 RINA International Conference - Naval Submarines and Unmanned Underwater Vehicles - 2011. Topics discussed in the course of the conference - Towards an automated active unmanned underwater vehicles docks on a slowly moving submarines, a submarine concept design, underwater gliders, evaluation of the maneuvering performance of the x-plane submarines, hydrodynamic design implications for submarines operating close to the surface, United States submarine concept design tool, construction materials for small sized submarines, alternative propulsion options for nuclear underwater vehicles, and many more.
Let us start with the first one, dedicated to the development of the integrated SES (submarine escape systems) - it provides readers with the review of the tower escape systems, addresses the geometry and ergonomics of the tower, pressurization, flood and draining matters, testing, acceptance and further support. The submarine escape is considered the very latest resort in case of the underwater vehicle becoming fully disabled - though rescue is of course the preferred option in the majority of instances, it may not be possible in some cases. Here are the operation and acquisition requirements...
 RINA International Conference - Warships 2009. This compilation contains of the selected interesting topics that were discussed in the course of the subject conference, for example Aircraft tie-down points for the affordable aircraft carrier - Introduction - Significance - Design approach - Cost savings - Meeting the requirements - Conclusions; Development, design of the rudders/propellers as well as hydrodynamic design of the aircraft carriers of Queen Elizabeth class; Optimizing the ship-air vehicle interface using the simulation method; Frigate aviation of the future; Real options reasoning in defense acquisition; The vessel design challenge of naval UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles).
The opening topic was dedicated to the development of the world famous aircraft carriers, meaning the ones belonging to the "Queen Elizabeth" class. The corresponding paper presented at the conference, provided the participants of the event with brief but thorough technical description of the key aspects of the advances involved, and also describes the associated alliance arrangements.
The shipbuilding strategy applied in that case did involved the construction of the big fully outlined blocks at different locations throughout the country; subject blocks were then transferred to Rosyth for assembly and integration...
 Warships - RINA International Conference - 2006. The reporters addressed following interesting topics in the course of that international conference - modeling maritime and warship survivability, operational experience with Sea Fighter FSF1, design issues concerning the high-speed adaptable littoral warfare, power and propulsion for the new generation of global combatant, survivability of the warships, tools to reduce vulnerability at the earliest stages of the ship design, multipurpose versus modularity, some affordable ways of protection of vessel systems against fragments and blast, and many more... the publication opens with the article dedicated to the new family of warships by VT Shipbuilding.
The significant increase in the costs over last decades for both new construction and upgrades/modifications and retaining in active service of the destroyers and frigates have resulted in the problems that are currently experienced by many Navy fleets when maintaining adequate ship hull numbers to perform various assigned tasks. The approach that is currently used today, implying production of the multi-purpose vessels may appear too costly to address imminent problems of fleets becoming lower and lower over the next years...
 The series of international technical conferences held with the purpose of improvement of the Stability of Ships and Ocean Vehicles has been running since 1975, and, on behalf of the National Committee, I am very proud that Australia was chosen to host the 7th conference in February 2000.
The objectives of the present conference series is to promote a full exchange of methodologies and ideas related to the stability of ships as well as ocean vehicles. It creates practical opportunities to all marine industry pros, including ship constructors, naval architects, officers of the various certifying and inspection authorities, regulatory agencies, capsize prevention researchers, ship and platform owners, and others to present, discuss and listen to improvements in capsizing prevention for all sizes and types of floating structures.
The most important aspect of any floating object is its ability to remain afloat and upright under all expected conditions. Even this most basic of requirements can elude professionals in the field, usually with very serious consequences. It is therefore vital that all of us who are concerned with the operation and design of ships and ocean vehicles devote the utmost effort to ensuring they are as safe as possible. Only by sharing knowledge and experience can we continue to improve safety, which is the primary motivation for this important conference series.
