Carbon-Fibre Ship Superstructure R&D: DMA Grant Funds

Denmark's DTU Mechanical Engineering , DTU Civil Engineering and DBI have received a grant of 5,090,000 Kroner from the Danish Maritime Authority Maritime Conversion Group and the Danish Maritime Fund to develop a new superstructure construction of carbon fiber and other lightweight materials for large passenger ships in the research project COMPASS.

COMPASS stands for 'Composite Superstructures for Large Passenger Ships'.
 Associate Professor Christian Berggreen is the head of the project at DTU Mechanical Engineering and intends to demonstrate that it is possible to build a cheap and fireproof lightweight construction for superstructures on passenger ships to replace the existing steel superstructures used today.


Berggreen says that when it becomes possible to replace the existing heavy steel superstructures with new lightweight composite superstructures, then there will be big fuel savings to be made and thus large gains for the environment and climate.



Fire safety is a high priority at sea which is why it has not been possible to work with materials other than steel superstructures on passenger ships in international waters. Amended international safety rules for ships has opened up the use of materials other than steel, as long as fire safety is equivalent.

The COMPASS project aims to demonstrate that it is possible for a shipyard to offer conversions of ships, replacing steel with composites in the superstructure at competitive prices and supply conditions, and by this means achieve significant weight savings.