CONTENTS

4_Hydrostatic Particulars (Stability Book).

4.1_The Stability Book.

4.2_Reading hydrostatics.

5_Correcting The Draughts.

5.1_Perpendicular Corrections.
5.2_Perpendicular Correction.
5.3_ Perpendicular Corrections.

6_Hull Deformation (Hog and Sag).

6.1_Hog and Sag.
6.2_Two Thirds mean draught.
¾ mean Draught3.
6.3_Deflection Correction.
4_HYDROSTATIC PARTICULARS (STABILITY
BOOK)
Learning Outcome
At the end of this section you should have a good understanding of what information can be
found in a ships stability book and some idea of the large variety of layouts and presentations
of this data.

4.1_The Stability Book

All ships are provided with a stability book with a section of hydrostatic particulars. These give
data for different draughts. In particular they provided Displacement, Tpc, Lcf and Mctc. Each
of these is required in order to calculate the survey. Lets take each in turn.

Displacement ( )
Displacement is the weight of the ship. It is the underwater volume multiplied by a density.
In the majority of cases the standard density used is 1.025 although there are others about
which more later. In order to calculate the volume from the displacement we need to know
the density used to calculate the particulars.

Tpc
This means Tonnes Per Centimetre of immersion. It is the number of tonnes that must
be loaded or discharged in order to change the ships mean draught by one centimetre.
(Tpi is the imperial equivalent and means Tonnes Per Inch)

Lcf
This means Longitudinal Centre of Floatation. It is the position about which the ship will
trim when weights are loaded or discharged. (The reason and use for this piece of data will
become clear later.) It is the geometric centre of the water-plane at any particular draught
and as the shape of the waterplane changes it will move to maintain its position in the
centre. This will be as weight is loaded or discharged which will alter the shape of the ship
on the waterline as the wider part of the hull at the aft end enters, or comes out of, the
water.
T he water-plane is the area of the ships hull that would be visible if the ship was cut off at the
waterline.

Lcf

Mctc
This stands for Moment to Change Trim 1 Centimetre. It is the trimming moment required
to change the trim of the vessel by 1 centimetre.
A moment is the product of weight and distance and represents the turning force produced.
So, for example, a weight of 400 tonnes loaded 30 meters forward of the Lcf on a vessel
will produce a moment of 400 x 30 which is 12000 tonnes/meters. If the Mctc is 500t/m
 then the change of trim this loaded weight will produce is 24 cms (12000/500) Mctc is used
in the second trim correction of which more later.
Other necessary data provided by the stability book are as follows.

Light Ship
The weight of the ship and its full equipment when empty but with engine spares, water in
the boiler and lubricating oil in the engine.

Deadweight
The weight of cargo and stores a ship can carry. This is the difference between light ship
and displacement at any draught. Deadweight includes any fuel, water, ballast or stores
that are in the ship as well as the cargo. Cargo capacity therefore depends on the amount
of fuel, water, ballast and stores remaining on completion of loading, and that which will be
required by the ship on passage to its destination.

LBP
This is Length Between Perpendiculars. A ship is built to plans and the plans are drawn
around two perpendicular lines that represent the forward (FP) and aft (AP) extremities of
the ship. The hydrostatic data for a ship is calculated, by the ship builder, from the section
between these two perpendiculars and then the remaining two sections, the small parts of
the bow and stern, called the appendages, are added in afterward. The forward
perpendicular is considered to be where the Load water line (Summer Load Line) cuts the
line of the bow and the aft perpendicular where it cuts the aft edge of the rudder post or the
centre line of the rudder stock if the ship is not fitted with a rudder post, as is the case in
most modern ships.
In the diagram below Represents amidships, or the midships perpendicular as it is also known, and

is half way between the forward and aft perpendiculars,.

AP FP

L WL

Ad Fd

L-WL represents the Load Water Line.

Distance of Draught Marks from Perpendiculars
When a ship is built the draught marks are located at a convenient position on the hull and this
will not always be at the perpendiculars. For calculation purposes we need the draught at the
perpendiculars and the way we do this, with the use of similar triangles, will be explained later

In the above diagram

Fd (the Forward distance) is the distance of the forward draught marks from the forward
perpendicular. Ad (the Aft distance) is the distance of the aft draught marks from the aft
perpendicular.

