ABSTRACT
Collisions account for a major part of ship accidents even after the adoption of the standards for ship manoeuvrability of the International Maritime Organization. This paper presents an analysis of 24 serious collision accidents in Japan of passenger ships, cargo ships, and tankers excluding collisions with small boats. The author estimates distances between the collision points and where ships recognize the danger of collisions first. Since the initial ship speed at the danger recognition varies, he normalized the distances by converting them into those at 12 kn initial speed based on a simplified mathematical model. He, then, deduces the relation between the stopping criterion and reduction rates of collision accidents. Discussion on the required engine power for better stopping ability is provided. The study presented here excluding human factors should give an idea on how to determine a criterion of stopping ability to decrease ship collisions.
