Paramarine SeaWeigh, the on-board stability management system and part of the Paramarine suite of advanced marine design software developed by QinetiQ GRC, has been selected by the UK MoD as the on-board stability management system for the Queen Elizabeth Carrier class.
Two Queen Elizabeth class carriers are being built for the Royal Navy. HMS Queen Elizabeth is expected to enter service in 2016 and HMS Prince of Wales in 2018. The vessels will displace about 65,000 tonnes (64,000 long tons), be 280 metres (920 ft.) long and have a tailored air group of up to forty aircraft. They will be the largest warships ever to be constructed for the Royal Navy.
Paramarine SeaWeigh will be used to manage the impact on stability from complex payloads, their distribution and tank states. It is being integrated into the QEC’s ship management systems which will provide SeaWeigh with data on fuel and fresh water tank conditions. SeaWeigh can deliver a picture of the ship’s condition including real time updates from its tank fullness sensors and flood sensors. SeaWeigh will also provide decision support information, including scenario generation, to the ship’s staff in the event of damage or flooding.
“We selected Paramarine SeaWeigh because of its extensive and proven functionality which has made it the on-board stability management tool of choice for large payload ships of the Royal Navy. It is able to directly calculate both intact and damage stability allowing flexible optimisation of the complex payload distribution, is user friendly and acts as a decision support tool in the event of an incident,”,” said Steve Marshall, Ship Stability & Hydrodynamics, Naval Authority Group, MoD.
Paramarine SeaWeigh on-board stability management system directly calculates compliance with the stability standard, presents relevant parameters of each sailing condition in order to assist the ship’s staff in their judgement on whether the ship is loaded within approval limits. The tool has a modern graphics interface and its extensive functionality is suitable for all types of ships including those with large variable loads such as LPDs, aircraft carriers, bulk and box carriers and Ro-Pax vessels.
“Paramarine SeaWeigh extensive functionality and ease of use and integration into existing ship systems makes it the ideal on-board stability management solution for ship owners and constructors. The decision by the MoD to select it for the new QE class of carriers is a further endorsement of its capabilities and fitness for purpose,” said Vittorio Vagliani, Managing Director, QinetiQ GRC.