On this particular ship the midships marks are on the midships perpendicular although that is
not always the case. The explanation of perpendicular corrections in section 5 shows the
midships draught marks displaced from the midships position but on most modern ships the
middle draught marks are located on the midships perpendicular.
In the following picture of a page from a ships hydrostatic particulars, the columns of data we
are interested in, for the purposes of a draught survey, are as follows.
1. d-Draft from top of keel in (m) Draught in metres from the top of the keel
2. Displacement (t) The weight of the ship in tonnes
3. T.P.C. Immers (t) Tonnes per Centimetre Immersion
4. M.C.T. one cm (t/m) Moment to change trim one cm in tonnes/metres
5. LCF from Mdl (m) The distance of lcf from the middle of the ship.
Some tables show this distance as from the aft
perpendicular. In this set of tables when
the lcf is shown as positive it indicates
that it is forward of midships. This is an
important point as European convention
shows a forward direction as (-) negative.

Items 2, 3 and 4 are at a Seawater S.G of 1.025 t/m3; this is the density used to compile the
data. It is important to note that the T.P.C and the M.C.T are both at seawater density. Some
hydrostatics have a displacement column for fresh water (usually at a density of 1.000 t/m3).
To use this fresh water column the Tpc and Mctc would have to be converted to fresh water as
well. For this reason it is always more accurate to use the saltwater figures for displacement in
the calculation even if the ship were in fresh water at the time of the survey.

The draught in this table indicates that it was calculated using the Moulded Draught (from the
top of the keel) rather than the actual draughts which are marked from the bottom of the keel
and that is what is required for draught surveys. (See page 34)
A Typical page from a ships Hydrostatic particulars; all necessary information is displayed
at the top of the page. E.g. the density used to calculate the displacement; the fact that the
base line used is the TOP of the keel and that when the distance of Lcf is
positive it indicates forward of midships.
Displacement and deadweight scales are shown and a quick calculation will show that the light
ship must be 1633 tonnes.
This is only one of many widely differing types of hydrostatic particulars. Some of them come
in graphic form and the scale can be quite small. In particular Russian built vessels can be
difficult to use. Not only is the scale small but there is the language problem as well. It is very
important that the surveyor has definite information as to what each item is in the data. E.g. lcf
is often referred to as Xs on a Russian ship.
This is a typical layout from a Russian river vessel of the Volga-Balt type. As can be seen the
scale is very small and English subtitles have been added to the top of each column. Reading
from the left the columns are as follows
Tpc; Displacement; Draught; Deadweight; Mctc;
Lcf

4.2_Reading hydrostatics
Great care must be taken to ensure that the data being taken from the hydrostatic particulars is
correct. Check what density was used to compile the documents as many different ones can
be used such as 1.027,
1.030, 1.02522 etc.

Care must be taken that the displacement used is the actual one and not the moulded one.
Moulded Dimensions are the length breadth and depth of the ship on the inside of the hull
plates and are mainly used by Naval Architects. Extreme dimensions are the measurements
from the outside of the hull; i.e. they include the actual plating. This is particularly important
when the tables say that the draught is from the top of the keel as shown in the picture on the
previous page. As draught marks indicate the depth of the ship from the bottom of the keel a
correction must be applied to the draughts as read before entering the tables. This correction
is the thickness of the keel, which for the ships hydrostatics shown on page 32 was 12 mm.
However there are variations on this and in fact one Russian vessel we surveyed had three
different thicknesses for forward midships and aft parts of the keel. This required each pair of
draughts to be corrected rather than applying one correction to the final mean draughts.

Sometimes several different displacements are listed at different densities as can be seen in
the tables on pages 57 & 59 in the section on “Alternative Hydrostatic Information”. Many
sets of tables also have columns of displacements for fresh water as well as salt water and
sometimes a deadweight column as well. Again great care must be taken to use the correct
figures. Take care not to use the fresh water scale instead of the salt water one by mistake.

One of the most important items is the position of Lcf. This is gone into in some detail in
Section 7 However there are so many mistakes made when this item is not understood that it
will pay to repeat things.

Lcf is the geometric centre of the area of the waterplane and as such is a
function of the shape of the vessel on the waterline at any draught and nothing
else. Because the water plane changes shape to get fatter at the aft part, as the
ship gets deeper, Lcf moves aft as displacement increases and forward as
displacement decreases but does not necessarily move through midships.

