1.

3 FRESH WATER
ALLOWANCE
Description

THE MARITIME ACADEMY OF ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

Explains why the draught of a ship decreases when it passes
from fresh water to seawater and vice versa
States that when loading in fresh water before proceeding
into seawater, a ship has a deeper maximum draught
Describes what is fresh water allowance (FWA)
Describes the uses of a hydrometer to find the density of
dock water
Describes the effect of changes of tide and rain on dock
water density
Explains how to obtain correct dock water density

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 FRESH WATER ALLOWANCE
Fresh water allowance (FWA) - is the number of
millimeters by which the mean draught changes when a
ship passes from salt water to fresh water, or vice versa,
when the ship is loaded to the summer displacement.

The FWA is found by the formula

FWA(mm) = DISPL. Summer
4 TPCsw

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 F
1.000 FW

T 05
FWA 10
15

DWA S 20

1.025 SW

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 LOAD LINE DIMENSIONS

( PLIMSOLL MARK )

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The ship as a hydrometer – If the load line marks are
considered, the top of the summer mark and the top of
the fresh mark act as the limits of a scale of density
that would appear on a hydrometer (an instrument for
measuring liquid density)
The ship behaves as a very large hydrometer

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If the ship were loaded to the summer displacement in
salt water (RD 1.025) then the water line would be
level with the top edge of the summer (S) load line. If
now towed into fresh water (RD 1.000) the ship would
sink by the fresh water allowance such that the water
line would now be level with the top edge of the fresh
(F) load line.

Obviously the reverse would happen if moving from

FW to SW!

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THE MARITIME ACADEMY OF ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
THE MARITIME ACADEMY OF ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
Example 1

A ship floats in SW at the summer displacement of 1680

tons. If the TPCѕѡ is 5.18, how much will the draught
change by if the ship is towed to a berth where the
density of the water is 1.000 t/m³?

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In moving from SW to FW the ship will experience
sinkage by an amount equal to the FWA.

FWA(mm) = DISPL. Summer

4TPCѕѡ

FWA = 1680t = 81.1mm

4 x 5.18t

The draft will increase by 81.1mm

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 DOCK WATER ALLOWANCE
The dock water allowance DWA of a ship is the
number of millimeters by which the mean draught
changes when a ship passes from salt water to dock
water, or vice versa, when the ship is loaded to the
summer displacement.
The DWA, as fraction of the FWA, is found by the
formula
DWA (mm) = FWA x (1025 – RD doc water)
25
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 F
1.000 FW

T 05
FWA 10
15

DWA S 20

1.025 SW

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Consider the load line marks shown. The top of the
Summer mark and the top of the Fresh mark both act
as the limits of a scale of density, indicating the
position of the salt water and fresh water waterlines
respectively for a ship loaded to the Summer
displacement. If such a ship was to be floating in water
of an intermediate density, termed Dock Water, the
change in draught when going from salt water to dock
water can be easily determined
Consider the scale marked on the section of load line
shown.
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 F
1.000 FW

T 05
FWA 10
15

DWA S 20

1.025 SW

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If the ship were to go from SW to dock water of RD
1.010, the draught would change by the DWA. The
amount of the DWA is simply a fraction of the FWA as
shown.
Example 2
A ship has FWA of 200 mm.. Calculate the change in
draft that will occur if the ship proceeds from SW to a
berth where the RD of the dock water is 1.018

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Solution:
DWA (mm) = FWA x (1025 - RD dock water)
25
DWA(mm) = 200 x (1025 – 1018) = DWA = 56 mm
25
The draught will increase by 56 mm

The DWA formula is easily modified to calculate the change in

draught that would occur if the ship were to proceed from dock water
of one density to dock water of another.
DWA (mm) = FWA x (RD doc water – RD doc water)
25
(- means difference between smaller value from greater value)
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• Example 3

• A ship is loaded to its summer displacement and is to

proceed down river from a berth where the dock water
RD is 1.004 to another berth where the dock water RD
is 1.016. if the FWA is 260 mm, calculate the change
in draught that will occur and state whether it is an
increase or a decrease.

