The influence of ship stability in waves on naval vessel operational profiles

Ensuring a widely safe operational profile of naval vessels is one of the leading aspects of the design process. With reference to weather conditions, this kind of vessels often cannot avoid heavy situations to guarantee the continuity and the effectiveness of service. For this reason, an applied research investigation aimed to define guidance in operations is deemed as a worthwhile activity. In particular, the performance in waves under the perspective of intact stability has been considered in this work. The IMO second-generation intact stability criteria have been identified as a suitable tool for these investigations: as a result, there is evidence that operational guidance can be developed for a set of representative naval vessels, following the relevant guidelines. Outcomes have been represented by means of comprehensive polar diagrams addressing the intact stability failures modes. Bearing in mind the actual operational profile, results have been analysed and discussed considering how ship and operating decisions in a seaway condition may affect the performance in terms of ship stability.