TRB Special Report 259 - Environmental Performance of Tanker Designs in Collision and Grounding: Method for Comparison describes a modeling process for evaluating alternative designs. The process encompasses consideration of the structural deformations from collisions and grounding and the environmental consequences of spills of different sizes, and uses a riskbased approach for comparing designs. Since passage of the Oil Pollution Act (OPA) of 1990 and subsequent decisions of the International Maritime Organization, the world tanker fleet has been evolving to double-hulled designs to reduce the risk of accidental spills. A previous study by the Marine Board, now part of TRB, concluded that the double-hull design had been effective in reducing oil spills (Double-Hull Tanker Legislation: An Assessment of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, NRC 1998). OPA 1990 was passed because of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound. Although the world’s tanker owners have been shifting to double-hull designs, a variety of other hull designs have been proposed that might be as effective and less costly. The U.S. Coast Guard has not been willing to consider such alternatives, in part because of the wording of OPA 1990 and in part because of the difficulty of comparing complex designs.

TRB Special Report 259 - Environmental Performance of Tanker Designs in Collision and Grounding: Method for Comparison describes a modeling process for evaluating alternative designs. The process encompasses consideration of the structural deformations from collisions and grounding and the environmental consequences of spills of different sizes, and uses a riskbased approach for comparing designs. Since passage of the Oil Pollution Act (OPA) of 1990 and subsequent decisions of the International Maritime Organization, the world tanker fleet has been evolving to double-hulled designs to reduce the risk of accidental spills. A previous study by the Marine Board, now part of TRB, concluded that the double-hull design had been effective in reducing oil spills (Double-Hull Tanker Legislation: An Assessment of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, NRC 1998). OPA 1990 was passed because of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound. Although the world’s tanker owners have been shifting to double-hull designs, a variety of other hull designs have been proposed that might be as effective and less costly. The U.S. Coast Guard has not been willing to consider such alternatives, in part because of the wording of OPA 1990 and in part because of the difficulty of comparing complex designs.

Can we design an oil tanker that meets our complex demands for environmental protection, economical operation, and crew safety? This volume evaluates and ranks a wide variety of tank ship hull designs proposed by experts around the world. Based on extensive research and studies, the book explores the implications of our rising demand for petroleum and increase in tanker operations; U.S. government regulations and U.S. Coast Guard policies regarding designs for new tank vessel construction; how new ship design would affect crew safety, maintenance, inspection, and other technical issues; the prospects for retrofitting existing tankers to reduce the risk of oil spills; and more. The conclusions and recommendations will be particularly important to maritime safety regulators in the United States and abroad; naval architects; ship operators and engineers; and officials in the petroleum, shipping, and marine insurance industries.

The TransNav 2011 Symposium held at the Gdynia Maritime University, Poland in June 2011 has brought together a wide range of participants from all over the world. The program has offered a variety of contributions, allowing to look at many aspects of the navigational safety from various different points of view. Topics presented and discussed at th

The passage of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) by Congress and subsequent modifications of international maritime regulations resulted in a far-reaching change in the design of tank vessels. Double-hull rather than single-hull tankers are now the industry standard, and nearly all ships in the world maritime oil transportation fleet are expected to have double hulls by about 2020. This book assesses the impact of the double hull and related provisions of OPA 90 on ship safety, protection of the marine environment, and the economic viability and operational makeup of the maritime oil transportation industry. The influence of international conventions on tank vessel design and operation is addressed. Owners and operators of domestic and international tank vessel fleets, shipyard operators, marine architects, classification societies, environmentalists, and state and federal regulators will find this book useful.

Steel plated structures are important in a variety of marine and land-based applications, including ships, offshore platforms, power and chemical plants, box girder bridges and box girder cranes. The basic strength members in steel plated structures include support members (such as stiffeners and plate girders), plates, stiffened panels/grillages and box girders. During their lifetime, the structures constructed using these members are subjected to various types of loading which is for the most part operational, but may in some cases be extreme or even accidental. Ultimate Limit State Design of Steel Plated Structures reviews and describes both fundamentals and practical design procedures in this field. The derivation of the basic mathematical expressions is presented together with a thorough discussion of the assumptions and the validity of the underlying expressions and solution methods. Particularly valuable coverage in the book includes: * Serviceability and the ultimate limit state design of steel structural systems and their components * The progressive collapse and the design of damage tolerant structures in the context of marine accidents * Age related structural degradation such as corrosion and fatigue cracks Furthermore, this book is also an easily accessed design tool which facilitates learning by applying the concepts of the limit states for practice using a set of computer programs which can be downloaded. In addition, expert guidance on mechanical model test results as well as nonlinear finite element solutions, sophisticated design methodologies useful for practitioners in industries or research institutions, selected methods for accurate and efficient analyses of nonlinear behavior of steel plated structures both up to and after the ultimate strength is reached, is provided. Designed as both a textbook and a handy reference, the book is well suited to teachers and university students who are approaching the limit state design technology of steel plated structures for the first time. The book also meets the needs of structural designers or researchers who are involved in civil, marine and mechanical engineering as well as offshore engineering and naval architecture.