Effective maintenance remains fundamental to safe, reliable and efficient ship operations. Opportunities to improve workload balancing, scheduling and onboard safety are driving the evolution of planned maintenance systems, while smarter software-enabled processes are helping operators enhance equipment reliability, streamline maintenance activities and support more effective fleet management.

Model-Based Systems Engineering is helping bring greater rigour and traceability to naval vessel acquisition. By combining set-based design, requirements exploration and multi-criteria decision-making, the approach supports more informed evaluation of off-the-shelf solutions, reducing acquisition risk while improving alignment between capability needs, procurement decisions and long-term operational objectives.

Understanding slamming loads remains critical for the design of offshore and marine structures exposed to harsh operating conditions. Advanced URANS simulations reveal how perforation geometry and trapped-air behaviour influence impact forces, providing valuable insight into load management and supporting safer, more robust structural designs in demanding marine environments.

Wave-piercing catamaran performance is closely linked to centre bow design, with bow geometry playing a significant role in wave-induced slamming loads and structural response. Increased water confinement beneath the bow can amplify impact loads and accelerations, highlighting important design trade-offs between ride performance, structural demands and operational reliability in demanding sea conditions.

Early-stage ship design decisions can have lasting consequences for capability, performance and adaptability. For complex naval vessels, design “style” shapes choices across systems, architectures and disciplines, making it a powerful framework for exploring alternatives, managing trade-offs and guiding more coherent, effective vessel development from the outset.

Autonomous underwater vehicles are becoming increasingly capable through advanced control strategies designed to manage complex, nonlinear dynamics. A decoupled model predictive control approach simplifies implementation while maintaining effective guidance and stability, supporting more reliable ocean survey operations and expanding the potential of autonomous systems in demanding underwater environments.

Future aircraft carrier design demands the careful integration of hydrodynamics, aviation requirements, propulsion, structural engineering and operational effectiveness. Balancing these interconnected considerations remains essential to delivering complex naval platforms that are affordable, resilient and operationally effective, while accommodating evolving technologies and future strategic demands.

Aircraft carrier design requires balancing a complex mix of hydrodynamic performance, aviation operations, survivability and supportability considerations. Exploring alternative Future Aircraft Carrier concepts reveals how early hullform and propulsion decisions can shape capability, efficiency and risk, offering valuable insight into the multidisciplinary trade-offs that underpin successful naval platform development.

Safe and effective ship-assist operations depend on a clear understanding of the hydrodynamic interactions between tugs and large vessels. Improved methods for scaling and comparing interaction effects across different vessel sizes are enhancing operational planning, helping define safer tug operating distances and supporting more reliable manoeuvring in demanding port environments.

The survival of the S.S. Ohio remains one of the most remarkable stories in maritime history. Re-examining the tanker’s wartime damage through modern stability, buoyancy and structural-strength analysis provides fresh insight into the factors that enabled the vessel to reach Malta, highlighting the enduring importance of survivability and resilience in ship design.

Growing vessel sizes and rising port traffic are placing increasing demands on mooring systems and harbour infrastructure. Understanding how mooring arrangements and line characteristics influence a vessel’s response to passing ships can enhance berth safety, reduce operational risk and support more effective management of large container vessels in busy port environments.

Safe and efficient berthing operations rely on close coordination between shipmasters, marine pilots and port authorities. Understanding differing perceptions of key safety factors can help reduce operational risk, improve decision-making and strengthen port safety performance, particularly as vessel sizes and navigational complexity continue to increase.