Hopper dredger stability integrated into PIAS’ Loading module

Hopper dredger stability (e.g. dr-68 or Bureau Veritas N.I. 144) computation used to be present in PIAS in a separate module Hopstab. In February 16 of this year a new version of PIAS’ stability module Loading was released, where all hopper stability effects have been integrated (and enhanced, compared to Hopstab). The dr-78 and dr-68 stability regulations require a hopper dredger also to comply with requirements of probabilistic damage stability. This has been available for some decades in PIAS, based on the hopper particulars as defined in Hopstab. Recently, PIAS’ probabilistic damage stability module has been updated, so it now applies the hopper and loading data as defined in Loading. The new modus operandi of probabilistic damage stability for a hopper dredger is discussed in the manual.

After this enhancement, module Hopstab has become obsolete and will be discarded. This marks the end of the software renewal process around hopper dredger stability in PIAS, and implies that specific hopper-related data files from elder projects cannot be used anymore for computations. Please refer to the hopper stability manual chapter for further discussion.

Split hopper vessels