Case Study: DEKC Maritime minimizes added resistance and achieves 11 kn design speed with CAESES hull optimization

Hull Optimization of a Self-Propelled Jack-Up Vessel

DEKC Maritime undertook a retrofit of a self‑propelled jack‑up vessel that increased spudcan size, draft, and beam to lower seabed pressure and boost cargo capacity, but these changes risked substantially higher hydrodynamic resistance while the original propulsion stayed unchanged. To manage this, DEKC Maritime used CAESES for parametric geometry creation and design control to develop streamlined flow bodies and integrated sponson shapes around the enlarged spudcans.

CAESES was used to build the hull, sponson and flow‑body geometries (f‑splines, meta‑surfaces and scripted features) and to automate shape optimization linked to FINE/Marine; a Sobol sampling followed by a gradient optimizer identified the best designs. The optimized configuration reduced wave‑making and resistance enough for the upgraded vessel to reach a new design speed of 11 kn, and the CAESES‑defined shapes were exported directly for detail engineering and production, demonstrating measurable speed retention and high‑quality geometry for construction.

DEKC Maritime

Harry Linskens

Dynamics Specialist