INTACT STABILITY of HISTORIC PASSENGER SHIPS in LIGHT of the SECOND GENERATION INTACT STABILITY CRITERIA (DOI No: 10.3940/Rina.Ijme.2021.A1.664)
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Trans RINA, Vol 163, Part A1, Intl J Maritime Eng, Jan-Mar 2021 INTACT STABILITY OF HISTORIC PASSENGER SHIPS IN LIGHT OF THE SECOND GENERATION INTACT STABILITY CRITERIA (DOI No: 10.3940/rina.ijme.2021.a1.664) I Bačkalov, S Rudaković, University of Belgrade, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Serbia and M Cvijović, General Partner Adria, Serbia KEY DATES: Submitted: 21/07/2020, Final acceptance: 26/01/2021, Published: 25/03/2021 SUMMARY The paper examines the intact stability of historic passenger ships from the point of view of the contemporary notion of the intact stability, i.e. the Second Generation Intact Stability Criteria (SGISC) framework. An intact stability assessment using the Vulnerability Level 2 calculation procedures of SGISC for the dead ship condition was performed on four ocean liners: RMS Titanic, RMS Queen Mary, SS United States and SS Michelangelo, and two cruise ships: MS Song of America and MS Costa Concordia. In addition, the intact stability of the selected ships was appraised using the present- day mandatory intact stability requirements contained in the 2008 Intact Stability Code. The selected ships are believed to be good representatives of the main trends in passenger ship design over a one-hundred-year span bounded by two well-known maritime catastrophes: the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 and the Costa Concordia disaster in 2012. The paper offers an insight into how major design changes have affected the intact stability properties of passenger ships over this period. It was found that the examined ocean liners would perform well in terms of intact stability in the dead ship condition even from the point of view of the SGISC. The analysis also confirmed the advantages of the approach using the SGISC framework over simplified, (semi)empirical stability assessment methods. By looking into the evolution of the intact stability of ocean liners and cruise ships from the contemporary perspective, the paper draws the conclusions which are considered useful for the design of future passenger ships. NOMENCLATURE 1. INTRODUCTION A Projected lateral area of the ship above the The modern history of international maritime regulations waterline (m2) began with the Titanic disaster, prompting the development AB Projected lateral area of the ship below the of the first ever SOLAS convention in 1914. Due to the waterline (m2) nature of the disaster, subdivision was the focus of the 2 Ak Total overall area of bilge keels (m ) international ship safety regulations from the very B Ship beam (m) beginning, whereas ship stability regulations gained C Long-term probability index of stability failure comparably less attention and were developed at a much in the dead ship condition (-) later stage, see Francescutto & Papanikolaou (2011). It may Cs Short-term probability index of stability failure be argued that intact stability was particularly out of focus, in the dead ship condition (-) at least from the regulatory perspective, for most of the 20th CB Block coefficient (-) century. Francescutto (2016) offers possible explanations d Ship draught (m) behind such reasoning: a reliance on “empirical, rather than GM Metacentric height (m) on scientific methods” (to quote Pierrottet, 1935) initially GZ Righting lever (m) may have laid in a failure to understand the implications for KG Height of the centre of gravity (m) stability yielded by significant changes in design (i.e. the L Length of ship (m) replacement of sailing ships by steamships). On the other LOA Length over all (m) hand, as Pierre Bouguer (who is credited for the notion of LWL Length of ship at waterline (m) metacentre) observed as early as 1746, the inherent P Wind pressure (Pa) complexity of ship stability analysis required the appropriate s Wave steepness factor (-) tools and methods which had yet to be developed. For all Tr Natural roll period (s) practical purposes, such tools were indeed unavailable until V Ship service speed (kn) fairly recently. This particularly concerns the analysis of the Z Vertical distance from the centre of projected stability-related dynamic phenomena in rough seas. lateral area of the ship above the waterline to Consequently, the intact stability properties of historic ships the centre of the underwater lateral area (m) are relatively unknown, any data pertaining to intact stability Δ Mass of displacement (t) is difficult to retrieve and the related information is largely IMO International Maritime Organisation descriptive and subjective. IS Intact stability LNG Liquified natural gas The perception of a ship’s intact stability has SGISC Second Generation Intact Stability Criteria considerably evolved since the seminal works in the field SOLAS Safety of Life at Sea published in the second half of the 18th century and ©2021: The Royal Institution of Naval Architects A-119 Trans RINA, Vol 163, Part A1, Intl J Maritime Eng, Jan-Mar 2021 throughout the 19th century (many of which are collected incorrect to conclude that dynamic stability