 The present paper provides all interested parties with some brief description of the work the IMO has undertaken in respect of development of the international requirements and recommendations on intact/damage stability for various types of ships during the period 1990-1994. This paper also includes a brief account of the current works on this subject within the Sub-Committee on Stability and Load Lines and on Fishing Vessels Safety which is the IMO's body responsible for the activities of this Organization in the subject area.
The IMO was founded by the UN Conference held in Geneva in 1946. In 1958 the Organization came into being as the only UN specialized agency solely concerned with maritime affairs. The establishment of IMO was initiated by the recognition of fact that, because of the international nature of the maritime industry, it is only through concerted efforts of States, co-ordinated on an international level, that action to enhance safety at sea would be much more effective, and that a permanent body coordinating and promoting further measures leading to a more continuing basis would serve well the cause of maritime safety.
The main objective of IMO is to facilitate co-operation among governments in technical matters affecting shipping in order to achieve the highest practically possible standards of maritime safety and navigation. since 1967, the Organization has given special emphasis to issues of pollution prevention of sea from ships and to legal matters associated with its technical work...
 One of the main purposes of the Organization consists of promoting the highest practical standards of maritime safety and navigation, and the Sub-Committee on Stability and Load Lines and on Fishing Vessels Safety in its current, as well as in its previous, work undertakes all possible effort to incorporate the latest achievements related to both design and theoretical areas into its existing standards as well as in regulations actually being developed.
So far, intact stability requirements and recommendations have been developed for passenger ships, cargo ships, fishing vessels, dynamically supported craft, MODUs, offshore supply vessels, special purpose ships and sea-going pontoons, thus covering the overwhelming majority of the world's merchant fleet. Standards of damage stability were introduced for the first time for passenger ships in the 1948 SOLAS Convention and re-adopted by the 1960 and 1974 SOLAS Conventions. For some specific categories of ships, such as tankers, chemical tankers and gas carriers, IMO developed sets of requirements and recommendations based on the principle of prevention of massive spillage of their cargo into the sea; the current "state of the art" for other types of vessels has been given below.
The detailed description or IMO's activities related to the development of stability standards within the period 1962 to 1986 was given in papers presented at the Second and Third International Conferences on Stability of Ships and Ocean Vehicles held in 1982 in Tokyo and in 1986 in Gdansk, respectively. This paper summarizes the progress achieved by the SLF Sub-Committee since 1986...
 As long as shipping existed ships were exposed to the hostile environment and shipbuilders from the oldest times learned that in order to survive in this environment ships had to stable. They developed also by the method of trials and errors the practical knowledge how to build comparatively stable ships, however hot stable enough to ensure the safe completion of the voyage.
In modern times understanding of basic laws of ship's geometry and static stability enabled naval architects to make calculations during the design stage, then developments in ship hydrodynamics allowed to calculate the behaviour of ship in a seaway and the effect of external forces on stability. Nevertheless from time to time ships were lost as a result of capsizing quite often with all hands onboard. Even introduction by some nations of stability regulations which also included certain stability criteria did not eliminate casualties.
For more than twenty years IMO have made numerous attempts to establish international requirements for ship stability. The achieving of this aim is now becoming possible because of the latest development of stability criteria, which is one of the most complex problems of ship design and construction.
 It has always been quite gratifying to attract a large gathering of distinguished experts from all over the world to a particular location for discussion on aspects of their specialist subject. In this case the location was the University of Strathelyde, Glasgow and the subject was the important topic of intact stability of ships and ocean vehicles. The two main purposes of the conference were to provide a forum at international level for the discussion of research findings on stability, and to facilitate the use of such research findings as guidelines for future research efforts and encourage the practical application of the results.
The conference was unique in that it was the first occasion on which so many experts on the topic were gathered under the one roof to examine stability. The opportunity thus presented to elicit the opinions of such a group was too good to miss and this brief report comments on the methods adopted and the results achieved in a delegate survey. It would be very good and useful to go through the materials collected in such compilations in order to be in line with the developments in the industry, starting from the very first conference. That is why we would recommend to have all of the articles readily available.
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