DNV is developing new rules to enhance the survival capability of cruise and passenger vessels in case of damage occurring as a consequence of grounding or collision.
As passenger and cruise vessels increase in size, speed and number of passengers, existing international regulations may not be adequate to deal with the risks involved. IMO has established a working group to identify areas of concern related to large passenger ships.The basic philosophy behind DNVs new rules is to reduce the need for evacuation in case of an accident. For extremely severe damage, the ship's internal arrangement should prevent a large angle of heel to occur within the time necessary to carry out evacuation.
The new rules will be developed by making use of the Formal Safety Assessment (FSA) methodology. FSA ensures cost-effective rules with a clear purpose. The project will include calculations of damage extent for various grounding scenarios. Time simulations will be carried out to study the effect of operational measures such as flooding through open doors. A proposal for the new class notation Enhanced Survival Capability (ESC) is expected to be ready by 2001.