stab 2012

Welcome

We thank all the participants of STAB 2012.

In the link below we have created a permanent record of the event, supplementing the published Proceedings and the Conference Programme.

Contributors, participants list and photos of STAB 2012

The 11^th International Conference on the Stability of Ships and Ocean Vehicles (STAB 2012) will be held in Athens, Greece, from the 23^rd to the 28^th of September 2012.

As ancient as Archimedes (circa 250 BC), the topic of stability of ships (and more generally of floating bodies) has fascinated eminent scientists throughout the centuries, of the likes of Huygens, Bouguer, Euler and the Bernoullis. Despite unrelenting effort the field remains topical, combining a deep scientific basis with very practical concerns continually coming from new trends in ship design.

Stability represents a prime driver for naval architecture. It is not a coincidence that the first risk-based approach to ship design used “damage” stability as raw model. The form and consequences of “intact” and “damage” stability regulations are currently at the forefront of interest at IMO.

For more than 35 years the STAB conferences and the affiliated workshops are the definitive meeting points of maritime researchers and professionals who are interested in problems of dynamic stability and safety. All important advances that have taken place during this period in the mathematical modeling of ship stability, the understanding of extreme vessel dynamics and the development of new stability regulations have been presented and debated at some STAB meeting.

The forthcoming STAB will be organised by the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA). Established as a Royal School of Arts in 1837, it has expanded to become the leading academic institution of Greece for engineering education and research. Its School of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, one of the largest in Europe and worldwide, accommodates a broad spectrum of expertise and is very active in research internationally.

Athens is one of the world’s great cities, birthplace of critical thinking and democracy. Since the ancient times, the city's faith has been linked to the nearby natural port of Piraeus, one of the largest in the Mediterranean, that nowadays hosts (together with some Athenian suburbs) the thriving Greek shipping community. Millions of visitors enjoy every year the unsurpassable cultural heritage of the wider Athens area ("the Attica" as it is called) that includes monuments from the classical Greek period and others that span a period of more than 3,500 years. Surrounded by mountains but yet with “within minutes” access to a beautiful coast, modern Athens has more to offer than its ancient charm, with a vibrant cosmopolitan life enjoyed throughout the year. The weather in September is pleasant with average temperature in the mid 20s (⁰C), humidity 55% and more than 8 hours of sunshine daily.

Maritime researchers, professionals as well as all interested to become up-to-date on stability, from theory to practical implementation, are warmly invited to participate in the STAB 2012 Conference in Athens and actively contribute to the furthering and dissemination of knowledge in this critical field of maritime safety.

Please visit the STAB Conference web site www.stab2012.ntua.gr at regular intervals. Information about paper submission, registration, booking of hotel accommodation, cultural tours, conference programme etc. will be continually updated.