A Virtual Environment for Decision Support in Ship Damage Control

Safety is one of the main concerns in maritime activity. Although the safety of a ship may be determined by many uncontrollable factors (such as weather or human error), efficient and continuous monitoring of shipboard systems and the current safety status is crucial to avoid or at least minimize the effects. Most modern ships have a Damage Control Center onboard where the crew monitors ship systems and structures and coordinates emergency teams. The Damage Control Center has information about the compartments, tanks and ducts arrangements, stability diagrams, evacuation plans, and so on. The paper describes that the virtual ship is a virtual environment that supports emergency planning decisions in a ship´s Damage Control Center. The model considers what could occur when fluids disseminate through a ship´s compartments, such as flooding, fire, or contamination.