Bilging is said to occur when ingress of water takes place into the vessel from a point below the

waterline, such that the water is free to flow in and out of the vessel. If the water enters the vessel
from above the waterline then it will not be able to flow out of the vessel, in which case it is called
flooding and not bilging.

Example:

RMS Titanic was a British passenger liner that sank in the North Atlantic
Ocean in the early hours of 15 April 1912, after colliding with an iceberg
during her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City.

How stability is Affected

a) Bilging is said to occur when ingress of water takes place into the vessel from a
point below the waterline, such that the water is free to flow in and out of the vessel. If
the water enters the vessel from above the waterline then it will not be able to flow out
of the vessel, in which case it is called flooding and not bilging.
b) After bilging, water level in the bilged compartment will be same as water level
outside the vessel.
c) However, if the bilged compartment is a DB tank / deep tank, located at the bottom of
the vessel, and it is fitted with a tank-top / watertight flat which is located below the
outside water level, then water in the compartment will rise only upto the tank top /
watertight flat.
d) Because the water is free to flow in and out of the bilged compartment, it is not part
of the ship and hence there is no addition of weight i.e. the vessel’s displacement does
not increase.
e) Because the displacement does not change, the COG of the vessel will not shift
vertically, transversely or longitudinally from its original position i.e. the vessel’s KG
and LCG will not change after bilging.
f) However, the part of the compartment, which is submerged under water, is lost to the
sea i.e. the vessel’s underwater volume is said to be reduced by an amount equal to the
volume of the bilged part of the compartment. Hence the vessel’s buoyancy is reduced.
g) To compensate for the lost buoyancy/volume without any change in displacement,
the vessel will submerge till the same is regained so that once again the vessel’s
buoyancy and displacement will remain equal.
h) This means that the vessel’s draft will increase due to bilging, but the underwater
volume and the displacement of the vessel will not change.
i) Due to increase of the draft, COB of the vessel will shift upwards i.e. KB will
increase.
j) Due to loosing and regaining of the vessel’s buoyancy, the shape of the vessel’s
underwater volume will change. Hence the COB will also shift longitudinally and/or
transversely, away from the bilged compartment.
k) Due to the longitudinal shift of COB, the horizontal distance between the new COB
and the original COG will change, which will change the vessel’s trim.
l) Due to the transverse shift of COB, the horizontal distance between the new COB and
the original COG will change, which will change the vessel’s list.
m) If the water level in the bilged compartment is the same as the water level outside
the vessel, then the vessel’s water-plane is also said to be bilged i.e. the area of the
water-plane is reduced by an amount equal to the area of the bilged compartment.
n) COF is the geometric centre of the water-plane. Hence, if the area of the water-plane
is reduced due to bilging, then the COF will shift longitudinally and/or transversely,
away from the bilged compartment.
o) Vessel’s water-plane will not reduce and its COF will not shift if the water level in
the compartment does not rise upto the water level outside the vessel e.g. if a DB tank
or a deep tank located at the bottom of the vessel is bilged.
p) Trim and list caused, as stated above, will occur about the new position of COF.
q) Loss of buoyancy/volume due to bilging will be less if the compartment has some
solid cargo in it, because water entering the compartment will only occupy the empty
spaces within the cargo i.e. the loss of buoyancy/volume will depend on the
permeability of the compartment.
r) By the same theory, the loss of water-plane area due to bilging will also be less,
depending on the permeability of the compartment.
s) Bilging of a part or full compartment does not affect the original FSM of the vessel,
because the bilged compartment is not considered to be part of the vessel any more.
 t) If a tank containing some liquid is bilged then it is assumed that initially the liquid in
the tank is discharged, which will cause the following changes :

 Draft, U/W volume, displacement, KB and FSM will reduce.

 KG will increase.
 LCG, trim and list will change depending on location of the bilged tank.
 LCB will also change for vessel but for a box-shaped vessel it will remain the
same as half the length of the vessel.

