Abstract In order to attain soaring heights of production targets in stringent constraints, a computer program based on a genetic algorithm (GA) has been developed. The initial block is considered as a seed or parent and related blocks as children or offspring. The parent–child relation, which is predefined in a general database structure (sorted), is used to form genetic looping that keeps on producing children through downward generations. Customization can be done according to the shipyard layout to enhance the ease of operation. The GA enables avoiding heuristic considerations and makes the program self- reliant. Conventional scheduling applications depend on backtracking, which has certain shortcomings. To make scheduling realistic and competent, a virtual shipyard simulator is developed that complies with the proposed erection sequence generator. An evalution is done to track blocks lying on a critical path, by comparing equality of the starting and the ending day of erection of the concerned block....