The high strength-to-weight advantage of aluminum alloys has made it the material of choice for building airplanes and sometimes for the construction of land-based structures. For marine applications, the use of high-strength, weldable and corrosion resistant aluminum alloys have made it the material of choice for weight sensitive applications such as fast ferries, military patrol craft, luxury yachts and to lighten the top-sides of offshore structures and cruise ships. And while, over the last two decades, the ultimate limit state (ULS) design approach has been widely adopted in the design of aerospace and land-based (steel) structures, it is just recently being considered as a basis for the structural design and strength assessment of ships and offshore structures. Practical ULS methods or design codes are available in the aerospace and civil engineering industries, but they are just now being developed for use by the marine industry. The present paper compares some useful ULS methods adopted for the design of aerospace, marine and land-based aluminum structures. A common practice for aerospace, marine and civil engineering welded stiffened panel applications is discussed. [All rights reserved Elsevier]