Subsequently, the empty tank is said to be bilged, which will further change the draft,
KB, LCB, LCF, trim and list, as explained above.

Permeability When an empty compartment is bilged, the whole of the

buoyancy provided by the compartment is lost. On the other hand, when a
compartment containing cargo is bilged, the cargo continues to displace
water and only part of the buoyancy provided by the compartment is lost.
The permeability of a compartment is the percentage of the space which
can be occupied by water when the compartment is bilged. For example, when
a compartment having permeability 25% is bilged, only ¼ of the space can
be occupied by the water. The remaining ¾ of the space is occupied by the
cargo. From this it can be seen that the buoyancy lost is ¼ of what it
would have been had the compartment been empty. The effect of permeability
is therefore to reduce the loss of buoyancy when the compartment is bilged.
The permeability of a compartment can be found from the formula:
Permeability = Broken stowage x 100%/ Stowage factor The broken stowage
to be used in this formula is the broken stowage per tonne to stow. When
a bilged compartment contains cargo, the formula for finding the increase
in draft, must be amended to allow for the permeability. If “p
“ represents the permeability, expressed as a fraction, then the volume
of the lost buoyancy will be “ pv” and the area of intact waterplane
will be “A – pa “ square metres. The formula then reads: x = pv / A
– pa
Bilging amidships compartments When a vessel floats in still water it
displaces its own weight of water. Figure 22.1(a) shows a box-shaped
vessel floating at the waterline, WL. The weight of the vessel (W) is
considered to act downwards through G, the centre of gravity. The force
of buoyancy is also equal to W and acts upwards through B, the centre of
buoyancy; b W. Now let an empty compartment amidships be holed below the
waterline to such an extent that the water may flow freely into and out
of the compartment. A vessel holed in this way is said to be ‘bilged’.
Figure 22.1(b) shows the vessel in the bilged condition. The buoyancy
provided by the bilged compartment is lost. The draft has increased and
the vessel now floats at the waterline W1L1 , where it is again displacing
its own

Permeability, Permeability is the amount of water that can enter a

compartment or tank after it has been bilged. When an empty compartment
is bilged, the whole of the buoyancy provided by that compartment is lost.
Typical values for permeability, _x0005_, are as follows: Empty
compartment _x0005_ 100% Engine room _x0005_ 80% to 85% Grain-filled
cargo hold _x0005_ 60% to 65% Coal-filled compartment _x0005_ 36%
approximately Filled water ballast tank _x0005_ 0% (when ship is in salt
water) Consequently, the higher the value of the permeability for a bilged
compartment, the greater will be a ship’s loss of buoyancy when the ship
is bilged. The permeability of a compartment can be found from the formula:
The broken stowage to be used in this formula is the broken stowage per
tonne of stow.

Bilging end compartments When the bilged compartment is situated in a

position away from amidships, the vessel’s mean draft will increase to
make good the lost buoyancy but the trim will also change. Consider the
box-shaped vessel shown in Figure 22.3(a). The vessel is floating upright
on an even keel, WL representing the waterline. The centre of buoyancy
(B) is at the centre of the displaced water and the vessel’s centre of
gravity (G) is vertically above B. There is no trimming moment. Now let
the forward compartment which is X metres long be bilged. To make good
the loss in buoyancy, the vessel’s mean draft will increase as shown in
Figure 22.3(b), where W1L1 represents the new waterline. Since there has
been no change in the distribution of mass within the vessel, the centre
of gravity will remain at G. It has already been shown that the effect
on mean draft will be similar to that of loading a mass in the compartment
equal to the mass of water entering the bilged space to the original
waterline.

[Link]
ITY/Ship%20Stability%20(Masters%20and%20Mates)%20-%20Bryan%20Barrass%
20and%20D.R%[Link]

Effect of bilging on stability It has already been shown that when a

compartment in a ship is bilged the mean draft is increased. The change
in mean draft causes a change in the positions of the centre of buoyancy
and the initial metacentre. Hence KM is changed and, since KG is constant,
the GM will be changed.