So when displacement is increasing if the actual number, ignoring any sign, is decreasing then
it is forward of midships (It is getting closer to zero which is when it is at midships) and if it is
increasing it is aft of midships. (It has already passed Zero at midships and is moving further
way)

Not all hydrostatic data is presented in columnar form, sometimes it is in rows.

On the following page is a photograph of a page from the Hydrostatics of a new ship.
For clarity the relevant rows needed for the survey have been highlighted in yellow.
Several features mentioned above are worthy of note.
The page has the data in rows instead of the usual columns.
1 The top row of the page is the Moulded Draught i.e from the top of the keel
2 T he second row is the Extreme Draught. A quick calculation shows the keel
thickness is 23 mm. (This is a large cape size vessel)
3 There are several displacement rows with the second one, displacement in Salt Water,
being the one required.
4 Lcf is shown as positive when it is forward of midships this does not mean that we use
positive in the calculation, it only tells us which side of midships Lcf is. In the
normal convention in most of the world when carrying out any calculations we use
minus (-) for forward of midships.

Interpolating between the draughts would be slightly easier if a keel correction is applied first,
so allowing the top row (moulded draught to be used). However the draught for the survey
would still be the extreme draught.

For example
If the draught from the survey was say 7.51m then the equivalent moulded draught would be
7.487m which is 7.51 - 0.023m, (the keel correction)
So you can interpolate between 7.473 and 7.523m extreme draught using 7.51m
Or interpolate betweeen 7.45 and 7.50m moulded draught using 7.487m
Both will give the answer as 76738.34 tonnes
It is up to the individula how to proceed in these circumstances as some people carry out
interpolation partially in the head and the use of the moulded draughts make this a little easier.

Note the statements at the bottom of the previous picture.

(+) Lcf means forward of midships. This is backed up by the rule regarding Lcf that says; as the
ship gets deeper if the number is getting smaller it is forward of midships. (At 7.223 draught it is
12.278 and at 7.823 it is 11.894m)
Displacement has been calculated using a density of 1.025

Self-Assessment Questions
Self-Assessment Questions
What do the following abbreviations mean?
1 Mctc, Lcf, , Tpc
2 Explain what lcf is and how you would know which side of midships it is.
3 What is the difference between moulded and extreme dimensions?
4 What are the perpendiculars?

5_CORRECTING THE DRAUGHTS

5.1_Perpendicular Corrections
In order to find a draught with which to enter the hydrostatic particulars we need to find the
mean, or average, of the six draughts that we have read. In an ideal world the ship would be
on an even keel in an upright condition and without any hog or sag. If this were the case the
calculation of the mean of the six draughts would be simple as they would all be the same.
However that is rarely the case. Initially each pair of draught marks is averaged to give three
draughts, one each forward, midships and aft.
In order to be able to use these three draughts they must be corrected so that we use the
draughts at the perpendiculars. This is done with the use of similar triangles.
Similar Triangles
Triangles with Corresponding angles equal and corresponding sides in proportion are said to
be similar.
For two triangles to be similar one of the following has to be true
1 The three sides are in the same proportion
2 Two of the sides are in the same proportion and their included angles are
equal. 3 The three angles of one triangle are the same as the three
angles of the other.

In the diagram on the following page: -

FP = Forward Perpendicular
AP = Aft Perpendicular
LBP = Length between perpendiculars
Fd = Distance of Forward Draught marks from forward perpendicular.
Ad = Distance of aft draught marks from aft perpendicular
Md = Distance of midships draught marks from midships
perpendicular LBM = Distance between draught marks; (LBP – Fd – Ad).
Apparent trim = Difference between forward and aft draughts at the marks
True trim = Difference between forward and aft draughts at the perpendiculars
Looking at the diagram there are several similar triangles. There are three “correction”
triangles (the red ones), one apparent trim triangle (pale yellow one) and one true trim triangle.
In each triangle the ratio between any two sides will be the equal to the ratio of the same two
sides in the other triangles and some of these ratios are as follows: -
Forward Correction = Midships Correction = Aft Correction = Apparent Trim
Fd Md Ad LBM
This gives us three simple calculations for the three corrections required.
Forward Corr’n = Apparent Trim so Forward Corr’n = Apparent Trim x Fd
Fd LBM LBM
Midships Corr’n Apparent Trim so Midships Corr’n = Apparent Trim x
Md
Md LBM LBM
Aft Corr’n Apparent Trim so Aft Corr’n = Apparent Trim x
Ad
Ad LBM LBM
These three formulae should be committed to memory
5.2_Perpendicular Correction

