Damage Stability of Ro-Pax Ships with Water-on-Deck

ABSTRACT Currently European ro-ro passenger ships constructed after 1 January 2009 must comply with both the new SOLAS2009 probabilistic damage stability requirements and the Stockholm Agreement allowing for water accumulation on the vehicle deck (WOD). Doubts in some European states over whether SOLAS2009 makes sufficient provision for WOD led to the EU decision to retain Stockholm; this was partially reinforced by results from three new research projects, completed in 2009, which revealed potential weaknesses in the probabilistic regulations, particularly for smaller ro-pax ships and those with long lower holds. This paper gives some historical background and outlines some of the steps being taken to rectify the current regulatory situation