Bt ss “SHIP SQUAT-A GUIDE FOR MASTERS” by Dr. C.B. Barrass, M.Sc. C.Eng. FRNA, ECDL. Technical Consultant. ~ 19 Arundel Road, Birkdale, Southport, Merseyside PR8 3DQ England © 2o00e. TEL.N” 01704 569 454, wuss, shive~ squat. con"ship Squat’ What exactly is Ship Squat? When a ship proceeds through water, she pushes water ahead of her. In order not to leave a "hole" in the water, this volume of water pushed ahead of the ship must return down the sides and under the keel of the ship. The streamlines of return flow are speeded up under the ship. This causes a drop in pressure, resulting in the ship dropping vertically in the water. As well as dropping vertically, the ship trims for'd or aft. The overall decrease in the underkeel clearance for'd or aft is called SHIP SQUAT. If the ship moves forward at too great a speed when the ship is in shallow water, say, where the static underkeel clearance even keel is 1.0 to 1.5 metres, then grounding can occur at the Bow or Stern. For full-form vessels such as Supertankers, "STAT 55" vessels or OB0's, grounding will occur generally at the BOW, whilst for fine-form vessels such as Passenger Ships or Container Ships, grounding will occur generally at the STERN, Wny has ship squat suddenly become important in the last decade or so? Ship squat has always existed on the smaller, slower vessels, when undervay, but the squats have only been a matter of centimetres and thus have been inconsequential. However, in the last two decades, ship size has steadily grown until we have Supertankers of the order of 250,000 tonnes DWT. ‘These Supertankers have almost outgrown the Ports they visit, resulting in small underkeel clearances of 1.0 to 1.5 metres. Alongside this development in ship size has been the increase in Service Speed of ships, for example like Container Vessels, where speeds have gradually increased from 16 knots up to about 27 knots.AS the static underkeel clearances have decreased and as Service speeds have increased, ship squats have gradually increased until they are of the order of 1.5 to 1.75 metres, which are, of course, by no means inconsequential. Signs that the ship has entered shallow water conditions can be: Wave-making increases at the for'd end of the ship. Ship becomes more sluggish to manoeuvre. 3+ Draught indicators on Bridge, or Echo Sounder traces will indicate changes in end draughts, 4 Rpm indicator will show a decrease. If the ship is in "open water" conditions, i.e, without breadth restrictions, this decrease may be 15% of the Service rpm. If the ship is in @ confined channel, this decrease in rpm can be about 20% of the Service rpm. 5+ There will be @ drop in speed. If the ship is in "open water" conditions, it may anount to about 30%, If the ship is in a confined channel, it may amount to a drop of 60% of the Service speed. ®- The ship may start to vibrate suddenly because of the entrained vater effect causing the natural hull frequency to become resonant with another frequency, 7, Pitching reduces, due to cushioning effect of water under the keel. B, Tusning Circle Diameters and: Stopping Diskoncss WeeEASE, What are the factors governing ship squat? The main factor is ship speed, yy, Squat varies approximately with the Speed squared. In other words, if we halve the speed, we quarter the squat. Another factor is the Block co-efficient, Oy. Squat varies directly with C,. "STAT 55" vessels, therefore, will have comparatively more squat than Passenger Liners. 