Bilging

You may recall from Section 2 that reserve buoyancy is the volume of
watertight hull areas above the waterline. As weight is added to a vessel and it
sinks in the water, the volume of space above the waterline decreases. When
this space (reserve buoyancy), is gone the vessel will sink.

If part of the engine room or the vessel’s hold is above the waterline, then
providing that they are enclosed they will contribute to the vessel’s reserve
buoyancy. Hence, the reason that all watertight doors are to be kept closed
(except for access), at all times.
Figure 4.9

It is necessary to have a certain reserve buoyancy as, when in a seaway with

the ends or middle unsupported, the vessel will sink down to displace the same
volume as it does in smooth water. This could result in the vessel foundering.

If a vessel is damaged, and water can enter a compartment which was

previously watertight, the compartment is said to have been bilged. When a
compartment is bilged the buoyancy provided by the underwater volume of
that compartment is lost, as is the reserve buoyancy of the enclosed volume
above it. Before bilging, the reserve buoyancy was the entire enclosed volume
above the original waterline. After bilging it is the enclosed volume above the
new intact water plane area.

If this compartment is to one side of the centre line then the vessel will take up
an angle of list. Depending upon the location of the compartment, the vessel
may also trim by the bow or stern. In any case, draught will increase, freeboard
and therefore reserve buoyancy will decrease and the effect is always to
reduce stability.

In case of flooding, the biggest danger is the loss of watertight integrity and the
subsequent loss of internal buoyancy from the damaged areas. Your
immediate action in this case should always be to close all watertight doors
through the vessel to prevent further loss of buoyancy. It may be possible in
some cases to bring the damaged area out of water deballasting the vessel or
providing a list on the opposite side to the damage.

Structural Changes

If a vessel is changed structurally, for example if a new wheelhouse is added

or if an extra mast or winch is installed, the effect on stability is exactly the
same as though these items were added weights. Because structural changes
are usually complex and old material is often taken off the vessel as well as
adding new material it is a survey requirement that all of the vessel’s stability is
reworked after structural changes have taken place.

Before bilging, the reserve buoyancy was the entire enclosed volume above
the original waterline. After bilging it is the enclosed volume above the new
intact water plane area. ... In any case, draught will increase, freeboard and
therefore reserve buoyancy will decrease and the effect is always to
reduce stability.

The process of docking and undocking of ships might not seem like
an important operation. However, it’s a process that is carried out more
than once, not only by shipbuilding yards during the construction of a
ship, but also as regular part of the ship’s lifetime. The understanding
of the process of docking is specialised, and hence, not many naval
architects or engineers are thorough with the inner details of docking.
Professionals who are specialised in carrying out docking and undocking
of ships are commonly known as Dock Masters.

But why is it important for ship designers to know about the docking
processes? It is because, the process of docking is done by the aid of
a series of drawings and plans, which are prepared by designers, based
on certain calculations. Hence, knowing docking processes, docking
calculations, and understanding how to read docking plans is an important
skill for designers working in shipyards.

From time to time, it becomes important to carry out repairs in the

underwater portion of the hull. Such repairs may include renewal of the
sacrificial anodes, refit of the propellers, overhauling of the
propulsion shafts, repair of rudders, underwater hull blasting to remove
fouling, etc. In order to carry out these repairs, the underwater portion
of the hull needs to be made accessible, which is the purpose served by
a dry dock. It has also become a common practice in large shipyards to
build their ships on dry docks, and float it out when ready for trials.
For such procedures, the docking plans need to be prepared taking into
consideration the increase in weight of the ship structure along the
building time. Once the ship has been built, the dry dock is flooded and
the ship is undocked. The calculations for undocking also play a major
role in the process because it is during undocking that the the ship is
at a risk of capsizing.