Each of these corrections is applied according to the following rule: -

If the direction of the displacement of the draught marks from the relevant perpendicular is the
same as the direction of the trim then the correction applied to the observed draught is
negative otherwise it is positive.
In the diagram on the previous page the forward draught marks are aft of the forward
perpendicular and the vessel is also trimmed towards aft (by the stern) so the correction is
negative.
The midships and aft draught marks are forward of the relevant perpendiculars so with the trim
aft these two corrections are positive.

An alternative method is to use a sign convention as follows

Trim when aft (by the stern) is designated as positive and if the perpendicular is also aft of the
marks then the distance is also designated positive. Using this sign convention in the
calculation will result in answers with the correct sign.
An example of an actual survey will demonstrate this.

Worked Example
From the following Information calculate the corrections to perpendiculars and the draughts at the
perpendiculars. Also calculate the true trim.

Vessel LBP 181.8 meters

port side stbd side distance marks from perp First we

Forward draughts; 4.61m 4.65m Fd =2.94m aft
Midships draughts 4.93m 5.10m Md=1.44m aft
Aft draughts 5.58m 5.60m Ad =7.30m forward
calculate the mean
draughts at forward midships and aft as follows
Forward mean = (4.61+4.65)/2 = 4.63m
Midships mean= (4.93+5.10)/2 = 5.015m
Aft mean= (5.58+5.60)/2 = 5.59m

So apparent trim is 5.59 - 4.63 = 0.96m

And LBM is 181.8 - 2.94 - 7.30 = 171.56M
Take Care with this item sometimes the aft draught marks are aft of the perpendicular
and the LBM will be (LBP-Fd +Ad). If in doubt draw a diagram.
Now the draughts at the perpendiculars are:-
Forward Corr’n = ApparentTrim x Fd = 0.96 x -2.94 = -0.0165m
LBM 171.56
Midships Corr’n = ApparentTrim x Md = 0.96 x -1.44
= -0.0081m
LBM 171.56
Aft Corr’n = Apparent Trim x Ad = 0.96 x 7.3
LBM 171.56 = +0.0408m
Forward draught =
4.63 – 0.0165m = 4.6135m
Midships draught = 5.015 – 0.0081 = 5.0069m
Aft draught = 5.59 + 0.0408 = 5.6308m
True trim now = 5.6308 – 4.6135m = 1.0173m
The use of draught marks, which are a long way from the perpendiculars, can lead to large
errors if the vessel is hogged or sagged. (See section 6) In these conditions there is a different
trim from midships to each end of the vessel and the corrections should be calculated
separately.
This only applies to situations where the distance from the draught marks is large in relation
to the LBP, as on some Russian River ships where it is sometimes necessary to use the
marks located at 1/4 or 3/4 length. When the draught marks are located close to the
perpendiculars the error is small enough to be ignored. The following explanation taken
from an actual survey of a 3000 tonne Russian River Vessel

M.V.Russian River Vessel

Example - The ship had a midships draught of 2.605 metres and forward 2.195m; aft 3.25m measured
at the 1/4 and 3/4 length draught marks.

Therefore the vessel is hogged 11.75 cms [2.605 -((2.192 + 3.25)/2)] (See page 41)
Apparent trim is 3.25 - 2.195 which = 1.055 metres and calculating perpendicular corrections in
the normal manner

This gives us three simple calculations for the three corrections required.

