Unconventional design ideas for Ro-Ro passenger ships: strategies and results

The presented study was undertaken in the aftermath of the recent revision of damage survivability, i.e. the s-factor, conducted under EU project GOALDS. Specifically, the study was aimed at optimising a baseline Ro-Ro passenger vessel, which was provided by a shipyard, with the intention to considerably increase flooding survivability whilst maintaining baseline design requirements. It was therefore of great interest to apply out-of-the-box ideas to significantly raising the damage survivability of the vessel, and at the same time, ensuring required commercial viability of the design. This study resulted in an unconventional hull shape and a drastic change in the watertight arrangement, whereby the damage survivability was increased from 84 to 97 per cent. Additionally, the new hull shape provided flexibility to accommodate extra cargo on the main car dcck, allowing offsetting a potentially insignificant increase in the building cost. The paper addresses strategies and results of this undertaking.