Stability during Docking:

When the ship enters a dry dock, it must have a positive metacentric height;
and is usually trimmed by stern. The floor of the dry dock is lined with
keel blocks, which are so arranged such that they can bear the weight of
the ship. When the ship enters the dry dock, her centerline is first
brought in line with the centerline of the keel blocks by using a
combination of plum lines and Leica theodolite.

The dock gates are then closed and the water is pumped out of the dock
in stages. Since the ship has a trim by stern, the stern of the ship will
first sit on the keel blocks. The rate of pumping out water is reduced
as the stern is almost about to touch the keel blocks. The reason is, it
is from this stage of the docking procedure when the stability of the ship
starts getting critical. The interval of time from when the stern takes
the blocks to the moment when the entire ship’s weight is borne by the
blocks is called Critical Period. We will understand the details a little
later.
When the stern of the ship takes the blocks, it is fixed to the shores
(sides of the dock). This is carried out from aft to forward so that by
the time the entire ship takes the blocks, it is fixed to the shores. When
the ship is completely borne by the blocks, water is pumped out quickly
from the dock.

So what happens during the critical period and why?

When the ship’s stern just touches the keel blocks, part of the ship’s
weight is being borne by the keel blocks. The contact between the stern
and the keel block creates a normal reaction or upthrust. The magnitude
of this upward normal reaction increases as the water level in the dry
dock reduces. It is this upthrust that creates a virtual reduction in the
metacentric height of the ship. Hence it is very crucial to maintain
sufficient positive metacentric height before docking, lacking which, the
ship may heel over to either side, or even slip off the keel blocks and
capsize.

The purpose, hence, is to calculate the metacentric height of the ship

at different stages of the docking process, and ensure that it does not
fall below the safe limit. Follow the figure underneath, which shows a
ship that has just touched the keel block by its stern. The location of
the center of floatation (F) is known from the hydrostatic curves at the
given displacement. Since the location of the stern is a known point, its
distance from the center of floatation (l) can be calculated instantly.
Figure 1: Longitudinal view (elevation) of a ship during dry docking.

The moment to change trim by 1 cm (MCTc) is a hydrostatic parameter that

is obtained from the hydrostatic curves. So, for a known value of trim,
the following equation is obtained:

Dry Docking of Ships – Understanding Stability And Docking Plan

By Soumya Chakraborty | In: Naval Architecture | Last Updated on November

14, 2019

The process of docking and undocking of ships might not seem like an
important operation. However, it’s a process that is carried out more
than once, not only by shipbuilding yards during the construction of a
ship, but also as regular part of the ship’s lifetime. The understanding
of the process of docking is specialised, and hence, not many naval
architects or engineers are thorough with the inner details of docking.
Professionals who are specialised in carrying out docking and undocking
of ships are commonly known as Dock Masters.

But why is it important for ship designers to know about the docking
processes? It is because, the process of docking is done by the aid of
a series of drawings and plans, which are prepared by designers, based
on certain calculations. Hence, knowing docking processes, docking
calculations, and understanding how to read docking plans is an important
skill for designers working in shipyards.

From time to time, it becomes important to carry out repairs in the

underwater portion of the hull. Such repairs may include renewal of the
sacrificial anodes, refit of the propellers, overhauling of the
propulsion shafts, repair of rudders, underwater hull blasting to remove
fouling, etc. In order to carry out these repairs, the underwater portion
of the hull needs to be made accessible, which is the purpose served by
a dry dock. It has also become a common practice in large shipyards to
build their ships on dry docks, and float it out when ready for trials.
For such procedures, the docking plans need to be prepared taking into
consideration the increase in weight of the ship structure along the
building time. Once the ship has been built, the dry dock is flooded and
the ship is undocked. The calculations for undocking also play a major
role in the process because it is during undocking that the the ship is
at a risk of capsizing.

Stability during Docking:

When the ship enters a dry dock, it must have a positive metacentric height;
and is usually trimmed by stern. The floor of the dry dock is lined with
keel blocks, which are so arranged such that they can bear the weight of
the ship. When the ship enters the dry dock, her centerline is first
brought in line with the centerline of the keel blocks by using a
combination of plum lines and Leica theodolite.

