Integration of marine engineering and information and communication technology

Abstract

The number of interfirm collaborative agreements in shipbuilding increased dra-matically over the last thirty years. The authors consider the issues related to the tight and effective cooperation in shipbuilding, i.e. between ship-owner, ship design company, ship-building yard and its suppliers, and classification societies aimed to build competitive vessels in terms of quality and price. The authors have compared two approaches to solve this task realized with the help of information and communication technologies applied in the Nor-wegian firms. The implications for research and practice are discussed. The avenues for the further research are presented. The study will be useful for practitioners from the maritime industries and scholars.