Several factors influence the safe operation of ships, including good marine practice based mostly on crew skills. However, nowadays safe shipping depends also on professional tools, which support proper decision making and the endeavours of the crew. One such tool is StabPRS – a software programme that has been developed by Polski Rejestr Statko´w S.A. (PRS) and designed to monitor stability and general and local strength in every loading condition.
PRS offers the development of a StabPRS programme suited for individual ships, with due account of a ship’s parameters.
Tailored to a given ship, StabPRS supports the day-to-day ship operations by providing quick calculations of cargo mass changes during loading operations, stability and general strength in any loading condition in both intact and damage conditions. By entering variable data, it is possible to obtain an updated assessment of the selected safety related parameters. Furthermore, StabPRS makes it possible to perform calculations for visualization of ship’s movement in waves.
Officers who use StabPRS on board ships have praised its usefulness.They particularly appreciate two modules unavailable in software programmes offered by other companies.The first one, performing calculations in damage conditions, is indispensable especially on ro-ro vessels.This module may help save the ship even in damaged condition when the degree of flooding exceeds rule- projected risk.
The other module, ‘Check stability by draft’, has won favour with the officers operating ferries. Until recently, load calculations had to be made via iterations, while StabPRS provides clear results instantly.This is of pivotal importance for ships during quick cargo handling in ports.