Metacentric Height

[MikeJohns]

Originally Posted by jehardiman

As I recall, the ship (MV Stellamare) knew the weight, knew it was greater than the combined load of the cranes, but a structural analysis to accept the load was done.............
Edit: I was wrong, ............. Here is the USCG report.

http://marinecasualty.com/documents/Stellemare.pdf

Thanks for the report John.
I'm not sure if this one did go to court for the incorrect weight or if it was another case altogether. There was another case when the transformer was dropped to stop the crane barge capsizing when unloading in Africa, It's in a back issue somewhere in my office and I might be confusing the two.

The submergable heavy lift vessels have had a few spectacular catastrophes too.

Cheers

[Guillermo]

So it seems to have been due to incorrect ballasting and not adequately following of the protocols.
On top of what is said at the report, I'm wondering about the comms between deck and engine room, as it seems they walked from one to the other to open/close valves (1459 hours).
I'm also wandering about what an 'stabilizer pontoon' on the port side was (1422 hours).

Cheers.

[jehardiman]

Originally Posted by Guillermo

I'm also wandering about what an 'stabilizer pontoon' on the port side was (1422 hours).

Cheers.

A stablizer pontoon is a self-deployed ballast float carried by some heavy lift ships used to move weight/bouyancy outboard and to increase the water-plane area. It seems that in this case it is an active system, not the passive ones I'm familiar with. See the one slide (page 5) in this Jumbo Lift Ship presentation: http://www.hydrographicsociety.nl/do...eNoordhoek.pdf

I know that some stabilizer "floats" or "tanks" fitted to some vessels are basicaly large free flooding tanks with small openings fitted on the extreme beam. When pressed down by roll, they provide short term bouyancy and when pulled up short term ballast.

[Guillermo]

Thanks jehardiman.
Here the capsizing of another Heavy Lift vessel, the GABRIELLA, in 1986.
http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/...mair15_001.pdf
It explains the working of the stabilizing pontoons (page 8).

Cheers.

[jehardiman]

Yes, this is a necro thread, but another recent loss due to stability and some of the more tricky things about GM and shifting cargo.

MV Riverdance in England.

http://www.maib.gov.uk/cms_resources...nce_Report.pdf

[Ad Hoc]

I'll have a good read of that, thanks.
What does 'necro' mean..??

[jehardiman]

Originally Posted by Ad Hoc

What does 'necro' mean..??

From the Greek nekros, a dead body or person, used in Internet forums to describe a thread that posting to had died out. Some forums won't let you revive older threads.

[Ad Hoc]

j.am
I'm aware of the definition, from the Greek origin. Just not the American colloquialism...I'm not american and as such don't fully understand all those colloquial terms that are used and abused in American speech

[Guillermo]

I think it is quite useful these forums allowing to "resucitate" necro threads, as this allows to gather information (papers, links, opinions etc) about the thread's matter during time.

Cheers.

[Ad Hoc]

The fact we are posting...just shows, it hasn't died......it is dormant!