The Effect of Buffer Bow Structures on Collision Damages of Oil Tankers

In order to investigate the effectiveness of buffer bow structures on prevention of oil spills in tanker collisions, probabilistic collision damage analyses were performed using a newly developed Simplified Ship Collision Analysis Tool (SSCAT). Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) was carried out using SSCAT for collision scenarios where striking ships at various speeds, sizes and bulb shapes collide perpendicularly with a VLCC in fully loaded condition. The probability of oil spill from the struck VLCC in cases where all the striking ships use buffer bulbous bows was compared with the case where all the striking ships use conventional bulbous bows. The probability of oil spill from the VLCC, given a collision, is estimated and the risk reducing effect of introducing buffer bow structures is discussed.