4n important factor is the Blockage Factor This is the immersed cross-section of the ship's midship section divided by the cross-section of the canal or river. If the ship is in “open water", the "width of influence"of water can be taken as being from 8 for Oil Tankers to about 10} for Pasenger Liners. Instead of using "S", it is more efficient to use a factor derived 4. from it, namely Sp, where S$, = 7". (See fig.1). ¢ A formula has been developed that will be satisfactory for estimating ship squats for vessels operating in confined channels and in open water conditions, It is oe OB Cy ayy 2008 Cex S Ve git 30 * 82 xy metres OF — to xn mies, oO where "§" = maximum ship squat the Bow or the Stern, 2003 UPDATE. This formula is the result of analysing about 500 squat results, some measured on ships and some measured on ship-models. It is possible to simplify it by using:~ @ tf the snip is in confined conditions, to state we 2x Cy x pg metres. V, is in knots, in still water. Q If the ship is in “open water" conditions, to state w = C,% Gog metres. Vv, is in knots, in still water. Formulae @) ana ®@ will give approximate squats that will slightly err on the high side and contain therefore a small margin of safety.* In conclusion it can be stated that if we can predict the ship squat for a given situation the following advantages can be gained 1. The ship-operator knows which speed to reduce to, in order to ensure the safety of the vessel and save the cost of a large repair bill. 2. The ship-officers could load the ship up an extra few cms (except, *See Figs. 2, 3 and 4.of course, where loadline limits would be exceeded), If we load a "STAT 55" vessel by an extra 30 cms or an SDL4 General Cargo ship by an extra 20 cms, the effect is an extra 3% DWT, thus giving the ship extra earning capacity. If the ship grounds, due to squatting in shallow water, then apart from the large repair bill, there is the time the ship is out of service. Being out of service is indeed very costly because the "loss of earnings" can be as high as foo, c00/vpy, ( 2006), What procedures can ship-operators adopt to decrease possible grounding attributable to ship squat effects? If the ship appears to be sluggish, request "lower revs.". As stated before, a lowering of ship speed will quickly reduce amount of squat. Because of the very low static underkeel clearances being considered in many cases, it is firmly reconmended that each “STAT 55" is loaded to even keel or as near as possible, when stationary. Any trim, especially "trim by the head” for these vessels exacerbates squat. When underway, remember that with these vessels, maximum squat will occur also at the Bow. Insist on each vessel being absolutely upright when stationary. Any slight angle of list should be removed by redistribution of loading within the ship. Consider the case of a "STAT 55" when fully loaded up to her Plimsoll-marks, with only 8% underkeel clearance, In open water conditions, it would only require an angle of heel of about 34° before "transverse squat" would produce grounding in way of the bilge strakes and bilge keels. Manoeuvre each vessel so that the centre-line of the ship is vertically in line with the centre-line of the navigational channel. Failure to do this would cause slight increases in the predicted squats because of eccentricity and loss of static underkeel clearances.55 Allow for decreases in speed due to extra wave-making resistance. Speed reductions could be 5 knots for open water conditions and as high as 10 knots in narrow confined channels with very low H/T values. It will mean that estimated times of arrival may be later than originally forecast. 