joao,
WELCOME TO THE AWS WELDING FORUM!!
A ship? Now, last I looked, AWS has limited codes for ship welding. Those they do have are the D3 series: Steel Hull Welding, Underwater Welding, Aluminum Hull Welding, and Welding Through Paint Primers.
But, what you are asking is an engineering stress calculation query. This will not be covered in much detail in any welding codes.
It will most definitely depend upon stresses and how they are trying to distribute them. Some will be handled better in line while others will want to be offset. In all construction it is the same and they don't pay us to GUESS what we THINK may work best or to tell everyone else some old wives tale we heard about what needs to be done. We are paid to do the job as specified in the Contract Documents according to the approved erection and shop drawings. He may be wrong, but the engineer ALWAYS knows best.
He Is In Control, Have a Great Day, Brent