Scientists Designing More Stable Ferry

British researchers are working on a new ferry design that could help avoid rapid capsizing such as occurred in the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster, which killed more than 130 people last month off the Belgian coast.

Glasgow University scientists are refining a catamaran concept with twin deep hulls in which decks for vehicles and passengers would be placed well above the water line, according to the the British magazine Science and Business Link-up. The new design would allow for smoother travel in rough water.

“Bulkhead subdivisions below and around the waterline of the ship would mean that minor damage would not lead to catastrophic flooding,” said Robert MacGregor, senior lecturer in naval architecture at Glasgow and a leader of the project.