Damage Stability Assessment of an HSC after Grounding

Currently a substantial effort is done within the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) on revision of the High Speed Craft (HSC) Code. A main issue is the extent of bottom damage and raking damage due to grounding on hard rocks and the corresponding requirements to the damage stability of the vessel. It has been found that high-speed craft can experience a damage length up to 100% of the ship length. It has, however, also been argued that the damage stability requirements should reflect the size and probability of the damage with a reduction of the demand for the largest damages.In the present paper a detailed grounding and damage stability analysis is carried out for two specific HSC, a mono-hull (86 m) and a catamaran (69 m). First various grounding scenarios are considered with different values of the forward speed and ground geometry. The results indicate that 100% bottom damage is likely for grounding on sharp-pointed rocks. In the second part of the paper the damage stability is determined for the two craft damaged according to the proposal by the IMO working group. The results show that the two ferries cannot comply with the regulation unless modified either with a double bottom or a watertight vehicle deck.