Damage Stability

Damage stability assesses a ship’s ability to stay afloat and upright after hull breach and flooding of one or more compartments. SOLAS Chapter II-1 Parts B-1 and B-2 set the standard: cargo and passenger ships above defined lengths must meet a required subdivision index R through a calculated attained index A, summing the survival probability of each flooding case. The analysis fixes permissible compartment lengths, the position of watertight bulkheads, and cross-flooding arrangements. It complements intact stability and, for tankers and chemical carriers, the deterministic damage cases in MARPOL and the IBC and IGC Codes.