This paper discusses how Product Life-cycle Management (PLM) tools can benefit the ship design process. Primarily, the concept of PLM applied to ship design will be decomposed in six key elements: database, modeling and simulation tools, value chain processes, product hierarchy management, product management and project management. Some of these elements rely heavily on the use Virtual Prototyping to be achieved. The next step applies these concepts to the ship value chain. This will be done

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... ough the development of a simplified scenario, where it is discussed how a vessel can be conceived and designed using an integrated design platform, applying PLM methods. Most of the information previous to product finalization is obtained through simulation of virtual models, using virtual prototype concepts. Our assumption is that combining PLM techniques with virtual prototype concepts enables a good control over the ship design project as a whole, through means of efficient modelling and simulation management. That way, the time and cost necessary for the product development can be reduced.