STAB/ISSW - History

The International Conference on Stability of Ships and Ocean Vehicles (STAB Conference) was started in 1975 at the initiative of Professor Chengi Kuo from Strathclyde University, Scotland, UK, followed by the Second Conference hosted by Professor S. Motora from the University of Tokyo, Japan, in 1982. The Conference became periodical after that with many Conferences successfully organised afterwards, attracting specialists from all over the world.

As such, the STAB Conference is the most representative professional meeting in the fields of stability and generally safety in the world. From the very beginning, the aims of the Conference were to provide an opportunity for those involved in stability activities, including design, operation, research or regulatory purposes, to discuss the available research findings at an international level, and to establish how these results can be applied in actual usage.

While the STAB Conferences are intended to cover a wide range of issues related to stability of ships and ocean vehicles, since 1995 a series of International Ship Stability Workshops (ISSW) is being held almost annually as specialised events complementary to the STAB Conferences. The Workshops typically focus on particular subjects that are of particular importance and indicative of contemporary developments in the fields of stability and safety.

The STAB Conferences and ISSWs are organised under the auspices of an International Standing Committee, comprising internationally recognised and active specialists in the field from all over the world.

As a result of this long lasting tradition, proceedings of the STAB Conferences and of the ISSWs represent a fundamental and unique source of information and knowledge for all those who are involved, or intend to be involved, in basic and applied research, regulation developments, or other activities deemed of contribution to the body of knowledge and understanding of the subject of ship stability and safety.

Recognising this, the STAB International Standing Committee together with the Stability R&D Committee have considered appropriate to disseminate this information in a free and open way to the community worldwide, by making the procedings of STAB and ISSW freely downloadable.