Cruise ships have new regulations from 2020. By adoption of the amended SOLAS Ch.II-1, new rules are coming into effect for passenger ships contracted on or after 1 January 2020 or, in the absence of a building contract, vessels with a keel-laying date on or after 1 July 2020 or delivery on or after 1 January 2024. Major changes included new, stricter requirements regarding damage stability standards as expressed by the required subdivision index “R”, which is now only a function of the total number of persons on board. Lifeboat capacity and the length of the ship are no longer part of the formula. Furthermore, R is kept constant for up to 400 persons on board, then increases as that number rises.
The new version also makes damage control drills mandatory for all passenger ships.
The new rules have various consequences for the design of new ships. The stricter regulation regarding watertight doors may also affect the internal subdivision arrangement and operations on board.