Both costs and capability of naval ships are mainly determined in the early phases of design. The increasing power of computers and sophistication of simulation packages offers the challenge to create more different system designs in an early stage of ship design with a higher level of engineering detail, as well as the challenge to develop advanced tools to simulate actual service conditions to gain better insight in system cost and capability. This paper will introduce a PhD-research project in Model-based Ship Energy System Conceptual Design (MOSES-CD) and will explore the possibilities of the proposed approach by presenting a propulsion study for a future surface combatant of the Royal Netherlands Navy.@en