Advanced Technology to Optimize Manpower Onboard Ships 

Objective
The merchant fleets of many countries worldwide have experienced a significant decline of competitiveness over the years. Loss of competitiveness is due to the fact that ships in these fleets are generally more expensive to operate than other ships, and shippers prefer the latter because of cost considerations. Realizing that manning costs are frequently a major percentage of ship operating costs, one of the measures that has been contemplated by many countries in order to help reverse this trend has been the design, development, and operation of highly automated ships manned by reduced crews.
The European Commission (Directorate General for Transport -DGVII), realizing the need for applied R&D in this area, sponsored project ATOMOS, within its EURET transport R&D programme. ATOMOS consists of a consortium of 9 partners from 4 EU countries (DSB Ferries Consortium Leader). The project started in early 1992 and was completed in late 1994. Its scope has been to develop advanced shipboard technologies that would enhance the competitiveness of the fleet of the EU, while maintaining an adequate level of safety. 

PARTNERS
Danish State Railways- Ferry Division, Denmark
Danish Maritime Institute, Denmark
Aalborg University, Denmark
Danish Maritime Authority, Denmark
Logimatic AS, Denmark
National Technical University of Athens, Greece
Lloyds Register of Shipping, UK
System Technik Nord, Germany
Soeren T. Lyngsoe, Denmark

Related publications
· Psaraftis, H.N., L. Babilis, D. Skaleos, and T. Stamatellos (1992). Definition of Ship Competitiveness Criteria. ATOMOS Deliverable 2301.1, November.
· Psaraftis, H.N., C. Andronikidis, L. Babilis, P. Bartzis, V. Boulmetis, Y. Chiotopoulos, D. Skaleos, and T. Stamatellos (1993). Identification of Possibilities of Reducing Manpower. ATOMOS Deliverable 2301.2, May.
· Psaraftis, H.N., V. Adalis, C. Andronikidis, P. Bartzis, C. Dilzas, and P. Vranas (1994a). Collection of Costs and Benefits. ATOMOS Deliverable 2319.1, April.
· Psaraftis, H.N., V. Adalis, C. Andronikidis, P. Bartzis, C. Dilzas, and P. Vranas (1994b). Cost-Benefit Analysis and Recommendations: Final Report. ATOMOS Deliverable 2319.2a, August.
· Psaraftis, H.N. (1995). Impact of Ship Automation Technologies on Merchant Fleet Competitiveness. XIV Pan-American Congress of Naval Engineering, Maritime Transportation and Port Engineering (XIV COPINAVAL), Lima, Peru, June.
· Psaraftis, H.N. (1996). Ship Automation as a Factor of Merchant Fleet Competitiveness. NTUA working paper, February.


Related projects:    THAMES      ATOMOS II      DISC II/ATOMOS III      ATOMOS IV