Bulk carrier ship type is one of the three dominant types of merchant vessels along with container ships and tankers. Recently, in terms of tonnage, bulk carriers constitute about the world's fleet third. The stuff materials indigence such as grains, fertilizers, ores, etc. Since the turn of the millennium, the number has increased considerably. Recently, a growing variance in bulk cargo which has transported by sea, represents now a large part of international commercial exchange shipped by sea. Every year there are huge number tons of cargoes like steel, coals, livestock feed, copper and minerals that are transported by sea in bulk. While most of those shipments are made without accidents, a number of serious injuries have occurred which have resulted not only in the ship's loss, but also in lives loss. In this paper, there is an existing bulk carrier vessel, a computational case study, is made to investigate the different loading conditions effects and bulk cargoes’ types on ship’s stability, in case of damaged conditions, in addition to the effect on the ship’s hull longitudinal strength. A proposed method is suggested to improve the level of safety of the ship past flooding by the usage of air bag (cushion). The candidate vessel consists of two cargo holds. In this paper there are three investigated damage scenarios, the first one is checking the stability in case of damage of cargo hold No.1. The second one is checking the stability in case of damage of cargo hold No.2 and the third scenario is checking the stability in case of flooding of both of the two cargo holds. There’s a modelling software, Auto Ship, is used here to model the vessel, simulate the different scenarios and to run the stability code to check the stability criteria. Finally, after performing the above mentioned three damage scenarios, the result was that the ship will still float in case of scenario one or two but in case of the third scenario, it will sink. So, this study has suggested a way to keep the vessel floating in case of the third scenario until reaching the nearest port without sinking. This proposed method is by using air cushions to open directly in case of existing alarm in the bulk carrier work to fill all the space inside the cargo hold instead of filling with the water.
The purpose of this study is to identify methods for attracting more students into maritime colleges, for making sure they remain happy, satisfied with their decision and finally for enabling them to have job security. At International Maritime College Oman (IMCO), the Deck Officer program is a field of study that incorporates the ancient knowledge and techniques in navigation with the latest information and technology in the maritime industry. The industry requires officers who are well trained and capable of working as professionals on board vessels. The goal is to attract more students into the maritime industry, to ensure their achievement in future and to make sure they are happy with their choice to join the maritime industry. For the purposes of this research, a questionnaire about deck cadets’ experiences of work and life at sea, with thirty-one questions, was prepared, based on the authors’ experiences, and distributed to deck cadets studying in International Maritime College of Oman (IMCO). It was answered by sixty deck students in years two, three and four. The students were of both genders and from various countries including Oman, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Egypt. The age ranges varied between eighteen to twenty-five. The main problems adversely affecting the students’ happiness and satisfaction were found to be related to loneliness and emotional insecurity at sea, resulting from inadequate opportunities for communication with family and friends, as well as uncertainty about employment prospects. Colleges need to focus more on supporting cadets’ emotional well-being. Shipping companies also need to play a greater role in reducing cadets’ uncertainty by sponsoring them, by providing guarantees of employment and by looking after them well at sea, especially by ensuring availability of cheap internet.