Ballasting plan optimization for operation of a 2D floating dry dock

A floating dry dock is an advanced structure that can provide a solution for dry dock space shortages. The critical point in floating dock operation is compensating the deflection caused by a heavy payload by adjusting the water level in the ballast system. An appropriate ballasting plan warrants safe and precise construction on a floating dock. Particularly, in the case of a 2D floating dock, ballasting plan evaluation is crucial due to complex deformation modes. In this paper, we developed a method to calculate the optimal ballasting plan for accurate and precise construction on a 2D floating dock. The finite element method was used for considering the flexibility of the floating dock as well as the construction blocks. Through a gradient-based optimization algorithm, the optimal ballasting plan for the given load condition was calculated in semi-real time (5 min). The present method was successfully used for the actual construction of an offshore structure on the 2D floating dock.