Thesis. 1979. Ocean E.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Ocean Engineering. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ENGINEERING. / Bibliography: leaves 375-376. / Ocean E.

The shipping industry is reliant on port authorities for the facilitation of safe entry and departure of ships at the ports. This role can not be fulfilled without the assistance of harbour tugs which are run by the marine operations section of the Transnet National Ports Authority. The tugs have to be safe and efficient in the process of pulling and pushing ships around the harbour. Harbour tugs are expensive to acquire and to maintain. The marine operations business has to make appropriate choices of tug propulsion design in order to realise the benefits of the tugs acquired by the ports authority. This can be achieved by analysing the current tugs that the operations are using, which will then serve as valuable information when the time for asset replacement is due. The researcher chose to use the two tug propulsion designs currently used by the Port Elizabeth harbour tugs as a basis for this analysis. The analysis links the three factors of maintenance management, equipment efficiency and equipment safety, to the minimisation of operational costs as perceived by the tug personnel, the pilots and the marine managers. This study seeks to verify the link between these factors and the perceived minimisation of operational costs. Available literature was reviewed and data was collected using a suitably designed questionnaire for this research. This research paper has led to recommendations that should inform the tug acquisition decisions and raise the awareness of the marine employees to relate the factors set out above to minimise operational costs.

A presente pesquisa aborda o problema de dimensionamento de frota de navios rebocadores do tipo AHTS, que são utilizados essencialmente nas tarefas de operações de apoio à exploração e produção de petróleo offshore (em alto mar). Essas atividades se caracterizam pela requisição simultânea de múltiplos navios de classes diferentes, e possuem parâmetros como: compatibilidade de classes de navios com as tarefas, duração em dias, local de execução e instante desejado de atendimento. Para representar este problema foi desenvolvido um modelo de simulação com parâmetros estocásticos, cuja programação é orientada para minimização dos custos totais da operação, que englobam custos fixos, custos de penalidade por atraso no atendimento das tarefas, e penalidade por falta de cumprimento de tarefas. A abordagem de solução do modelo é a busca exaustiva onde são comparados cenários de simulação de eventos discretos. Adicionalmente, foram comparadas 2 modos de escolhas de tarefas na fila de tarefas, o primeiro é o modo FIFO (First In First Out), o segundo modo é a priorização de tarefas com maior custo de penalidade associado para o dimensionamento de frota. / This research addresses a fleet sizing problem of anchor and handling and tug supply vessels (AHTS), which support the exploration and production of oil at the sea. The support activities are characterized by simultaneous request of multiple vessels of one or more classes. Other characteristics of the research problem are:: the compatibility between vessels and tasks, task duration (in days), a place of execution the task and a desired instant to be attended. A simulation model with stochastic parameters was developed to represent this problem, aiming to minimize the total operational cost that includes fixed costs,penalty costs if tasks are delayed and penalty costs with not completed tasks. The strategy to solve this problem was the exhausted search through discrete-event simulation. Aditionally, 2 methods of approach for the queue were analyzed: the first one is the FIFO (First In First Out) and the second one is the priority according the highest penalty cost to size the fleet.

A presente pesquisa aborda o problema de dimensionamento de frota de navios rebocadores do tipo AHTS, que são utilizados essencialmente nas tarefas de operações de apoio à exploração e produção de petróleo offshore (em alto mar). Essas atividades se caracterizam pela requisição simultânea de múltiplos navios de classes diferentes, e possuem parâmetros como: compatibilidade de classes de navios com as tarefas, duração em dias, local de execução e instante desejado de atendimento. Para representar este problema foi desenvolvido um modelo de simulação com parâmetros estocásticos, cuja programação é orientada para minimização dos custos totais da operação, que englobam custos fixos, custos de penalidade por atraso no atendimento das tarefas, e penalidade por falta de cumprimento de tarefas. A abordagem de solução do modelo é a busca exaustiva onde são comparados cenários de simulação de eventos discretos. Adicionalmente, foram comparadas 2 modos de escolhas de tarefas na fila de tarefas, o primeiro é o modo FIFO (First In First Out), o segundo modo é a priorização de tarefas com maior custo de penalidade associado para o dimensionamento de frota. / This research addresses a fleet sizing problem of anchor and handling and tug supply vessels (AHTS), which support the exploration and production of oil at the sea. The support activities are characterized by simultaneous request of multiple vessels of one or more classes. Other characteristics of the research problem are:: the compatibility between vessels and tasks, task duration (in days), a place of execution the task and a desired instant to be attended. A simulation model with stochastic parameters was developed to represent this problem, aiming to minimize the total operational cost that includes fixed costs,penalty costs if tasks are delayed and penalty costs with not completed tasks. The strategy to solve this problem was the exhausted search through discrete-event simulation. Aditionally, 2 methods of approach for the queue were analyzed: the first one is the FIFO (First In First Out) and the second one is the priority according the highest penalty cost to size the fleet.