under the and aptly presented by Sir Edward Reed in Reed, 1885 in influence of beam wind was not considered prior to addition to his own fundamental work) and the first half introduction of the Weather Criterion to the international of the 20th century (Pierrottet, 1935; Rahola, 1939). In regulatory framework. Reed (1885) presents an extensive parallel with this process, the evolution of large analysis of influence of freeboard on dynamic stability in passenger ships has been taking place as well. The design beam wind, noticing, however, the limitations of applied of ocean liners allowed for fast transatlantic crossings but methodology and thus confirming Bouguer’s remark on offered limited opportunities for non-essential activities the inherent complexity of the analysis of ship stability in on-board. As of the end of 1960s, the shifting of focus rough weather. However, based on the available from transport to entertainment and tourism, literature, it may be concluded that the recommendations considerably affected passenger ship design. Both at the disposal of the designers of ocean liners were processes are still ongoing; in addition to “classical” mostly descriptive and based on the principle which stability problems, the contemporary notion of intact ship prevailed between the First and the Second World War stability comprises dynamic phenomena which are that the metacentric height alone was an adequate closely related to seakeeping and manoeuvring in waves measure of stability (see Kobylinsky & Kastner, 2003). (see Bačkalov et al, 2016 and Manderbacka et al, 2019), The 1939 edition of Principles of Naval Architecture while the contemporary notion of large passenger ships is (Rossell & Chapman, 1939) provides a list of embodied by cruise vessels, which redefined the very recommendations for the “suitable metacentric height” concept of voyage by sea.1 for passenger ships. The metacentric height should be large enough to prevent listing to “unpleasant and The SOLAS convention, marked by the Titanic disaster dangerous angles” as a consequence of the crowding of from its inception, paid little attention to the intact passengers on one side, and to diminish “the possibility stability until the 1960s or even 1980s. At that time, the of a serious list” due to beam wind. Conversely, it should stage was already set for the advent of a new type of be small enough to prevent violent rolling in waves as passenger ship, the so-called cruise ships. Such ships “the traveling public is inclined to avoid vessels known were considered in development of neither the general to roll badly”. In addition, Kobylinsky & Kastner (2003) criteria of ship stability (contained in the present part cite some recommendations for minimal metacentric A/2.2 of the 2008 Intact Stability Code) nor the heights of large passenger ships, published in the 1920s Weather Criterion (contained in the present part A/2.3 and 1930s, which will be discussed in Section 4 of the of the 2008 Intact Stability Code) which is concerned paper. The Principles of Naval Architecture seem to with dynamic stability in the dead ship condition, see capture well the notion of ship stability at the time: the IMO (2008). Given that these criteria were largely quantitative recommendations for adequate GM were semi-empirical, it was only natural to question their sparse; the focus was on stability in damaged condition; applicability to cruise ships. Indeed, Francescutto & intact stability was regarded from the point of view of Serra (2001) indicated that the Weather Criterion static stability; rolling in waves was associated with requirements tend to be too stringent for ships with high comfort rather than safety. B/d and OG/d ratios and long natural roll periods (which are typical features of modern cruise ships) as Previously described shortcomings of semi-empirical several quantities used in the calculation of the rollback intact stability regulations could be overcome by a angle in the Weather Criterion (the effective wave slope regulatory framework based on more accurate coefficient, the wave steepness) were tuned considering mathematical modelling of ship dynamics and ships whose particulars considerably differed from the environmental conditions. Such a framework would cruise ships design. These findings were also confirmed include stability assessment methods independent of experimentally, see Francescutto & Serra (2002). The specific ship design features and applicable to inadequacies related to the application of the Weather unconventional ships. This was the principal motivation Criterion to cruise ships were also reported at behind the development of the Second Generation Intact International Maritime Organisation (IMO) meetings, Stability Criteria (SGISC) framework, along with the see IMO (2001) and IMO (2002). To an extent, this possibility to analyse other stability-related ship issue was addressed by allowing an alternative dynamics phenomena such as parametric resonance or assessment of the Weather Criterion, by means of broaching-to. It may be stated that the methods and tools model experiments to be performed in line with the adequate for ship stability analysis, anticipated by IMO guidelines, see IMO (2006).