The objective of the paper is to study the impact of changing the traditional hull design of bulk carriers by providing them with a double hull while keeping the same deadweight. It is demonstrated that by introducing the double hull the structural reliability is increased throughout the entire life and also the extend of the needed repair is reduced. The results are obtained with recently developed mathematical tools for the reliability assessment of ship hulls subjected to the existence of multiple cracks both in the stiffeners and in the plating and it models the crack growth process. The effect of corrosion is represented as time dependent. The long-term stress range acting on the elements is defined as a function of the local transverse pressure of the internal cargo and outside sea water combined with the stresses resulting from the longitudinal bending of the hull, which is a combined with the stresses resulting from the longitudinal bending of the hull, which is a combineation of horizontal and vertical bending moments. The effect of maintenance actions is modelled as a stochastic process. The results show that a different design of the midship section improves the structural safety and also the economy with respect to structural repair of bulk carriers.