Service Vessel Analysis. Volume 1. Seagoing and Coastal Vessel Requirements for Servicing Aids to Navigation

摘要

This analysis determines the number, mix, and home ports of vessels required to replace the aging fleet of WLB (seagoing) and WLM (coastal) buoy tenders currently servicing aids to navigation. A cast study approach was used. Differing values of vessel speed, discrepancy response and other mission activity formed the cases. Using the Service Force Mix (SFM) model, the fleet to replace the WLB and WLM service capability was determined. The SFM model is a computer implemented simulation which models the activities of vessels servicing aids to navigation. Given a list of navigation aids which are assigned to available servicing vessels, the model simulates, for each vessel, the annual servicing of those aids and reports the resulting vessel performance. Although this analysis makes no recommendations, a possible scenario of moderate discrepancy response, improved vessel speed, and single mission would suggest a replacement fleet of 31 vessels (17 seagoing, 14 coastal vessels). This reduces the current fleet by 9 vessels. In this case, four of the vessels saved were attributable to crossing district boundaries and saturating seagoing vessels with coastal aids. Determination of such savings might not have been obvious without the use of this modeling analysis technique. A separate supplement to this document shows graphic plots of the aid to vessel assignments used for this study. (Author)