A design methodology for resilience in fleets for service operations

Abstract

In this paper, we present a new conceptual design methodology for increasing the resilience in complex operations involving a fleet of ships. The objective of the methodology is to support design decisions to reduce vulnerabilities facing complex operations. The steps of the methodology are; 1) Defining operational context and initial fleet system design; 2) Investigating failure modes, identification and criticality assessment; 3) Proposing redesign and redeployment actions at the vessel level to increase resilience, through flexibility or redundancy; 4) Evaluating proposed actions, through assessment of the alternatives. We illustrate this methodology using a small case from a maritime service operation. The results indicate the advantage of integrating design thinking into a methodology for more resilient maritime operations.