The dock gates are then closed and the water is pumped out of the dock
in stages. Since the ship has a trim by stern, the stern of the ship will
first sit on the keel blocks. The rate of pumping out water is reduced
as the stern is almost about to touch the keel blocks. The reason is, it
is from this stage of the docking procedure when the stability of the ship
starts getting critical. The interval of time from when the stern takes
the blocks to the moment when the entire ship’s weight is borne by the
blocks is called Critical Period. We will understand the details a little
later.

When the stern of the ship takes the blocks, it is fixed to the shores
(sides of the dock). This is carried out from aft to forward so that by
the time the entire ship takes the blocks, it is fixed to the shores. When
the ship is completely borne by the blocks, water is pumped out quickly
from the dock.

So what happens during the critical period and why?

When the ship’s stern just touches the keel blocks, part of the ship’s
weight is being borne by the keel blocks. The contact between the stern
and the keel block creates a normal reaction or upthrust. The magnitude
of this upward normal reaction increases as the water level in the dry
dock reduces. It is this upthrust that creates a virtual reduction in the
metacentric height of the ship. Hence it is very crucial to maintain
sufficient positive metacentric height before docking, lacking which, the
ship may heel over to either side, or even slip off the keel blocks and
capsize.

Related Read: Ship Stability – What Makes a Ship Unstable?

The purpose, hence, is to calculate the metacentric height of the ship

at different stages of the docking process, and ensure that it does not
fall below the safe limit. Follow the figure underneath, which shows a
ship that has just touched the keel block by its stern. The location of
the center of floatation (F) is known from the hydrostatic curves at the
given displacement. Since the location of the stern is a known point, its
distance from the center of floatation (l) can be calculated instantly.
ship during dry docking

Figure 1: Longitudinal view (elevation) of a ship during dry docking.

The moment to change trim by 1 cm (MCTc) is a hydrostatic parameter that

is obtained from the hydrostatic curves. So, for a known value of trim,
the following equation is obtained:

CG critical period

Figure 2: Transverse view for critical period during dry docking.

The above figure shows the transverse view of a ship in the critical period,
which has been inclined by an external force to an angle theta (Ɵ). The
weight of the ship (W) acts vertically down through the center of gravity
(G). The upward reaction force (P) acts vertically upwards through the
keel of the ship. This is a normal reaction force, and is equal to the
portion of the weight of the ship being borne by the keel blocks. For
equilibrium, the remaining portion of the weight of the ship (W-P) will
be supported by the buoyancy, which will act through the initial
metacentric height of the ship (M).

Related Read: Intact Stability Criteria & Inclining Experiment

What we have now, are three vertical parallel forces acting on the ship:

Weight (W) acting downward.

Keel block upthrust (P) acting upward.

Buoyancy (W-P) acting upward.

The upthrust force (P) can be considered to have an effect similar to that
of removal of a weight from the ship. This has the virtual effect of rising
the center of gravity of the ship from the point ‘G’ to ‘G1’. The
metacentric height therefore reduces from GM to G1M, as shown in the
diagram below:

CG during dry docking

Figure 3: Virtual rise in CG during dry docking.

The virtual reduction in metacentric height at any stage of the docking

process can be calculated by the following expression:

loss of metacentric height

This calculation must be carried out for the condition when the ship has
just touched the keel blocks throughout its length. It is at this point
that the keel block upthrust is maximum, and the risk of tipping over or
slipping from keel blocks is most likely if the metacentric height is too
low or negative.

Docking Plans:

A docking plan is a document that is prepared for every ship during its
preliminary design phase. All the information required to bring a ship
to a dry dock are included in its docking plan. While most of the
information is condensed into drawings, one must also refer to the textual
references and notes provided, because they also inform us about the type
of dry dock that is being used, and technical specifications of dry dock
that should be met before the ship is docked.