Aft correction = 1.055 x 16.7 = +0.2315 m

76.1
Forward correction = 1.055 x -18.4 = -0.2551 m 76.1
FP
3/4 L
)( 1/4 L

AP
Draught 3.25m Draught 2.605m Draught 2.195m
Ford Corrr’n

Aft Corrr’n Apparent trim

1.055m
Dist to FP 18.4m
LBMarks 76.1m
Dist to AP 16.7m
LBP 111.2m

should be studied.
FP
3/4 L )( 1/4 L

AP Draught 2.195m
Draught 3.25m Draught 2.605m
Ford Corrr’n

Trim from Mid

Trim from Mid to Ford = 0.41m
Aft Corrr’n
to Aft = 0.645m
37.2m Dist to FP 18.4m
38.9m Mid to ford marks
Dist to AP 16.7m Mid to Aft Marks
LBP 111.2m

But consider this diagram

So dividing the ship into two separate calculations, one for the section forward of midships and
one for the section aft, the perpendicular corrections are:-

Aft correction = 0.645 x 16.7 = +0.2769 m (a difference of + 4.54cms)

38.9
Forward correction = 0.410 x 18.4 = -0.2028 m (a difference of -5.23cms)

37.2
So aft correction is greater and forward one smaller. This will not only affect the trim but the ¾
mean draught as well. (See Section 6)
If you now consider the same draughts measured close to the perpendiculars you will find that
the error is

much smaller as below.

Using the same draughts as before the perpendicular corrections when calculated in the normal
manner are
Aft correction = 1.055 x 4.0 = + 0.0397 m
106.28
Forward correction = 0.410 x 18.4 = - 0.0099 m
37.2
FP
)(
AP Draught 2.195m
Draught 3.25m Draught 2.605m
Ford Corrr’n

Trim from Mid

Aft Corrr’n Trim from Mid to Ford = 0.41m
to Aft = 0.645m
54.6m
51.6m Mid to ford marks
Mid to Aft Marks
LBP 111.2m 1.0m

4.0m

Then when we use the trims from midships to ford and aft, the corrections become

Aft correction = 0.645 x 4.07 = + 0.0500 m a difference of + 1.03 cms

51.6
Forward correction = 0.41 x 1.0 = - 0.0075m a difference of -0.24 cms
51.6
Care should be taken when applying the corrections in these circumstances. If
the vessels trim is small and the hog (or sag) large then the trim from midships
can be towards the bow for the forward marks and towards the stern for the aft
ones In which case both corrections would be additive.
Whichever way the perpendicular corrections are carried out we now have three draughts
corrected to the perpendiculars that can be used to calculate the adjusted mean draught of the
vessel with which to enter the hydrostatic tables to obtain the displacement and other
necessary data. However to do this we must first allow for any hog or sag in the vessel.
5.3_Perpendicular Corrections
State the three formulae for calculating forward midships and aft perpendicular corrections.
1 F rom the following Information calculate the corrections to perpendiculars and the draughts
at the perpendiculars. Also calculate the true trim.

Vessel LBPn 84.99meters port side stbd side distance and direction
of marks from perp.

Forward draughts; 5.30m 5.36m Fd = 0.802m aft

Midships draught 5.50m 5.63m Md= 1.16m aft
Aft draughts 5.79m 5.79m Ad = 2.80m aft
Aft draught was on the centre line down the ships transom
Vessel LBPn 270.0 meters port side stbd side distance and direction
of marks from perp.

Forward draughts; 9.63m 9.60m Fd = 1.55m aft

Midships draught 10.53m 10.42m Md = 0.00m
Aft draughts 11.39m 11.36m Ad = 11.0 forward

2 From the following Information calculate the corrections to perpendiculars and the draughts
at the perpendiculars. Also calculate the true trim.

6_HULL DEFORMATION (HOG AND SAG)

Learning Outcome
At the end of this section you will understand how to allow for any bend (hog or sag) in the
ships structure and the problems that can be associated with large vessels bending in two
places (double hog/sag)
From this point forward in the Module, all draughts referred to will be the
draughts at the perpendiculars unless otherwise stated.

6.1_Hog and Sag

A ship will deform due to the distribution of weight along its length. This is called Hogging or
Sagging depending on which way the deformation is. There are various ways to allow for this
depending on the type of vessel we are dealing with.
This is a diagram of a hogged vessel; sagged would be the opposite of course with the ship
bent downwards in the middle.
The Arithmetical Mean Draught is simply the average of the forward and aft draughts and this
will be the same as the midships draught if there is no hog or sag. However this is a rare
occurrence as ships are designed to flex and some hog or sag is nearly always present.
The ship is assumed to bend as a parabola and the area below a parabola, in a circumscribing
rectangle, is equal to twice the area above the parabola. In the diagram below the area of the
yellow section is twice the area of the combined white sections, or in other words the area
under the parabola is 2/3 the total area. The mathematics of this fact is not important from the
point of view of draught surveying. What is important is to understand the effect it has on a
ship that is hogged or sagged.