6. Accidents ean occur when ships cross or overtake in rivers. ‘These may be attributable again to squat because in this situation the previously described squats can be DOUBLED in value for each ship. To decrease the amount of squat and possible loss of steerage, the following is advisec (a) Reduce the speed of both vessels as they cross or overtake in the viver. (b) Make the transverse gap between the vessels as large as possible as they approach each other. Take care net to get too close to any nearby riverbanks. (c) Use rudder of each ship to counteract yawing effects caused by the second ship or the adjacent riverbank. (a) Ships should cross or overtake in parts of the river that are wide rather then narrow. (2) Ships should cross or overtake in parts of the river where it is deep water, rather than in shallow water. (2) Many River Authorities "request" a minimum static underkeel clearance of about 3'~6" before they allow a ship to enter their river. This is a policy that would be wise to follow because it helps, in many cases, to prevent grounding due to ship squat, in a crossing/overtaking situation. Summarising, it can be stated that because the ship squat can now be predicted, it has removed a lot of "grey area" surrounding the phenomenon, In the past, ship pilots have used "trial and error", "rule of thunb" andyears of experience to bring their vessels safely in to port. ‘The formulae quoted in this report gives them firm guidelines. By mainteining the ship's trading availability, it assists in safeguarding, and possibly increasing, the Shipowner's annual profit of that particular ship with which he is concerned. oye: \B Rafarsrers ane licked ak and of this tabort, This report has been based on statistical information supplied by the Deputy Fleet Director of Ships Ltd., Monaco. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that this report is free from error, no responsibility or liability whatsoever can be accepted by the author for any inaccuracy of comments or evaluations contained herein. NB Gooraes, Dr. CB. Barrass.APPENDIX 1 - Worked example Eg.t 40,00 ft. Her even keel draught is 37.04 ft. (a) ) () (a) ) (ce) "STAT 55" vessel is operating in a river where depth of water is Width of the river is 423 £t. Use Figure 5 to evaluate the maximum squat at the Bow, when her ahead speed (V,) in still water is 7 knots. Calculate the renaining underkeel clearance under the Bow at the speed of 7 knots. maximum squat at the Bow, when is 7 knots. Assume C, is 0.825. = 40.00 _ = 423.00 BIT. = aoe = 1.08, Bb = HERO Sg, Using Figure 5, when V, = 7 and B= 4xb, maximum squat (5) = 2.33 ft. = OF lm, Remaining underkeel clearance = H-1T- 6 : = 40.00 - 37.04 - 2.33 = 0.63 ft under the Bor = O14 w @ Bow. 2 2x oO, x ¥; 2 nigh oe BN YK L 2% 0.825 x77 _ ts! 5 ace AT - 0,808 metres = 2.65 ft,APPENDIX II ~ Worked example A "STAT 55" vessel is operating in open water conditions, where depth of water is 39,00 ft. Her even keel draught is 35.45 ft. (a) Use Figure 6 to evaluate the maximum squat at the Bow, when her ahead speed (vy) in still water is 10 knots. (b) Calculate the remaining underkeel clearance under the Bow at the speed of 10.00 knots. (2) Use the approximate formiia (@) given on page 3, to estimate the maximum squat at the Bow, when K is 10 knots. Assume oy is 0.825. 39.00 G@) H/T = S55 = 1.10 Using Figure 6, when V, is 10 and H/T = 1,10, naximum squat (6) = 2.69 ft. © ©: 82m, . (>) Remaining underkeel clearance = H- 1-6 Remaining underkeel clearance 39.00 ~ 35.45 - 2.69 0.86 ft under the Bow = O+'2Gw c, x v2 2 @ Bou. gn B K 0,825 x 10’ ©) "an = BS SGT = 0.825 metres = 2.71 £e.Weetkem examele: revs SHIP Savevs Fore A SUPERTARKER TANKER QVESSioN: =A SahacKodtar oheceding dn & 4855, wile wer is na ok a hn He Ce de 0-880, oth skakve Mast Srekk oQ 13-Sim onl a tahic parceled Saaromer ob BS, Berndt MU ie SSW, LBP ie S2om, © Ts Me Teka w twee 96 rg dot iat oe Meselete 1 yan qed Kes & SA, ol, Uk ner = “gs [aveecte cay | x 4 L ¢ «ba + 20(\-o-et0)° |. ss = = 45Sw; | Reece dos Ramee Ab it tn cba weds condibions, a buy s Bredhoge Fodder Ss S87 O-Joo. 2 “es = Om we fears MEXHop © age sere Seax * {ee xs) tora) qx conned = {(cxo- \e2) 40-4 fx aan = 102m @ Me Sow, Ponsage ee = 044m, Sax loom. Piz Saases \Sow mrtg wddd done eb Vie = HH Qacte, DR.