World-leading ship science expert, Professor Ajit Shenoi, says that a seafaring tragedy on the scale of the Titanic disaster is unlikely to happen again.
Professor Shenoi, who is the Director of the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute at the University of Southampton, believes this is due to the many lessons that have been learned as a result of the tragedy 100 years ago.
"A detailed Board of Trade inquiry set up after the tragedy identified that the reasons behind the Titanic's sinking and the huge loss of life could be categorised under two headings," Professor Shenoi explains. "Firstly, they relate to crew training and capabilities, as well as better communications and management on board ships, with clear allocations of responsibilities and regular checks on the actions and performance of crew. Secondly, they relate to the technology, whether it be the provision of lifeboats and life rafts, hull construction material and methods or watertight compartmentation."
Professor Shenoi believes that the lessons learned from the disaster have been invaluable in ensuring that modern seafaring remains safe, and that when accidents do happen, lives are less likely to be lost.
"There are several lessons learned from the Titanic disaster relating to ship design, construction and operation. Lessons have also been learned regarding training crew," he added. "One major specific lesson relates to the provision of lifeboat capacity on cruise ships, adequate to cope with all people on board, something that was not contained in the rules and regulations prevalent in the Titanic days."
With the recent capsizing of the Costa Concordia, questions have been raised as to the general safety of today's cruise liners. Professor Shenoi said:
"It is impossible to say that an accident of the nature of Titanic will never happen again. However, tragic though the Costa Concordia accident was, it was well contained and far fewer people lost their lives or were physically hurt. That is because of the enhancement of safety culture in shipping and because of the use of improved engineering and technology. Such improvements in the way in which we design, construct and operate ships today coupled with vastly improved training for crew lead to much safer ship passages. Thus we can say with confidence that the likelihood of a tragic incident of the scale of Titanic occurring today is very small."
Notes for editors:
1. Professor Ajit Shenoi graduated in 1974 with a degree in naval architecture from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. Between 1974 and 1978 he worked successively in Mazagon Docks Bombay and Arya National Shipping Lines, Tehran before returning to academe, to the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow from where he obtained his doctorate in 1981.
For over 30 years he has been at the University of Southampton as Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Reader and, now, Professor. He is a Chartered Engineer, being a Fellow of both the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and the Royal Institution of Naval Architects.
His research interests focus on the mechanics of composite materials and the design of lightweight structures. He is also involved in monitoring the structural health of marine vessels and developing ways to assess the structural strength of damaged ships.
In 2011, Professor Shenoi was named as Director of the new Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute (SMMI). With approximately 300 academics working together with society, industry and government, the SMMI will be the largest single entity of its kind in the world which integrates all marine and maritime disciplines across the University. Specialists in ship design and naval architecture, fluid dynamics and acoustics, oceanography through to arts, humanities and social sciences will work together to better understand current and future maritime challenges.
The creation of the SMMI has been stimulated by the University's ever strengthening relationship with Lloyd's Register over the last 40-plus years. Lloyd's Register is the world-leading maritime classification society and independent risk management organisation for the marine industry.
2. The University of Southampton is a leading UK teaching and research institution with a global reputation for leading-edge research and scholarship across a wide range of subjects in engineering, science, social sciences, health and humanities.
With over 23,000 students, around 5000 staff, and an annual turnover well in excess of £435 million, the University of Southampton is acknowledged as one of the country's top institutions for engineering, computer science and medicine. We combine academic excellence with an innovative and entrepreneurial approach to research, supporting a culture that engages and challenges students and staff in their pursuit of learning.
The University is also home to a number of world-leading research centres including the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, the Optoelectronics Research Centre, the Web Science Trust and Doctoral training Centre, the Centre for the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, the Southampton Statistical Sciences Research Institute and is a partner of the National Oceanography Centre at the Southampton waterfront campus.
For further information contact:
Charlotte Woods , Media Relations, University of Southampton, Tel: 02380 5922128/07891210483, email: c.woods@soton.ac.uk
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