Stockholm Agreement

The Stockholm Agreement is a 1996 regional arrangement among north-west European states setting an enhanced damage stability standard for ro-ro passenger ships, requiring them to survive a defined accumulation of water on the vehicle deck after damage. It responded to the 1994 Estonia disaster and the open-deck flooding risk inherent in ro-ro ferries. The water-on-deck requirement is added to the SOLAS II-1 damage standard for ships operating in the agreed sea areas, with the height of assumed water on deck linked to the significant wave height of the operating area.