Structural loads induced in a containership by abnormal wave conditions

An analysis is presented of the vertical bending moments induced in a containership by a set of abnormal waves measured at different locations and on different occasions. A systematic investigation was carried out by using a large set of wave traces that included abnormal waves. In this way it was possible to assess the influence of the height, length, and shape of the abnormal waves on the wave-induced structural loads. The probability distributions of the ship responses to the sea states that included the abnormal waves were also calculated and were compared to the responses induced by the abnormal waves and to fitted distributions. Finally, the structural loads induced by the abnormal waves were compared with rule values and with long-term predictions.