W Boxed shaped vessel 20m x 10m x 1m draught L

Aft draught Ad Md Middle Draught 0.85m Fd

1 meter
F
o
r
w
a
r
d
d
r
a
u
g
h
t
1
m
e
t
e
r

If we consider the above box shaped barge then the yellow section represents the amount of
underwater volume that has been lost due to the effect of hogging. (Had this been sagging
then a section of the underwater volume would have been increased.)
The arithmetical mean of the forward and aft draughts is more than the middle draught, which
shows that the barge is hogged.

6.2_Two Thirds mean draught

Utilising the maths of the parabola, the lost section of volume is 2/3 of the box that encloses
it.
To calculate the effect of this we use the following formula: -

Mean adjusted draught = (4 x Md) + Fd + Ad (4/6 of the middle draught is 2/3 or 66.67%)

6
The resulting draught calculated is the mean draught adjusted to compensate for the bend in
the barge and in this case would be 0.90 meters
This is known as the two-thirds mean correction and was derived directly from Simpson’s First
Rule for finding an area under a curve.
To prove this formula works we could calculate the volume of the barge in two sections
Had it not been hogged the volume displaced can easily be calculated from the length x
breadth times the depth it is floating at. Which would have been 20m x 10m x 1m = 200m3
To calculate the volume of the hogged barge we can proceed as follows.

Volume of section above the hog = 20 x 10 x 0.85m = 170m3

Volume of the hogged section = 1/3(20 x 10 x 0.15) = 10m3 Or much
simpler using our
Total volume of hogged barge = 180m3 2/3rds formula the
answer is the same

Two thirds mean draught = (4 x 0.85) + 1.0 + 1.0 = 0.90m

And using this draught the volume of displacement = 20m x 10m x 0.90m = 180m3
This formula is fine for a box shaped barge but a ship has a much different shape and a
different formula is required.
¾ mean Draught
Calculations carried out by ship builders have shown that the most likely amount of correction
required for hog or sag on a conventionally shaped ship is ¾ or 75 %.
The formula for this is called the 3/4 mean draught and is as follows: -
3/4 Mean Draught = (6 x M) + F + A 6/8 of the middle draught is ¾ or 75%

This formula should be committed to memory

Worked example
Lets consider the three corrected draughts from the previous worked example.
Forward draught is 4.630 – 0.0165 = 4.6135m
Midships draught is 5.015 – 0.0081 = 5.0069m
Aft draught is 5.590 + 0.0408 = 5.6308m
The mean of the forward and aft draughts is (4.6135+5.6308)/2 = 5.1222m
The midships draught is = 5.0069m
Middle draught is less than the mean of forward and aft so vessel is hogged by 0.1153m

Using our 3/4 mean formula the Mean adjusted draught for entry into the hydrostatic particulars is

3/4 Mean Draught = = 5.0357m

How has this affected the mean of the three draughts?

The difference between the middle draught and the ¾ mean draught is 0.0288m and this is ¼
of the hog of 0.1153m
From this we can see that the effect of the correction is to reduce the arithmetic mean by ¾
hence the reason this formula is often known as the three-quarters mean draught.
It was also called the mean of mean of means; the reason being that it was derived as follows
from an earlier more complicated way of calculating the Adjusted Mean Draught.

1 Calculate the forward and aft mean

2 Take the mean of 1 and the middle draught (called mean of means)
Which is X+M + 2M = X + 3M But “X” =1/2(F + A)
4 4 4

So mean of mean of means =1/2(F + A) + 3M multiply by 2 which gives F + A + 6M

4 4 8
And this is (6 x Mid) + F + A
8
3 Take the mean of 2 and the middle draught again (called mean of mean of means)

Lets run through this using symbols and a bit of algebra

Let F = forward draught A= aft draught and M = mid draught

1 Then mean Ford/aft = 1/2(F + A) let this = “X”

2 Then mean of means = 1/2(X + M)
3 And mean of mean of means = 1/2(X + M) + M
2
The Mean adjusted draught (or ¾ mean draught) above of 5.0357 meters is the draught that
would be used to enter the hydrostatic particulars.

