Skip to main content

Ships in Waves

Motions and Operational Impacts

  • 1st Edition - October 1, 2026
  • Latest edition
  • Author: Milan Hofman
  • Language: English

Ships in Waves: Motions and Operational Impacts delivers a structured and in-depth exploration of the core theories and phenomena governing vessel interactions with wave enviro… Read more

World Book Day celebration

Where learning shapes lives

Up to 25% off trusted resources that support research, study, and discovery.

Description

Ships in Waves: Motions and Operational Impacts delivers a structured and in-depth exploration of the core theories and phenomena governing vessel interactions with wave environments. Progressing from fundamental concepts to elaborate formulations, the book supports gradual engagement with complex material, facilitating confident physical understanding. Topics include ship oscillations (both in calm water and under wave excitation), stochastic wave modeling, responses in regular and irregular seas, and the consequences of extreme motions—such as dynamic loads, rolling, slamming, and capsizing.

Organized modularly, the contents allow selective study and targeted review based on the reader’s interest or specialization, uniquely bridging the divide between intricate technical knowledge and engineering application. In addition to the essential theoretical framework, cutting-edge advances and rarely covered aspects are also addressed, including wave energy converters and a critical review of the new IMO intact stability criteria.

Designed to serve audiences in academic and research contexts, this authoritative volume is especially valuable not only for assessing motion characteristics but also for enhancing system reliability and informing future design strategies for vessels, offshore platforms, floating structures, and other marine installations that demand a nuanced balance of performance, safety, and sustainability.

Key features

  • Rigorously connects seakeeping principles to fundamental engineering subjects such as mechanics, hydrodynamics, and ship theory, enabling a strong foundation for ship motion analysis.
  • Incorporates numerical examples of representative ships in realistic seaways, assisting with practical application of theory and enhancing problem-solving skills.
  • Reviews the newly proposed North Atlantic wave scatter diagram recommended by the International Association of Classification Societies, demonstrating its impact on structural considerations for improved industry relevance.
  • Includes a wealth of original, carefully crafted figures to visually clarify complex technical concepts, aiding comprehension and making the volume more accessible to learners.

Readership

Senior-level undergraduate and graduate students, academics, and researchers in naval architecture, shipbuilding, maritime engineering, marine technology, or offshore/ocean engineering. Industry professionals in ship design, marine engineering, offshore engineering, ship operations, and maritime safety seeking advanced technical knowledge and practical insights.

Table of contents

1. Introduction

2. Basic Equations of Ship Motions in Waves

3. Ship Oscillations in Calm Water

4. Waves in a Seaway

5. Ship Motions in Regular Waves

6. Further Problems in Ship Rolling

7. Ship Motions in an Irregular Seaway: Basic Principles

8. Ship Motions in an Irregular Seaway: Major Consequences

9. Improving Ship Seakeeping

10. Roll Motion Control

11. Seakeeping Criteria and Ship Operability

12. Ship Dynamic Stability and Capsizing in Waves

13. Experimental Investigation of Ship Motion in Waves
- Epilogue
- Appendix 1: Nonlinear Equations of Angular Motion – Modified Euler Angles
- Appendix 2: Added Mass and Damping Coefficients of Lewis Cross-Sections in Heave
- Appendix 3: Amplitude and Phase of a Sum of Harmonic Functions
- Appendix 4: Solution of Forced Oscillations with Two Degrees of Freedom
- Appendix 5: Test Ships in Numerical Examples

Product details

  • Edition: 1
  • Latest edition
  • Published: October 1, 2026
  • Language: English

About the author

MH

Milan Hofman

Milan Hofman is a retired professor of Naval Architecture at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Belgrade. Over his distinguished career, he lectured on ship buoyancy and stability, ship systems, hydrodynamics, and ship design, while also introducing seakeeping as a standalone course. He served multiple terms as Head of the Department. Professor Hofman led and contributed to numerous research projects in ship dynamic stability, shallow water hydrodynamics, and ship design, publishing widely. In 2007, he received the RINA–Lloyd’s Register Ship Safety Award for pioneering work on risk-based stability regulations. For the past 15 years, he has focused on developing a novel wave energy converter, shifting from minimizing to maximizing ship motion. A fellow of RINA and SNAS (which he also led), and a member of GAMM, Professor Hofman considers his greatest legacy his former students, now respected engineers worldwide.
Affiliations and expertise
(Retired) Professor, Department of Naval Architecture, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia