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Abstract Introduction of the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) raised concerns that ship designers may simply reduce the installed power to satisfy EEDI requirements. To address the problem by in-depth research, EU-funded project SHOPERA (Energy Efficient Safe SHip OPERAtion) developed criteria and acceptance standards for the assessment of sufficiency of propulsion and steering systems of ships for manoeuvrability in adverse conditions. Here, their impact on ships of all types in the EEDI framework is investigated and compared with the statistics of relevant accidents collected in SHOPERA. The comparison shows that the proposed standards seem appropriate for tankers, RoRo cargo vessels, pure car carriers and gas carriers, whereas for small bulk carriers and small general cargo vessels, stricter standards may be needed if the same safety level is targeted for small ships as for large ones. The results also show that ships of almost all types studied can satisfy the proposed standards together with the EEDI phase 3 requirements, excepting bulk carriers and tankers, which can satisfy the proposed standards and EEDI phase 2 requirements but not those of phase 3. For RoRo passenger ships, satisfying the EEDI phase 3 requirements alone may be problematic because of other limitations concerning design and operation. Highlights • Requirements to manoeuvrability in heavy weather are compared with accident data. • For most ship types, insufficient power seems not an important reason of accidents. • However, small bulk carriers and general cargo vessels may need stricter standards. • EEDI phase 2 (but not 3)-compliant bulkers and tankers can satisfy requirements. • All other ship types can combine these requirements with those of EEDI phase 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, the Eastern Star ferry accident was analyzed via 24Model. 24Model, as an accident causation model based on system thinking, holds that all causations of the accident are hazards and all hazards in the system need to be identified and comprehensively controlled in accident prevention. The result showed that five factors were the main causes of the accident. First, the direct causes: bad weather, the bad condition of the hull and the unsafe acts of the captain. Second, the indirect cause: the lack of safety awareness and safety knowledge of both the captain and the company's senior management. Third, there were loopholes in safety management system, including the training, supervision and execution of the company. Forth, the root cause: the company didn't establish a good safety culture. Last, the external causes: the severe market pressure, excessive regulatory authorities with puzzled relations and responsibilities--seriously hindered effective supervision. In order to prevent this kind of accident and to secure shipping system, the shipping companies and the relevant regulatory units should draw lessons from the five factors mentioned above, and take measures to identify and control those hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the consideration of capsizing time in the design and provisioning of roll-on roll-off (RoRo) ferry boats to improve passenger survivability during accidents. It takes note of the hull flooding, vehicle deck breach and rolling over stages of sinking such that the estimated time to capsizing formula equates to the ship displacement over the fill rate. Scale model studies of professor C.T. Ross on the sinking of the MV Herald of Free Enterprise are also discussed.

The article discusses the provision of carbon dioxide and deluge suppression systems in enclosed roll-on roll-off decks and passenger ferry engine rooms. It takes note of the efficiency of high-pressure water mist hoses as a firefighting tool in incidents such as the M/V Norman Atlantic fire in December 2014. The International Safety Management Code, Safety of Life at Sea convention and the International Code for Fire Safety Systems regulations for suppressing fires are also cited.

Abstract: Simplified mathematical models based upon semi-empirical regression formulae describing forces and moments acting on the hull during manoeuvres are commonly used for the preliminary evaluation of ship steering capabilities. Many semi-empirical regressions have been developed, and are broadly adopted, for the manoeuvrability prediction of single screw slow/medium speed ships. Their application for the study of twin screw vessels (cruise ships, RoRo ferries, megayachts, naval vessels, for which dedicated regression formulae are scarce) manoeuvring capabilities could lead to misleading results. These ships are usually characterised by different hull forms and more complex stern configuration due to the presence of appendages like skegs, shaft lines and brackets, which can strongly affect manoeuvrability behaviour. In this work a novel procedure to properly account for the particular geometric and stern appendage characteristics of these kind of vessels is described. A thorough analysis has been performed on a ship model equipped with 13 different stern appendage configurations and new formulae have been developed in order to describe accurately their influence on ship manoeuvring behaviour. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The paper presents a design of the ro-pax ship for service between Marseille and Bastia on Corsica. The ship will be built by Brodosplit Shipyard for the French company CMN, and the ship delivery is scheduled for 2011. With 2484 lane metres on three trailer decks and a deck for 200 passenger cars, the vessel will have a higher cargo capacity than the existing ro-pax ships on the same route. The superstructure for the accommodation of 750 passengers will have the comfort level increased to the cruise-ferry style. The vessel will have a high operational speed and will be in compliance with the latest safety standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a time-domain theoretical model capable of predicting the behaviour of a damaged ship subject to progressive flooding. The model provides information in each stage of flooding, concerning the ship motions, amount of water in each flooded compartment and shear forces and bending moments acting along the ship's length. A case study is presented in which the loads acting on a passenger ro-ro ship and a tanker are studied throughout the flooding process, for various damage conditions and different areas and locations of the openings which allow the spreading of water between contiguous compartments. Conclusions are drawn regarding the time required to reach the most critical conditions and the increase in global loads due to the damage condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper addresses the problem of damage stability criteria with reference to survival time, that is, the time available for evacuation of passengers on a damaged passenger roll-on/roll-off (RO/RO) vessel undergoing large-scale flooding on the car deck. The current various proposals at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for the s factor (probability of surviving a given flooding) make no reference to survival time. The paper shows a direct link of the ‘prime’ s factor with the time to capsize. This link has unprecedented value for a flooding control decision support system used during a crisis on board passenger ships but is of no value for the designer for whom the s factor means simply probability of surviving with adequate survival time. The paper shows how to utilize experimental data from 30-minute test runs for survival criteria based on longer duration of tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outlines the study undertaken within the framework of research aiming to address the compound problem of the absolute time available for passenger evacuation on a damaged passenger/roll-on/roll-off vessel undergoing large scale flooding of card deck spaces. Proposed methodology for predicting ship survival time that accounts for wave characteristics, water ingress/egress and vessel survivability.

The trunk road system in Norway has to be supplemented by a number of ferries due to the long coastline with numerous islands and fjords. Most of the ferries are run by private companies, but al a loss. The deficits are covered by the Ministry of Transport, The subsidies have risen rapidly in the last years and have focussed attention on whether the ferries are really run as efficiently as possible. To change the incentives to economize, a lump-sum payment is considered. To implement such a system, an initial assessment of reasonable input requirements is needed. The aim of this article is to provide such a yardstick by establishing a best practice frontier. Both a non-parametric and a parametric approach to a deterministic frontier are tried and differences of results discussed. Peculiarities due to choice of methods are revealed. The efficiency distributions are quite similar for the two methods except for scale efficiency, where the parametric method indicates substantial unrealized scale economies, while the non-parametric approach shows the largest and some small ferries to be scale efficient. The results indicate a substantial rationalization potential of about 30 percent in total. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the launch of the Hrvat, a roll-on/roll-off (RO-RO)/passenger ferry on March 27, 2007. It states that the ship was built for the Croatian client Jadrolinija in Rijeka. The ship is designed for transport of passengers, vehicles and cargoes loaded on vehicles. It is said to be equipped with bow and stern ramp. Features of the ship are presented.