Intact and Damage Stability of Ships and Offshore Structures – Bridging the Gap

The continuous push towards improved technologies allows designers to resolve the naval architecture problems with a higher reliability and to optimize designs. In this process it becomes increasingly important to recognize that most statutes and the Industry practice at large have depended on a few criteria to cover a very large number of hazards. Tools such as hazard identification and risk are becoming a dominating aspect of design in general and naval architecture in particular. The paper considers several examples of stability failures that can be called unconventional. Attempts to resolve the root cause of these failures may lead to a solution incompatible with the purpose of ship or an offshore installation.