Unsinkable or fuel-efficient, which to go for?

THESE can be complicated and confusing times.

When the large cruise ship Costa Concordia sank, a host of naval architects and other specialists devoted long hours to designing heavier, wider passenger ships that are less likely to sink following a major accident.

But, at the same time, naval architects - quite possibly even the same ones - are beavering away to make ship hull designs more efficient so that they consume less fuel and meet the new Energy Efficiency Design Index of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), now mandatory for new ships.