On the development of the new harmonised damage stability regulations for dry cargo and passenger ships

This paper outlines the methodological background and presents a summary of the main results of a series of undertaken international, IMO-led studies, on the harmonisation of the new probabilistic, risk-based regulations with the currently in-force regulatory provisions for assessing the damage stability of dry cargo and passenger ships. It reviews the historical development of the new regulations, to be applied to all new buildings on January 1, 2009, and the anticipated impact of the new rules on the design and indirect operation of various subcategories of dry cargo and passenger ships. It identifies certain loopholes in the existing regulations that appear cured by the new ones, though certain compromises adopted in the development of the new regulations, particularly those related to large passenger ships’ survivability, have left some open issues to be addressed in the near future.