Bow flare slamming of container ships and it's impact on operational reliability

Because the numerical prediction of bow flare slamming and the related transient hull girder response are still out ofreach, tests with a flexible model were performed to obtain an impression of the effects of wave condition, ship headingand speed. The results are used to characterise the statistical character of the joint statistics of the rigid body and flexuralresponse. An empirical model for the magnitude of the whipping response was derived and used, with criteria fortolerable whipping response, in scenario simulations to quantify the effect of slamming on the operational reliability andthe effects of slamming on the long-term distribution of the vertical accelerations.