Tech File: P&O Adopts Hull Stress Monitoring for new Hybrid 'Super Ferries'
Light Structures tapped to deliver custom fiber optic solution for stress and fatigue measurement with real-time decision support
Light Structures AS won the contract to provide a Hull Stress Monitoring System for two new hybrid-power, double-ended RoPAX vessels under construction at Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) in China for P&O Ferries. Delivery, installation, and commissioning is expected to be completed within 2022.
Measuring 230m long with 3,600 lane meters (Lm) and a passenger capacity of 1,500, the ferries will reeportedly become the largest double ended RoPAX vessels ever built and the largest vessels to operate on the route between Dover and Calais when they go into service in 2023.
Light Structures’ SENSFIBTM Global+ system will be used to monitor stress loading on the advanced new hull, providing precision data in real-time, which will also contribute to optimising maintenance windows based on real-world fatigue. The data collected by the SENSFIB sensors will also be used to validate integrity of the hull design over a sustained period, enabling improvements for future iterations.