Carlos Guedes Soares is a Distinguished Professor of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering at Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Portugal. He received his Master and Ocean Engineer degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, in 1976, his PhD degree from the Norwegian Institute of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway, in 1984, and his Doctor of Science degree from the Technical University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal, in 1991. He is also the Scientific Coordinator of the Centre for Marine Technology and Engineering (CENTEC), a research centre of Instituto Superior Técnico that is recognized and funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology. He has supervised more than 75 PhD degree students and co-authored more than 900 journal papers. He has been involved in more than 60 international research projects and 20 national projects as well as the organisation of several International Conferences. He is a Fellow of SNAME, RINA, IMarEST, ASME and of the Portuguese Association of Engineers (Ordem dos Engenheiros) where he has held different responsibilities and duties for more than 30 years.Yordan Garbatov is a associate professor of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering at Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Portugal in the area of Ship Structures. He graduated as a Naval Architect from the University of Varna in 1986 and concluded his PhD degree at IST in the area of Fatigue Reliability and Reliability-Based Maintenance Planning in 1998. He has published about 300 scientific papers. He has been involved in a number of international and national research projects. He is a member of the Editorial Board of some international journals and has participated in the organisation of International Conferences.

• • Loads and load effects; • Strength assessment; • Experimental analysis of structures; • Materials and fabrication of structures; • Structural design and optimization; • Structural reliability, and safety

Carlos Guedes Soares is a Distinguished Professor of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering at Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Portugal. He received his Master and Ocean Engineer degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, in 1976, his PhD degree from the Norwegian Institute of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway, in 1984, and his Doctor of Science degree from the Technical University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal, in 1991. He is also the Scientific Coordinator of the Centre for Marine Technology and Engineering (CENTEC), a research centre of Instituto Superior Técnico that is recognized and funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology. He has supervised more than 75 PhD degree students and co-authored more than 900 journal papers. He has been involved in more than 60 international research projects and 20 national projects as well as the organisation of several International Conferences. He is a Fellow of SNAME, RINA, IMarEST, ASME and of the Portuguese Association of Engineers (Ordem dos Engenheiros) where he has held different responsibilities and duties for more than 30 years.Yordan Garbatov is a associate professor of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering at Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Portugal in the area of Ship Structures. He graduated as a Naval Architect from the University of Varna in 1986 and concluded his PhD degree at IST in the area of Fatigue Reliability and Reliability-Based Maintenance Planning in 1998. He has published about 300 scientific papers. He has been involved in a number of international and national research projects. He is a member of the Editorial Board of some international journals and has participated in the organisation of International Conferences.

• • Loads and load effects; • Strength assessment; • Experimental analysis of structures; • Materials and fabrication of structures; • Structural design and optimization; • Structural reliability, and safety

Carlos Guedes Soares is a Distinguished Professor of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering at Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Portugal. He received his Master and Ocean Engineer degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, in 1976, his PhD degree from the Norwegian Institute of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway, in 1984, and his Doctor of Science degree from the Technical University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal, in 1991. He is also the Scientific Coordinator of the Centre for Marine Technology and Engineering (CENTEC), a research centre of Instituto Superior Técnico that is recognized and funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology. He has supervised more than 75 PhD degree students and co-authored more than 900 journal papers. He has been involved in more than 60 international research projects and 20 national projects as well as the organisation of several International Conferences. He is a Fellow of SNAME, RINA, IMarEST, ASME and of the Portuguese Association of Engineers (Ordem dos Engenheiros) where he has held different responsibilities and duties for more than 30 years.Yordan Garbatov is a associate professor of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering at Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Portugal in the area of Ship Structures. He graduated as a Naval Architect from the University of Varna in 1986 and concluded his PhD degree at IST in the area of Fatigue Reliability and Reliability-Based Maintenance Planning in 1998. He has published about 300 scientific papers. He has been involved in a number of international and national research projects. He is a member of the Editorial Board of some international journals and has participated in the organisation of International Conferences.

• • Loads and load effects; • Strength assessment; • Experimental analysis of structures; • Materials and fabrication of structures; • Structural design and optimization; • Structural reliability, and safety