NOTE
However if the hydrostatics are from the Top of the Keel, as in the example on page 32,
then this is the point at which we would need to apply a correction for the thickness of the
keel before entering the tables. This correction is only applied in order to enter the tables.
The draught as calculated from the bottom of the keel, is that which should be reported.
Using the table on page 30 a recent survey produced draughts corrected to the
perpendiculars as follows

Forward 3.7939m Midships 3.6770m aft 3.5990m

Therefore 3/4 mean draught = = 3.6819m

But to enter the table this draught needs to reduced by the keel thickness of 12mm
Therefore the draught for entering the tables is 3.6699m. However the draught that will be
reported is still 3.6819m as this is the real draught of the ship.

6.3_Deflection Correction
There is another method of allowing for hog and sag that is commonly known as deflection
correction. Named because hogging or sagging is a deflection of the hull shape from a straight
keel condition.
Modern large bulk carriers are very box like and when loaded are more like a barge in shape.
However when the ship is empty its hull shape is still more like a fine lined ship. It became
clear that the way to calculate the underwater volume was somewhere between the 2/3 means
of the box shaped vessel and the 3/4 means of a fine lined conventional ship shape.
The ships mainly affected by this are Panamax ships, so named for being the maximum size
able to transit the Panama Canal, and Cape Size vessels that can only reach Europe from the
East via the Cape of Good Hope as they are too large for the Suez Canal.
Panamax ships are around 70,000 tonnes deadweight, 95,000 tonnes displacement, and Cape
size around 170,000 deadweight, 192,000 displacement.

In the diagram above the white section represents the ships shape when in ballast or light condition
without cargo on board. The additional yellow section represents the shape of the ship when the vessel
is fully loaded.
Some of these ships are supplied with a deflection correction table and instructions regarding the
method of calculating the draught survey. Instead of using the ¾ mean the mean of the forward and aft
draughts is used and an allowance made for hogging or sagging based on a table of “deflection
corrections”.
There are three ways that the data is normally presented
1. The tables will give a factor that is multiplied by the TPC and by the hog/sag to give a correction in
tonnes.
(The correction for hog is always negative as vessels underwater volume is
reduced by hogging; conversely the correction for sag is always positive)

Example: -
Ford and aft mean 3.9665 metres;
Amidships mean 3.91m;
TPC = 28.58

Therefore vessel is hogged (3.91 – 3.9665m) = 0.0565m = -5.65cms

From deflection tables factor for this draught = 0.7766

(This is 77.66% of the Tpc so vessel is obviously fine lined at this shallow draught)
Therefore correction for hog = 0.7766 x 28.58 x -5.65 = -125.4 tonnes

Note the use of the minus sign to indicate hog

2. The tables may give a tonnes per centimetre of hog/sag that makes a simple calculation to produce
the correction.

Example: -
Forward and aft mean 16.6894m
Amidships mean 16.7500m
Tpc at this draught 106.16 tonnes
Therefore vessel sagged (16.75 – 16.6894) = 0.0606m = 6.06cms
From the deflection table number of tonnes per cm of hog/sag = 74.90
(This is 70.55% of the Tpc so vessel is clearly box like in shape at this deep
draught) Therefore the correction for the sag = 74.90 x 6.06 = +
453.89 tonnes
The plus indicates the vessel is sagged
3. The calculation may already be complete in the form of a table giving tonnes of deflection correction
plotted for hog/sag against fore and aft mean draught. In this case the correction is taken directly from
the table and applied, as before, to the displacement for the fore and aft mean draught to give a
displacement corrected for hog or sag.
In all cases a displacement is taken out for Ford/Aft mean draught and the correction applied to give a
displacement corrected for hog or sag. This deflection correction method of calculating the survey is
simply a more accurate way of determining the displacement, due to hog or sag, than that provided by
the 3/4 mean draughts method.
There is one final problem associated with these large Cape Size vessels and that is the problem
associated with double hog when in the heavy ballast condition.

