During the 21st ITTC, the Executive Committee approved the setting up of a ten-member Specialist Committee on Ship Stability. The main tasks recommended are to examine the techniques for carrying out model tests to investigate the capsize of intact and damaged vessels and provide guidelines for such tests, and to assess the methods available for numerical simulations of capsize of intact and damaged vessels. Such a committee is to provide a focal point for monitoring, reviewing and planning research, liasing with regulatory agencies, disseminating information and facilitating implementation and technology transfer. In this process, there are several issues to be addressed and questions answered. This paper is an attempt to identify, evaluate and present state-of-the-art developments concerning the numerical and physical modelling of ship capsize in heavy seas and discuss the problems anticipated in the reduction of the relevant “tools” to practice (in the assessment of stability and in ship design, operation and management) as regards validation and standardisation. Preliminary plans by the committee for addressing these problems both in the immediate and in the foreseeable future are also presented.
