FIBRESHIP: A great step forward in the design and construction of lightweight large-length vessels

The application of composite materials in large-length shipbuilding is attracting considerable attention thanks to their significant expected structural weight reduction, resulting in advantages such as bunkering savings, lower greenhouse gas emissions, higher payload cargo capacity, or suppression of corrosion problems, which might produce maintenance costs reduction. The H2020 European research project FIBRESHIP (EU 2020) aims to develop the technologies required to use composites in large length ships. The project covers all aspects required to make reality this new generation of ships, from materials to shipyard requirements; from the numerical tools required for designing fibreships, to the development of guidelines and rules that define how this design should be made. Current work presents the main work conducted in the field of material selection and characterization, numerical tools developments, and shipyard requirements.Postprint (published version