The key activities of the Department are aimed at developing the profession as well as maintaining and increasing the prestige of the Croatian shipbuilding industry. The department staff teach the fundamental and specialized courses in all three studies of naval architecture (undergraduate, graduate and doctoral) as well as some courses in the mechanical engineering and aeronautical engineering courses. Some courses are taught in the English language. In their undergraduate and graduate theses students focus on practical problems in the industry applying scientific methods< and tools.

Website: https://www.fsb.unizg.hr/zbrodo/

The Department consists of five chairs and six laboratories. The staff participates in

international and national research projects, technology, industrial and educational projects
the publication of the journal „Brodogradnja“ (www.fsb.unizg.hr/brodogradnja), whose articles are indexed in the world’s largest abstract and citation databases of peer-reviewed literature
the organization of the international naval architecture symposium "Sorta – Theory and Practice of Shipbuilding"
the activities of international and Croatian institutions and boards, such as IMAM, ISSC, WEGEMT, COREDES, HRB, HAZU, HRZZ and HZN.

Research at the Chair of Ship Hydrodynamics deals with computational and experimental ship hydrodynamics which includes determining the resistance of an intact and damaged ship in calm water and waves, ship motions, multihull interferences, wave-in-deck loading and bow-flare slamming loads, propulsion characteristics, propulsion system optimization, description of hull forms, buoyancy assessment, static and dynamic stability, as well as software development. Currently, the Chair’s Ship Hydrodynamics Laboratory is undertaking the activities on the completion of the towing tank, which will, once in operation, improve teaching quality and research in the area of experimental ship hydrodynamics.

At the Chair of Ship Structures (www.fsb.unizg.hr/css) research activities include the development and the application of the finite element method and allied methods for the analysis of strength, fatigue reliability, vibration, load, hydro elasticity and reliability of ship structures as well as the development of rational design methods and their optimisation. The Chair cooperates closely with the Croatian and foreign research institutions, classification societies and companies. The staff actively participate in the activities of the International Ship and Offshore Structures Congress (ISSC). In the Chair’s Ship Structure Laboratory students are introduced to the tasks of measuring stress and vibrations on models and full-scale ships.

Recent research includes simulations of ship collision/grounding, ultimate strength of a damaged ship, fatigue crack propagation and development of new generation design methods.

The staff of the Chair of Ship Design and Offshore Engineering (www.fsb.unizg.hr/ship-design) is involved in the research on the design of specialized and sophisticated vessels and on manoeuvrability and behaviour of a ship in a seaway. There are also projects running in the field of offshore engineering. The Chair cooperates successfully with oil companies in refitting and upgrading rigs as well as in providing engineering training for rigs. In the Chair’s Sea Technology Laboratory software applications for the analysis and design of offshore structures, including the assessment of hydrodynamic properties and structural integrity are used.

The staff of the Chair of Ship Production Engineering undertake research in two areas: the new organization forms of the market-oriented shipyard operation with respect to the new technology and automation, and the development of new production methods. In the Chair’s Laboratory for Shipbuilding Process Improvement software applications for the analysis and design of shipbuilding production processes are used as an important tool for solving problems in process management and establishment of shipyards.

The research of the staff of the Chair of Marine Engineering (www.fsb.unizg.hr/mareng) deals with energy efficiency, reliability and environmental acceptability of ship power systems, as well as noise and vibrations generated by engines and ancillary machinery. In the Chair’s Marine Engineering Laboratory the performance of marine steam boilers, pumps, fans and internal combustion engines is tested. The Laboratory collaborates with the largest shipyard in the world, Hyundai Heavy Industries, on the research into noise and vibration on ships.

The Laboratory for Application of Computers in Naval Architecture provides support to the staff in the department who use a variety of software programs, e.g. GHS, LS-Dyna, MAESTRO, FEMAP/Nx Nastran, Ship Right, VeriSTAR and HydroSTAR.