NS Akkad – Nuclear Powered Tanker

Type:
Long-Range Tankship

Cost:
$509,910

Speed:
18-20 knots, depending on load

Powerplant:
Nuclear, 8x turbines developing 4300 sW. Electric-driven twin screws plus bow thrusters.

Cargo:
450,000L max capacity

A tanker derivative and further development of the older Venturer-class cargo bulkers that used to sail the seas of faraway Neter. Like her predecessor, the Akkad is nuclear powered for maximum range and profit. Built with a double hull, interior spill decks, firefighting stations and a removable modular reactor unit for easy replacement.

Controls for all systems is located on the bridge.

-Turn on the reactor and powerplant from the power panel. Wait a moment for the powerplant to spool up and generator output to reach at least 3500sW.
-Use WASD to throttle and steer from the helm, or use the throttle lever to apply throttle.
-Press the Engage/Disengage Throttle button, located to the left of the throttle lever, to cut throttle at any time. Also applies under autopilot control.

The ship features a basic, non-LUA autopilot system combining auto-heading and collision avoidance for automated navigation. Both modes, as well as radar, can be toggled via the overhead panel ahead of the helm.

-Auto-heading will move the ship directly to the given GPS coordinates, the ship will stop if the waypoint is reached.
-Collision avoidance will attempt to steer the ship away from landmass and shallows. It will also reduce speed or reverse to avoid collisions. Turn on the radar to also avoid other ships.

Waypoint coordinates and collision avoidance distance can be set via the keypads to the right of the helm. A good collision avoidance distance is around 250-300.

The autopilot system may not be 100% reliable and may sometimes sail the ship into a confined space, although it usually gets itself out again after some circling or doing a 1000 point turn. It may also zigzag somewhat when sailing up rivers.

Bilge pumps will automatically activate if there’s water in the bilge and ballast tanks will automatically fill up and drain out to keep the ship stable. Storage tanks will also pump fluid between tanks automatically to maintain balance, fluid levels in storage tanks may therefore appear erratic at times when pumping cargo in or out.

The control panel for storage tank pumps is located on the right side of the bridge. The ship has two main storage tanks, with these storage tanks themselves also divided in two to avoid sideways sloshing. The ship has pumps on both the port and starboard sides, open the valves for either cranes or direct hose anchor attachments and activate the port or starboard pumps, or both, as needed. Storage tanks can als be flooded or drained with seawater via onboard pumps, useful for weighing down an empty ship if required.

The ship has two cranes, four direct hose anchors for input and four for output (two per side). It is advised to use direct hose anchors instead of cranes whenever possible since pivots have a drastic effect on flow rate. Hose anchors are painted green for input and red for output.

Fluids can also be pumped directly into the spilldeck tanks via auxiliary hose anchors above the cargo holds. Toggle the tank ports via control panels on the spilldecks to drain the fluid into the storage tanks. Water in the spilldeck tanks can also be flushed into the bilge if needed (only water can be flushed).

The ship can be remotely controlled from a compatible command station (see link below) for added convenience.

-Turn on the radios from the radio control panel on the bridge.
-Tune in the transmit radio to the same frequency as the command station’s receiving radio.
-Tune in the receiving radio to the same frequency as the command station’s transmit radio.
-Flip the Radio Control switch on the radio control panel to control the ship from the command station.

When using the command station to set waypoint coordinates and collision avoidance distance, press the "Transmit Orders" button to transmit the data back to the ship. Orders are stored onboard the ship via this method so that the ship will continue on route should radio contact be lost.

Command Station:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2706785051

Due to the size and interior of the ship, I have kept anchors and lifeboats static for the time being. I would also like to improve pump flow rate at some point for faster turnaround times.

DO NOT REUPLOAD WITHOUT MY PERMISSION! Meaningful improvements is still welcome though.