Draught Survey Results on Cape Size Vessels

In the past many of these vessels have out turned short of the bill of lading when discharged at ports
with air draught restrictions. This is due mainly to the effects of heavy ballast on the light condition
survey. Due to the air draught restrictions in these ports the vessels are required to maintain as deep a
draught as possible in order to allow discharge to continue when the tide is high and there is reduced
clearance for the grabs over the vessels hatch coamings and rails. To do this they utilise one of the
centre holds for ballast water once the cargo is discharged from it.
This type of ship normally has twelve ballast tanks (five pairs of doubles bottoms and side tanks plus
fore peak and after peak) plus a cargo hold strengthened to carry ballast water. When only the twelve
ballast tanks are filled it is known as light ballast condition. When the designated cargo hold is full as
well it is called heavy ballast condition.
At loading ships are in light ballast with all holds empty ready to load. This condition produces a nearly
uniform bend over the whole length of the vessel (see diagram 2) and the method of calculation of
displacement from the three draught readings allows for this bend by assuming it is a parabolic curve
and the resulting survey is fairly accurate. However, on discharge the weight of some 20,000 to 22,000
tonnes of ballast in the centre hold produces a double deflection of the hull (see diagram 3). Due to the
location of draught marks at only three positions (forward, amidships and aft) the calculation method
again assumes a parabolic curve through the three draught readings and this has the effect of
overstating the vessels weight. This is estimated to be by some 400 to 500 tonnes. Thus we obtain an
equivalent reduction in the cargo weight discharged according to the survey.
Some ship owners are now carrying out laser measurements of this double deflection and putting
notices on board their ships, from the classification society, to indicate a reduction to the amidships
draught reading as compensation when vessels are in heavy ballast. This reduction is in the range of 3
to 6 cms on most occasions and is equivalent to 300 to 700 tonnes. While this is considerably better
than nothing at all it assumes the ship will always bend the same amount but it is a reasonable
compromise. The amount of hog is affected by the quantity of fuel oil on board and its location within
the hull and, in some cases, the lack of ballast in some tanks when the vessels chief officer has
trimmed his ship to complete discharge at some required trim.
The worst situation is shown on diagram 4 where sufficient weight has been added amidships to create
an apparent sag condition according to draught readings, thus further overstating the weight of the ship.
It has been heard that one shipping company is intending to build future ships with draught marks at 1/4
and 3/4 lengths as well as the existing three positions. As can be seen from diagram 3 and 4, this
would greatly assist surveyors in determining a more accurate assessment of the vessel underwater
volume. It was also said that intentions were to retrofit these marks on existing vessel when they are
dry-docked. It will be interesting to see if either of these will, in fact, happen.
The only other alternative is for the ships light survey to be done with the centre hold empty. This is of
course time consuming, as it would have to be emptied on completion of discharge before the final
survey was carried out. This will also hold up the berthing of the next vessel and incur unacceptable
delays for the receivers.
One final possibility is for ships owners to marks their vessels at 1/4 and 3/4 length with a reference line
similar to the deck line amidships, which would be a known height above the keel. This would allow
surveyors to measure the freeboard (distance from deck line to water level) at these points and
calculate the relevant draught. This may be the cheapest way to resolve the problems, but until such a
time as something is done to assist surveyors, they can only work with the information they have.
David Green, MNI, MIIMS 19th May 1994 – Seaways Sept 1994
Peter Mitchell, of Mid-C Consultancy, has devised the following formula for use in this situation should
the extra marks ever appear on ships. It is based on Simpson’s First Rule again.
Mean Adjusted Draught = (Fd + (4 x ¼ d) + (2 x Md) + (4 x ¾ d) + Ad)/12

Self Assessment Questions

1. State the formula for the 2/3 and the 3/4 mean draught.

2. From the following information calculate the 3/4 mean draught and state if vessel is
hogged or sagged and by how much
Forward draught is 5.330 – 0.0042m = 5.3258m
Midships draught is 5.565 – 0.0061m = 5.5589m
Aft draught is 5.790 – 0.0148m = 5.7752m
3. From the following information calculate the 3/4 mean draught and state if vessel is
hogged or sagged and by how much
Forward draught is 9.615 – 0.0106m = 9.6044m
Midships draught is = 10.4750m
Aft draught is 11.375 + 0.0752m = 11.4502m
4. From the following information calculate the 3/4 mean draught and state if the vessel is
hogged or sagged and by how much.
Draughts
Forward port 3.46m stbd 3.49m dist from perp. 1.58m aft
Midships port 4.08m stbd 4.23 dist from perp. 1.30 m forward
Aft port 5.01m stbd 5.01m dist from perp. 2.85m aft
(Aft draught is down the centre of the transom)
LBP = 85.80m