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Example 3: solution
DWA (mm) = FWA x (RD doc water – RD doc water)
25
DWA (mm) = 260 x (1016 - 1004) DWA = 124.8 mm
25
The draught will decrease by 125 mm since the ship is
moving into more dense water.

note: answers need only to the nearest mm.

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 LOAD LINE CALCULATIONS
 The need for applying DWA/FWA to ensure maximum
cargo is loaded.
 When loading a ship it is desirable to load as much cargo as
possible. If the ship is loading in water that is less dense than
salt water, such as dock water, then allowance should be
made for the ship rising out of the water on reaching the sea,
salt water density being greater than that of the dock water.

 Consider the following situation

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A ship is loading in the Summer zone in dock water RD
1.012 it can legally load so that the salt water water line is
level with the top edge of the Summer load line.
Consider the situation where the officer in charge of
loading, loads cargo until the dock water waterline
becomes level with the top edge of the Summer load line.
When the ship proceeds to sea, on reaching salt water
(RD 1.025) the ship will rise and be light of the summer
marks as shown.
More cargo could have been loaded since the ship is light
of the summer load line mark.
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 F

1.012 DW

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 F

REQUIRED (SW)
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To avoid this situation, but to also ensure that too
much cargo is never loaded, the amount to safely load
can be readily calculated.

The aim of the problem is to ensure that on

proceeding to sea the ship rises to the desired seasonal
load line mark. This is achieved by considering the
Fresh water Allowance or Dock Water Allowance as
appropriate in the calculation.

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Example 4
A ship has a summer load draught of 5.80m, FWA
140mm and TPC of 21.82. the ship is loading at a berth
in dock water RD 1.007 and the present draught is
5.74m. Calculate the maximum amount of cargo that
can still be loaded for the ship to be at the summer load
line mark on reaching the sea allowing for 26 tons of
fuel still to be loaded prior to sailing

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Solution
1. Calculate DWA (to the nearest mm)
DWA (mm) = 140 x ( 1025 - 1007) = 100.8mm = 101mm
25
2. Calculate the permitted sinkage in dock water. Always start
with the required load line draught
Required summer draught ( 1.025) 5.800m
DWA + 0.101m
Required draught (1.007) 5.901m
Initial draught (1.007) 5.740m
Permitted sinkage (1.007) 0.161m
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3. Calculate the maximum amount that can still be loaded in
dock water, ignoring any allowances for fuel or other items

permitted sinkage (cms) = w / TPC

w = permitted sinkage x TPC

note: TPC must be corrected for the density of the dock water

w = 16.1 x 21.82 x 1.007 = 345.1 tons

1.025
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4. Make allowance now for items other than cargo that must be
loaded
total that can be loaded = 345.1 tons
fuel still to load = 26.0 tons
maximum cargo to load = 319.1 tons
Note: had the given TPC not been converted for the density of
the dock water, the total that could be loaded would have worked
out as
w = 16.1 x 21.82 = 351.3 tons resulting in the ship being
OVERLOADED BY 6.2 TONS

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Example 5 - A ship is floating in dock water RD 1.002
at a draught of 4.30m. How much more cargo must be
loaded to ensure that the ship will be at the winter load
line mark given that the winter draught corresponding to
the winter displacement is 4.32m and the TPC is 21.60
and the FWA is 100mm.

Note that the TPC value given will always be the one that
corresponds to salt water for the waterline that is being
loaded to.
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Solution
1. Calculate DWA (to the nearest mm)
DWA (mm) = 100 x ( 1025 - 1002) = 92mm
25
2. Calculate the permitted sinkage in dock water. Always start with the
required load line draught
Required Winter draught ( 1.025) 4.320m
DWA + 0.092m
Required draught (1.002) 4.412m
Initial draught (1.002) 4.300m
Permitted sinkage (1.002) 0.112m

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3. Calculate the maximum amount that can still be loaded in
dock water.
permitted sinkage (cms) = w / TPC
w = permitted sinkage x TPC

note: TPC must be corrected for the density of the dock water

w = 11.2 x 21.60 x 1.002 = 236.5 tons

1.025
total that can be loaded 236.5 tons
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