Leaving Cert Engineering Prescribed Topic 2024
The “design, operation and technology of container ships” is the special prescribed topic for the 2024 leaving certificate engineering exam. The Rethinking Engineering Education in Ireland (REEdI) project is delighted to help students explore this topic, as container ships have captivated the minds of engineers for decades.
Due to economic, environmental and operational constraints container ships present engineers with unique design, stability, and propulsion challenges. This has required engineers to collaborate across disciplines to design and manufacture safe and efficient vessels, capable of transporting tens of thousands of containers, in sometimes extreme conditions.
Engineers have continued to innovate and improve the design of container ships since they first launched, in the 1950s. As the demand to transport vast quantities of materials and products around the world grows, container ships will continue to be a captivating topic for engineers.
Scroll down to check out a virtual tour of a container ship, a virtual 3D model, an interactive map of the world’s shipping routes, and take an online quiz to test your knowledge of the topic.
A virtual tour of a Container Ship
Have you ever wondered what it is like to be onboard a container ship? Check out this virtual tour of a Maersk Triple-E vessel. You board the ship via the gangway then explore the bridge, engine room, control room, living room, dining room, and upper deck of the ship.
A Virtual 3D Model of the Mary Maersk
World’s Shipping routes
In 2012, researchers collected data from the thousands of commercial ships that moved across the world’s oceans. They used this information to produce an interactive map that allows you to visualise the world’s shipping routes. Click on the play button (on the top right of the map) to learn more.
You can use the filters at the top of the map to filter the ships by type and to focus on container ships, which are represented by the yellow dots.
By playing around with the map, you can observe things like the major hubs of activity around the world’s largest ports and bottlenecks such as the Panama Canal.
The counter for emitted carbon dioxide highlights one of the most significant issues for the shipping industry. In 2012, shipping was responsible for approximately 3 to 4 percent of man-made greenhouse gas emissions. Engineers have been exploring and implementing measures to reduce the shipping industry’s carbon footprint.
This map was produced by researchers from University College London and the data visualisation studio Kiln