¢.8.BARKASS. 01704 5¢q 452.u SHIPS MmosHip SECTION. Fig.l, Ship in a Canal i A, = Cross-section of ship at amidships = b x 7. A, = Cross-section of canal = Bx H, At Gem ADs Yq = static underkeel clearance. Blockage factor = : ; s Sp factor = G2 = = . wo Newt B" Width of influence = ONS skips breadth “5 \w opan voter conditions. V2 speed of ship relative to water, in knots,DIN KNOTS, Hw -= SHI Ve.2 ° 2 MAX Souay IN METRES, Soup Live DOTYED LINE ____ _ _ _ DENOTES SHIP IS IN A CONFINED CHANNEL, WHERE S = o-oo To 0-265, DENCTES SHIP IS IW OPEN, MATER WHERE Ws blo tolso, FIGURE.4. MAXIMUM SHIP SQUATS IN CONFINED CHANNELS AND IN OPEN WATER CONDITIONS. T7PICAL Cg, —_— TYPICAL Ce, SWP TYPE. leurr-roaned, [SMP TZPS- | rurty-tonndo. ulcc, 0-850 GENERAL CARSe,| O-Joo SUPERTANKER o8es PassS® Lwer. oces | OW TAnKER ©: B00 Comvamer swp.| > 0-575 BULK CARRIER 9: 775 10-825 || COASKAL TUG. °o- 500 OR.C.8. BARRASS.Ie, FIGURE 5.. MAXIMUM SQUAT AGAINST SPEED FOR SHIPS IN STILL WATER. WHEN STATIC, EACH VESSEL MUST BE ON EVEN KEEL AND IN UPRIGHT ConDITION (= 0°). Veg ¥ SHIP SPEED (KTS) IN A CONFINED CHANNEL, Vow = SHIP SPEED(KTS) IN OPEN WATER. > i New? . G3 . ¢ 1 § , f | Vow 2 4 6 8 log 4 ° a. i _ O24, : ' E) oa 2 1 Gl] oG +2 o s| o84, 2] of? y ' ¥| ve Ly) He WATER DEPTH. Ziad, T= She's EK.STATIC DRAUGHT, 4 S x) 64 For open warer, 44 = Io To 140, sz] 184 * 7 FOR CONFINED CHANNELS, BLOCKAGE eo- FACTOR = 0-100 To O-es5, “ uy |, “ ely WHEN Cg>0-700, ),,,, OCCURS AT THE BOW. wy jw eo =e __ |e WHEN C5<0.700, Jay OCCURS AT THE STERN. WHEN Cg = 0-700, Yinay OCCURS ALL ALONG THE — ~~ Botrow SHELL OF SHIP, TYPICAL Ce TYPICAL C; SHIP TYPE. leuy-Loaven, || SHP TYPE. leyiiy-Loaven, vice 0-850 GENERAL CARGO] 0-Joo. SUPERTANKER| 0-825, PASSGR-LINER.| 0-G25. OL TANKER. 9: 800, CONTAINER SHIP. osT5. BULK CARRIER| 0-775 +0-825|/CoASTAL Tus. O-500. Fig. S. 1S AN UPDATE OF FIGS @ TO 4, DE CBBARRASS. oWe4 564455£60... £060. £60.. Measurement procedures for Squat on ships. hip speed Ve in a river having tidal flow or current, 5 vvuf'60...1.e-Reduction of ship speed and propeller rpm for vessels in shallow water. hip Squat coefficients for vessels with specified Cb and blockage factors. . Squatting of ships crossing ot overtaking in a confined channel. Computer programme using BASIC for predicting Ship Squat. 960. hip Squat......a guide to Masters. 10...£60.. ibliography survey... listing 115 references on Ship Squat. 11...£60.........Ship handling problems of vessels in shallow waters 12....£60......«.Problems of unloading a ship due to Squat in an Ebb Tide situation. 2 13...£60........Changes of trim for a vessel squatting in shallow waters. 14,..£200.......Twenty Questions......and Answers on the phenomenon of Ship Squat. 15.860. ..A short but comprehensive note on Interaction of ships. 16. £250 for twenty-five... ‘Ship Squat laminates for use on board ship. 17..£60., “Thirty reasons why the “Herald of Free Enterprise” capsized. 18...£60.. Ship Resistance....using William Froude’s method....revised & updated. (May, 2000). Note: For any FOUR of the £60 papers, the combined cost is £205. For a total package of the first FIFTEEN papers, the combined cost is £1125. To purchase any of the above, then please contact : Dr.C:B.BARRASS. B.Sc. M.Sc. FRINA CEng. ECDL CNL. 19, Arundel Road, Southport, Merseyside, PR8 3DQ. (44) 01704 569 454, ‘www.ship-squat.com Many thanks.