1.

Type ‘A’ vessel: A ship that is designed to carry only liquid cargoes in bulk, and in which cargo tanks have only small
access openings, closed by watertight gasketed covers of steel or equivalent material. The exposed deck must be one
of high integrity. It must have a high degree of safety against flooding, resulting from the low permeability of loaded
cargo spaces and the degree of bulkhead subdivision usually provided.

Type ‘B’ vessels: All ships that do not fall under the provisions for Type ‘A’ vessels. For these ships it may be based on:

●The vertical extent of damage is equal to the depth of the ship.

●The penetration of damage is not more than 1/5 of the breadth moulded (B).

● No main transverse bulkhead is damaged.

●Ship’s KG is assessed for homogeneous loading of cargo holds, and for 50% of the designed capacity of consumable
fluids and stores, etc.

Type (B-60) vessels: The vessel must have an LBP of between 100 and 150m. It must survive the flooding of any single
compartment (excluding the machinery space). If greater than 150m LBP, the machinery space must be considered as
a floodable compartment. A typical ship type for a Type (B-60) vessel is a bulk carrier.

2. The DfT Tabular freeboard value, based on the freeboard length value, is adjusted or modified for the following six
characteristics:

1. Depth D.

2. Block coefficient Cb.

3. Bow height.

4. Length and height of superstructures.

5. Freeboard deck sheer.

6. Structural strength of the new design.

3. Details of the corrections

For a standard ship, Depth = LF/15. For a standard ship, Cb =0.680.

Standard camber is assumed to be parabolic and equal to B.Mld/50.

Freeboard deck sheer is assumed to be parabolic with the sheer forward being twice the deck sheer aft.

Standard sheer aft = (L/3 + 10) x 25 mm

Standard sheer forward = (L/3 + 10) x 50 mm

Note of caution: for the sheer formulae, L is a ship’s LBP in metres (not LF).

A new vessel can be built to a structural strength of the Lloyds 100A1 standard. If the vessel is indeed built to this
classification, then the modification (for strength) to the tabular freeboard is zero.
Whenever the new design has a characteristic that is less safe than the standard DfT standard vessel, the tabular
freeboard value will be increased accordingly.

Figure 28.3 shows the bow height measurement to be considered. It is to be measured at the FP, to the uppermost
deck exposed to the weather.
Forecastle DK

Upper deck

SLWL The bow height.

This height is
measured to the
uppermost deck
exposed to the
weather
moulded
Draft

Base
FP line

Fig. The bow height, as per DfT regulations.

The final assigned statutory freeboard is always measured from the Summer load water line (SLWL) to the top of the
freeboard deck’s stringer plate at amidships. The stringer plate is the outermost line of deck plating. It is the line of
deck plating connected to the sheerstrake or gunwhale plate.

The corrections in detail

Depth correction

If Depth D exceeds LF/15, the freeboard is to be increased.

If this is so then the correction = (D-LF/15) x R where

R = LF/0.48 if LF is less than 120m

R = 250 if LF is 120m and above

If LF is 155m and the Depth D is 11.518m, then:

Depth correction = (11.518 - 155/15) x 250 296mm

If Depth D is less then LF/15, then no reduction is to be made.

Cb correction

If the Cb is greater than the standard 0.680, then the freeboard is to be increased by the following:

Correction = {(Cb + 0.680)/1.360} x Tabular freeboard figure

If the ship’s Cb is 0.830 and the Tabular freeboard figure is 2.048m, then:

Cb correction is {(0.830 + 0.680)/1.360} x 2.048 = 2.274m

Hence addition for actual Cb value = 2.274 - 2.028 = 0.226m or 226mm

Bow height correction

If the bow height on the actual vessel is less than the standard bow height, then the freeboard must be increased.
If the bow height on the actual vessel is greater than the standard bow height, then there is no correction to be made
to the freeboard. The minimum bow height (mBH) for ships is as follows:

If LF is 250m, then mBH =56L {1 - L/500} x 1.36/ (C b +0.680) mm.

If LF =250m or is 250m, then mBH = 7000 x 1.36/ (Cb +0.680) mm.

4. Certain vessels are assigned timber freeboards but certain additional conditions have to be complied with:

1. The vessel must have a forecastle of at least 0.07 of the vessel’s length inextent and of not less than standard
height.

2. For a vessel 75m or less in length the standard height is 1.80m.

3. For a vessel 125m in length the standard height is 2.30m.

4. Intermediate standard heights can be evaluated for the intermediate freeboard lengths ranging from 75m to
125m.

5. A poop or raised quarter deck is also required if the vessel’s freeboard length is less than 100m.

6. The double bottom tanks in the midship half-length must have a satisfactory watertight longitudinal
subdivision.

7. Timber vessels must have either 1m high bulwarks with additional strengthening or 1m high especially strong
guardrails.

8. The timber deck cargo shall be compactly stowed, lashed and secured. It shall not interfere in any way with
the navigation and necessary work of the ship.

5. a. Carrying timber on the upper deck can create stability problems for those on board ship. They are:

The timber may become wet and saturated. This will raise the overall G ofthe ship thereby possibly decreasing the
ship’s GM. This leads to a loss in stability. When considering the stability of timber ships the calculations must take
into account that because of this saturation:

(a) Weight of deck timber must be increased by 15 per cent of its dry weight.

(b) Volume available for reserve buoyancy is only 75 per cent of the total deck timber.

1. The height of the stowed timber can produce a sailing effect, leading to an angle of list situation.

2. Icing effects in very cold weather conditions on the timber will raise the overall G of the ship. Again this will
lead to a loss in stability.

3. The IMO suggest that to avoid high strain on the lashing points of the deck timber that the upright GM should
not be greater than about 3 per cent of the breadth moulded.

b. It also must be remembered that the minimum bow height (as per DfT Regulations) for timber vessels is measured
from the ordinary summer load water line. It must NOT be measured from the lumber summer mark.

c. As far as statical stability curves are concerned for timber ships, the IMO lumber regulations are as follows:
1. The upright GM must not be less than 0.10m (compared to the usual0.15m).
2. Maximum GZ must not be less than 0.25m (compared to the usual 0.20m).
3. Area under the statical stability curve, 0° to 40°, must not be less than 0.08 metre radians (compared to the
usual 0.09 metre radians).