FORAN review
A multidisciplinary 3D ship-design system for shipyards, not a fleet-management tool.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
FORAN is Siemens’ CAD/CAE/CAM system for designing ships and marine vessels. Its scope is vessel design and production, with 3D modeling and visualization, design-project data management, and connections between 2D plans and 3D models. The multidisciplinary environment covers steel structure, machinery, piping, HVAC, secondary steel, and electrical cabling. That makes it relevant to shipyards and mid-market or enterprise teams working across complex vessel designs, rather than operators looking for day-to-day fleet tools.
The design scope is the product’s central strength. Surface and solid modeling sit alongside interactive 3D visualization, while teams can work across multiple ship configurations and collaborate on design and viewing. Coverage spans several disciplines in one design environment, including structure and machinery as well as piping, HVAC, and electrical systems. Siemens incorporates FORAN capabilities into its Xcelerator Marine Engineering solutions. Buyers evaluating it should consider whether this design-centered ecosystem matches their engineering and production workflows; the product’s stated capabilities focus on vessel design, not a broader marine operations suite.
FORAN uses a contact-sales pricing model, so purchasing involves engaging with Siemens rather than selecting a listed self-service plan. Its category fit is deliberately specialized: it does not provide fleet or vessel management, vessel tracking, maintenance management, or port and terminal management. Shipyards seeking detailed 3D design across multiple disciplines may find that focus appropriate. Teams whose main requirement is tracking vessels, managing maintenance, or running port operations should choose software centered on those functions instead.
FORAN pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Models steel, machinery, piping, HVAC, and electrical cabling in 3D
- Connects 2D plans with 3D models and manages design-project data
- Supports collaborative viewing of multiple ship configurations
- Where it doesn't
- Does not provide fleet or vessel management
- Does not include vessel tracking or maintenance management
- Does not provide port or terminal management
FORAN fact sheet, pricing and score →
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
Last updated · How we research and update