Several problems characterise the shipbuilding sector. The working environment in shipbuilding is not fully integrated as far as the entire process chain is concerned, neither vertically (i.e. among the various shipbuilding actors: shipyards, suppliers, owner, and classification societies), nor horizontally (i.e. in the various phases from early design to the ship delivery).

Although 80% of the building costs of a ship are defined in the first design stages, the tools in the shipyards are not sufficient to estimate the cost reliably and to support the design for ease of production. Also, the tools used for an effective acquisition, storage and exploitation of knowledge under the conditions of short lead-time are currently not sufficient.

The increasing size of the passenger ships, together with strict safety requirements for intact and damage stability, requires thinner materials than before, complicating the hull production process (e.g. by additional shrinkages). While modularisation has increased in other industrial sectors, ships are still built in a traditional way with much outfitting work done onboard the ship. Commissioning, procurement and logistics bear considerable potentials, not yet exploited, for a reduction of idle time in the process chain, as well as for reduced capital cost and an efficient exploitation of resources.

The Integrated Project 'INTERSHIP' set out to supply a significant contribution to these issues and to the goals of the European Maritime Sector, as described in the Project 'LeaderSHIP 2015' by CESA, the European Shipbuilders Association.