General Arrangement

The General Arrangement, or GA as it is commonly called, is a drawing created by a naval

architect. The purpose of this drawing is for space allocation, to ensure that everything that an
owner wants in a vessel will actually fit. The GA consists of (at a minimum) a plan view of each
major deck of the vessel, shows all of the watertight and structural bulkheads, as well as joiner
bulkheads. All of the furniture is typically shown or in early stages the furniture and large items
to be on the vessel are roughly blocked in (though this may be broke out into arrangement
drawings for complex arrangements). Passageways, stairwells and all equipment vital to the
ships operation are shown. The ship spaces (head, mess, etc.) are shown.

Contents

1 General Arrangement

2 Arrangement
o 2.1 Outboard Profile
o 2.2 Inboard Profile
o 2.3 External Views
o 2.4 3D Views

3 Development
o 3.1 Concept Design
o 3.2 Preliminary Design
o 3.3 Contract Design
o 3.4 As-Built
o 3.5 In-Service

4 The GA as a Design Document

o 4.1 Conflict Resolution

o 4.2 Arrangement Considerations

o 4.3 Regulatory Bodies

Arrangement
The general arrangement has, at a minimum, plan views of the major decks. Other decks, such as
tank tops, exterior flats, elevated platforms, or raised enclosures will be shown on more
advanced/detailed GA's. Additionally;
Outboard Profile
A view showing only the externally visible features of the vessel. The outboard profile is
important in conveying not only aesthetic features of the vessel, but the general geometry of
deckhouses & superstructures. The outboard profile also provides some indication of deck and
equipment heights. The outboard profile will also list the principal particulars.
Inboard Profile
The inboard profile shows a cut-away view through the centreline of the vessel, inclusive of
centreline structures. Early on, the inboard profile will show little more than bulkheads, however
it is a useful drawing for determining stairway runs, fire zones, trunks, and understanding tank
arrangements if not accompanied by a tank plan.
External Views
End views are often added, particularly where a vessel has bow or stern operated equipment. Top
views are occasionally seen, particularly on vessels with complex towing arrangements, or
extensive exterior deck spaces. Bottom views are rarely used unless the vessel has a complex or
unique propulsion arrangement.
3D Views
With the rise of 3D modelling and development software, bow & stern quarter views can be
generated within a reasonable time frame. They are beneficial in conveying the overall concept
of the vessel and are increasingly being seen.

Development
Concept Design
With project development, the general arrangement takes on increasing complexity (see design
spiral). In concept design, a GA not based on a parent design will generally only show

bulkheads, tank boundaries, and space allocations. Allowances will be made for engine
arrangements, however selected engines or even engine types may not be shown. Stairwells are
blocked out, though deck heights may not yet be frozen so stair lengths may only be indicative.
Focus is on the mission specific equipment and overall philosophy.
Preliminary Design
Initial developments of shafting arrangement, structural arrangement, and specification dictate
many of the features included in the preliminary GA. This drawing will include frame spaces, all
major service trunks, hatches, escape routes, soft patches, masts, major equipment, major items,
lifeboats, rafts, work boats, cargo handling systems, structural allowances, etc.
Contract Design
The contract design GA is the fully detailed final product. Additional to the preliminary GA,
joiner bulkheads, liners, insulation, accommodations arrangements, windows, portlights, scuttles,
minor equipment, electronics, gratings, anchors & ground tackle, railings, stanchions, closing
fixtures, louvres, door types (weathertight, watertight, fire), structural profiles, bitts, cleats,
chocks, appendages, etc. will be shown. Additionally, these will show all final selected
equipment.
As-Built
The as-built drawings are developed from the contract design GA, with additional changes to
match minor changes as occur during the construction of the vessel. These changes are often
maintained in a manner in which they can be distinguished from the underlying GA, such that
the changes are evident.
In-Service
Over time, vessels typically experience refit or equipment changes which may be reflected on a
"living" or in-service GA.

The GA as a Design Document

The general arrangement is the first drawing typically created. The GA will be under constant
development as a project progresses, constantly dictating design direction to sub-systems of the
vessel and then integrating the details of these systems as they are properly developed. All
designers should be checking their design choices against the GA to help prevent conflicts. That
said, conflicts are inevitable and often solved at the general arrangement level. It is therefore
important that the general arrangement be constantly updated to keep pace with development of
the vessels systems and dependent arrangements.
Conflict Resolution

Conflicts are inevitable with most ship-sized design projects. Typically, they can be resolved by
some rearrangement of the vessel or change in its general capacity. The overall effectiveness of a
design will be measured by how well the compromise between systems have been solved. Two
major considerations to keep in mind when resolving any conflict are the ship's primary function,
and the requirements of the regulatory framework in which it must meet.
Arrangement Considerations
Some considerations for arrangement drawings;

Major equipment should be placed first with due regard to their operation

Major design requirements, such as capacities, should be then arranged

At all stages, placement of all items on the GA should give consideration to the
anticipated structural arrangement - i.e., bulkheads should be placed on framespaces (or
anticipated framespaces), open areas should anticipate pillaring, higher deck heights
should be specified where deck loads will be high (to allow for structure), etc.

Clashing items should be segregated early: i.e., passenger/crew separations, living spaces
away from sources of heat, vibration and noise.

Functional spaces should be grouped logically and in proximity to each other. Traffic
flows to be considered.

Sanitary spaces should be aligned for ease of pipe runs, and with regard to maintenance
access.

Weight distribution & sources of heeling moments should be carefully considered with
due consideration to the vessels stability.

Emergency exit paths: Escape routes should be redundant, simple, increase in capacity
towards the muster station or boat deck, minimize panic, prevent bottlenecking, and
avoid likely sources of danger. Small design decisions (such as the swing direction of a
door) can have fatal results.

Functional allowances: How are supplies moved onboard, and around the vessel? Room
may have to be left for the movement of palletted stores, overhead chain blocks may be
needed in machinery spaces for the movement of spares, equipment removal patches may
have to be incorporated, lift systems may be required to move heavy items between
decks.

Crews tend to spend extensive amounts of time at sea. The level of accommodation &
comfort must have high standards.

Cultural sensitivity: The designer should be sensitive to the beliefs of the people who will
operate the vessel. A bar, for example, may be a necessity or an insult.

Tradition - deck names, locations of equipment, relative sizes of rooms, etc. may have
traditional dictates which experienced crews will expect to be met. For example, the
master is typically housed on the port side of the vessel; the chief engineer opposingly to
starboard.

Regulatory Bodies
In addition to class, flag state, owner & IMO requirements, there may additionally be labour
requirements (by guild or union) which will dictate the acceptability of a given design. Meeting
all requirements can impose major restrictions on a vessel and it's arrangement, inclusive of deck
sizes, number of heads/showers/sinks, crewing levels, bunking arrangements, passageway sizes
& numbers, numbers and dispositions of doors, segregated spaces, etc.