Ship design – challenges in contracting process (part I)
Ship design is a complex process, requiring meticulous planning, risk management and the ability to make compromises between the buyer/owner, the design office and the shipyard/builder. Design services contracting process is based mostly on tendering procedures, but the practices vary both in terms of the nature of the owner (public or commercial) and the location (domestic projects or foreign tenders). The following article treats the differences in contracting ship design, affecting further stages of the project, based on our 20 years of experience in providing services for ship owners in different parts of the globe.