An experimental study on the flooding of a damaged passenger ship

Some recent marine incidents have shown that damaged Ro-Ro ferries can be extremely vulnerable to loss of stability. After an abrupt ingress of water caused by a maritime accident, flooding of the spaces below the car deck may endanger the ship and eventually lead to its sinking within a short period of time. The flooding stages depend upon many factors pertaining to the vessel, the accident, and the environment. Some of these factors interact during the flooding. An experimental investigation using an International Towing Tank Conference (ITTC) Ro-Ro ferry was carried out to provide a thorough insight into the flooding physics. Both transient and progressive phases are found to be highly dependent upon water and air behaviours. The damage area, the time of damage creation and the air ventilation level inside damaged compartments are key factors in determining the final ship state.