
of a modern cruise ship. Upgrades
to these systems usually stem from
a combination of OEM research and
a steady stream of performance
feedback from commercia l
operators. From a supportability
perspective, compliance with the
OEM 's performance upgrade
schedule can prevent major systems
from morphing into logistic orphans,
thereby ensuring commonality
is maintained with the broader
commercial fleet.
But component replacement is
not a panacea for all forms of
obsolescence. For example, unless
a combat system is designed for
progressive software enhancements,
system integration issues may lead
to block upgrades or new fits which
may be more cost effective.
Similarly, in cases where
obsolescence stems from regulatory
forces, such as major changes
to environmental legislation,
incremental replacement may not
be feasible. With the exception
of control and monitoring
software, COTS environmental
systems are typically large, bulky
treatment and processing plants.
As these systems are engineered
to meet specific legislative
requirements, modification is
often highly problematic and
costly. Consequently, replacing
these systems with an updated
COTS model may be the most cost
effective situation.
To manage the Incremental
Component Replacement process,
one option which will be explored
is Full Service Contracts with OEMs.
Full Service Contracts target asset
management rather than simply
system maintenance, and are often
used in the commercial maritime
sector for systems which underscore
ship availability. Configuration
change to cope with obsolescence
is seen as an ongoing process,
with inventory managed by the OEM
and maintained at the appropriate
mod status. Possible LHD candidate
systems for Full Service Contracts
are the power plant, the podded
propulsors, the IPMS, the combat
system and the communications
suite. For systems at high risk
of regulatory obsolescence, an
expansion of the services provided
by the Classification Society is
considered a viable strategy and
is discussed in further detail in the
next section.
MAINTENANCE IN CLASS
The third aspect of the LHD 's
Sustain ment Strategy is Maintenance
in Class. Maintenance in Class is
the term used to describe a ship
which is maintained in accordance
with the rules and regulations set
down by a Classification Society.
In practice, Maintenance in Class
means that the hull structure and
a range of specific systems are
regularly surveyed and inspected by
a Classification Society. Inspections
are also conducted on occurrence
in the event of a major defect
or system modification. Safety
of Life at Sea (SaLAS) systems
(e.g. firefighting, navigation, life
saving), main propulsion and power
generation systems, environmental
systems and lifting appliances (boat
cranes, lifts, hoists etc) are the
mainstay of a ship's Master List of
Surveyable Items. Combat systems
and other military specific systems
are not normally addressed by a
Classification Society.
In common with other ships in class,
the primary benefit of maintaining
the LHD in Class is that it offers the
RAN third party external assurance
regarding the fitness for purpose
and safety of its equipment. As
such, it can be a powerful tool in
maintaining configuration control
and in managing OEM relationships
during repair and modification
activities.
However, beyond this shared benefit,
Maintenance in Class is particularly
relevant for the LHD given its large
amount of COTS marine equipment,
most notably SaLAS systems, the
power plant and environmental
systems. For example, the LHD is the
first ship in the RAN that eschews
the traditional 25 man canister life
rafts and instead uses a commercial
Mass Evacuation System (MES -
trademarked as Marin Ark). The
MES consists of just six 430 man
life raft packs (three each side)
which are accessed via a spiral
chute. An additional two 109 man
rafts are also fitted in the event of
over capacity. As the RAN has no
corporate knowledge or experience
in maintaining or deploying aMES,
a Classification Society could assist
with developi ng this knowledge by
providing the appropriate linkages
to the commercial sector.
In a similar vein, the RAN has
no experience in operating and
maintaining a large scale integrated
full electric podded propu lsion
plant. Given this is the marine
power plant of choice for many
cruise ships, access to commercial
best operating and maintenance
practices via a Classification Society
could again assist the RAN in
building its corporate knowledge and
in reducing the costs of ownership of
these systems.
Furthermore, given the sizea ble
environmental footprint of the
LHD together with national and
international trends towards
more stringent environmental
protection regulations' , access
to a Classification Society's
environmental services could assist