Page 14: of Maritime Logistics Professional Magazine (Q4 2011)

14 Maritime Professional 4Q 2011The concept of a ?virtual shipyard? has been discussed for decades. Take a network of specialized manufacturers, inte- grate them into a cost-effective total ship construction system and channel that expertise into a timely delivery schedule. The ?virtual? architecture was initially developed for military newbuilding with hopes the effort could eventually support commercial ship construction in the United States.Unfortunately the first true commercial attempt at the virtual theory failed in 2009 as word of shutdown and bankruptcy drifted out of the smoke that was the American Heavy Lift coastal tanker project in Mobile, Alabama. There are many unanswered questions of why the original project failed. Many of which had to do with the ?virtual? concept of the construction. Planning is critical in the ship-building process and the multitude of players involved in a ?virtual? tanker construction added to the problems that plan- ning process deals with. A strategic construction schedule must integrate the many functions that are critical foundations to the building and changes to that strategy eventually con- tribute to the final cost of the ship. The construction goal may be a long series built under the same design within a single shipyard and a schedule that eventually finds its efficient state and a reasonable cost. However, only the Far East has the opportunity to contract and successfully build those long series for an international market. Shipbuilding Challenges: Unique to the U.S. Market? U.S. shipbuilding, on the other hand, continues to look for answers in its quest to become competitive: What is the best construction sequence for a ship? How can a shipyard best utilize its resources during the construction process? How can the negative impacts of design changes and delays be mini- mized? These are only a few of the questions U.S. builders continually face. Despite the fact that many remain unan- InsightsRising from the Ashes of Virtual Shipbuilding By Robert Kunkel, President, Alternative Marine Technologies M/V American Phoenix preparing for launch on October 18, 2011. Photo Courtesy Robert Kunkel MP #4 (1-17):MP Layouts 11/7/2011 4:41 PM Page 14