A NEW METHOD FOR ASSESSING THE SAFETY OF SHIPS DAMAGED BY GROUNDING

Abstract

The primary aim of the present study is to propose an innovative method for assessing the safety of ships which have suffered accidental or in-service damages. Only a small number of probable scenarios for accidental or in-service damage representing all possible damage scenarios are selected using a sampling technique in which the random variables affecting the damage are probabilistically characterized. A damage index for the corresponding damage scenario is defined as a function of damage characteristics such as location and extent of the damage. The residual strength performance of a ship with the corresponding damage scenario can then be calculated by analytical or numerical methods. Once this process has been carried out for each of the damage scenarios selected, a diagram relating the residual strength performance to the damage index (abbreviated as the R-D diagram) can be established. This diagram will be very useful for a first-cut assessment of a ship’s safety immediately after it has suffered structural damage. The diagram can also be used to determine acceptance criteria for a ship’s safety against accidental or in-service damage. An applied example is shown to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method in terms of developing a diagram between the ultimate longitudinal strength versus grounding damage index for four types of double-hull oil tankers – VLCC, Suezmax, Aframax, and Panamax.