FORAN is a ship design CAD/CAM system that, because of high-level features like adaptability and customization, can be used to design and build any ship or marine structure. The wide-ranging functionality of this marine design software meets the needs of all the various industries in the marine sector.

The primary industries that the FORAN System focuses on are:

• Merchant, Passenger, Ro-ro. FORAN has been successfully used to design ro-ros, passenger ships, bulk carriers, chemical tankers, container ships, cement carriers, oil tankers, etc.
• Military. FORAN meets the most exacting requirements of military naval construction and is used by some of the world’s largest military shipyards. For surface vessels and submarines, FORAN gives control over configuration, can analyze different design options (prototypes), has an open interface with Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) tools, has advanced form definition capabilities, and manages materials and special standards, and allows criteria to be customized.
• Specific vessels. FORAN has been successfully used to design and produce tugs and workboats, hotel boats, trawlers, fish transport boats, oceanographic vessels, etc. Thanks to its versatility, it can adapt to the needs of any ship, regardless of its complexity.
• Offshore. Widely used in the offshore industry, FORAN is used for floating, anchored, and fixed platforms as well as for staff transportation boats, anchor vessels, supply ships, rescue boats, firefighting boats, and anti-pollution vessels. FORAN incorporates industry standards for structure and outfitting, incorporates special regulations, manages complex and innovative forms and structures, It interfaces with other CAD systems, and permits outfitting and accommodation design.

The modularization of the FORAN marine design software system and its ability to undertake collaborative engineering means that it can be used effectively by other design offices and shipyards of any kind, including ship repair facilities. From small design offices involved in smaller-scale projects or collaborating on more extensive projects through large corporations that build complex vessels with numerous subcontractors for every area.

This marine design software system comes complete with 3D model visualization capabilities, virtual reality, interface with product model and lifecycle management systems, and the interface with FEM tools. FORAN is an extremely useful tool for other agents in the shipbuilding industry such as ship owners, operators, authorities, equipment suppliers and classification societies.