Abstract
During the design of the ship the most important decisions are made at the stage of preliminary design. One of the most important design parameters assumed by the shipowner is its service speed in real weather conditions occurring in the shipping line. For this speed, at the stage of preliminary design, when are known only to the basic geometric parameters of the ship should be determined motor power. In practice design, power propulsion is determined with a very approximate formulas but for the speed in calm water. Only after the project contract and the signing of the contract are carried out by means of resistance and self-propulsion of model test. The paper presents a mathematical model for determining the power propulsion for the assumed operating speed. This model is dependent only on the basic geometric parameters of the hull of the ship and the weather parameters occurring in liner shipping. Also shows the results of calculations according to this model, the power propulsion for one of vessels built.