Weather Criterion Evaluation

The IMO Weather Criterion is a familiar hurdle to be overcome by designers of international passenger vessels. With the introduction of EC Directive 98/18, the criterion is applicable to domestic passenger ships on seagoing voyages. It appeared that a significant number of UK vessels could not comply with the criterion, despite a long history of safe operation. The MCA therefore commissioned a study to assess this new application of the criterion, in particular to determine the accuracy of the roll angle prediction for vessels with high beam/draught ratio. Model tests to simulate the criterion on a range of ships found it to be lacking in accuracy, and ineffective in providing a consistent measure of safety.

Intact Stability Severe Wind and Rolling Criteria - an Equivalent Standard. (PDF, 2MB)