NAVAL ARCHITECTURE ANSWERS TO FEW PAST THEORY QUESTIONS

Compiled by Vishnu Sharma

Question: With suitable sketches, explain how will the trim of a vessel change when she goes from:
a) Fresh Water to Salt Water b) Salt Water to Fresh Water (Given: her LCB > LCF, in both cases)

Answer:
(a)

WL = Waterline in FW W1L1 = Waterline in SW LCB>LCF

As seen in the above figure, as the vessel goes from FW to SW, her draft reduces and the centre of buoyancy shifts
from B to B1, i.e. away from the centre of buoyancy of emerged volume. As B1 is forward of G, the vessels trim shall
change by stern when it goes from FW to SW provided LCB>LCF as given in the question.

(b)

WL = Waterline in SW W1L1 = Waterline in FW LCB>LCF

As in the above figure, as the vessel goes from SW to FW, her draft increases and the centre of buoyancy shifts from B
to B1, i.e. towards the centre of buoyancy of immersed volume. As B1 is aft of G, the vessels trim shall change by head
when it goes from SW to FW provided LCB>LCF as given in the question.

Question:
(a) Explain the importance of collision bulkhead. Describe with the help of a sketch the extra strengthening required
for it.
(b) Differentiate between watertight, weather-tight and oil-tight bulkheads.

Answer:
(a) Collision bulkhead - All vessels must be fitted with a minimum number of bulkheads. The most important is the
collision bulkhead fitted forward. The bow of a ship involved in a collision has a serious chance of being damaged. The
damage can be very severe. Therefore a heavy bulkhead is specified by the Classification Society and also under the
SOLAS 1974/1978 Convention. The collision bulkhead must be watertight up to the uppermost continuous deck (the
freeboard deck) and located at a distance from the forward perpendicular of between 5 per cent and 8 per cent of
the ships length or 10 metres, whichever is more.
A collision bulkhead forms part of the forepeak/fore-end structure of the ship which is specially strengthened to
withstand excessive stresses in the seaway because of panting and pounding. The collision bulkhead being an integral
part of this unit also draws special strength from the strength members of the forepeak.
Additionally, collision bulkhead itself is given strength by:
i) making it 12% thicker compared to other watertight bulkheads
ii) reducing the spacing of the stiffeners to 600mm
iii) Preferably having it in one plane and avoiding recesses.
iv) Panting stringers

(b) Watertight bulkheads are capable of preventing the passage of water in any direction under a design head. This
refers to structures that must withstand hydrostatic loading for extended periods of time. The design head for any
part of a structure should be determined by reference to its location relative to the bulkhead deck or freeboard deck,
as applicable, or to the most unfavorable equilibrium/intermediate water-plane, in accordance with the applicable
subdivision and damage stability regulations, whichever is the greater. A watertight door is thus one that will maintain
the watertight integrity of the subdivision bulkhead in which it is located.
Weather-tight means that water will not penetrate in any sea condition" This refers generally to topside structures
subject to occasional and short exposure to water on deck, from boarding waves or wind driven rain and spray.
Regulations specify arrangement and height for weather-tight appurtenances, as well as load and welding
specifications, which are generally less stringent than for watertight structures.
Oil-tight bulkheads are the bulkheads that have the property of resisting the passage of oil. These bulkheads form the
boundaries of oil tanks and are not permitted to have any openings like the ones permitted in watertight bulkheads by
way of watertight doors.

Question:
With respect to ESP, write short notes on:
(a)Substantial Corrosion (b) Documentation (c) Bottom Inspection / Survey (d) Close Inspection / Survey (e) Access to
surveyor (f) Critical Areas (g) Suspect Areas (h) Representative Areas (i) Coating Condition
Answer:
(a) Substantial Corrosion: is an extent of corrosion such that assessment of corrosion pattern indicates wastage in
excess of 75% of allowable margins, but within acceptable limits. The locations showing substantial corrosion and/or
considered by the Surveyor to be prone to rapid wastage are called Suspect Areas. For vessels built under the IACS
Common Structural Rules, substantial corrosion is an extent of corrosion such that the assessment of the corrosion
pattern indicates a measured thickness between trenewal + 0.5mm and trenewal.

(b) Documentation:
The owner is to obtain, supply and maintain on board documentation as specified below, which is to be readily
available for the Surveyor. The condition evaluation report should include English translation.
The documentation is to be kept on board for the life time of the ship.
Survey Report File is to be a part of the documentation on board consisting of
Reports of structural surveys
Executive Hull Summary
Thickness measurement reports
Supporting Documents - The following additional documentation is to be available onboard:
- Survey Programme until such time as the Special Survey or Intermediate Survey, as applicable, has been
completed.
Main structural plans of cargo and ballast tanks
Previous repair history
Cargo and ballast history
Extent of use of inert gas plant and tank cleaning procedures
Inspections by ship's personnel with reference to structural deterioration in general leakages in bulkheads
and piping condition of corrosion prevention system, if any.
Any other information that will help identify Critical Structural Areas and/or Suspect Areas requiring
inspection.

(c) Bottom Survey: A survey in dry-dock should be a part of the renewal survey. There should be a minimum of two
inspections of the outside of the ships bottom during the 5 year period of the certificate. In all cases, the maximum
interval between bottom inspections should not exceed 36 months. For ships of 15 years of age and over, inspection
of the outside of the ships bottom should be carried out with ship in dry-dock. For ships less than 15 years of age,
alternate inspections of ships bottom, not conducted in conjunction with the renewal survey may be carried out with
the ship afloat. Inspection afloat should be carried out only if satisfactory conditions and qualified staff are available.

(d) Close Inspection / Survey: A Close-Up Survey is a survey where the details of structural components are within the
close visual inspection range of the surveyor i.e. normally within reach of hand.
In any kind of survey, i.e. special, intermediate, annual or other surveys having the scope of the foregoing ones,
thickness measurements, when required, of structures in areas where close-up surveys are required, shall be carried
out simultaneously with close-up surveys.

(e) Access to Surveyor: means are to be provided to enable the surveyor to examine the hull structure in a safe and
practical way.
For survey in cargo holds and water ballast tanks, one or more of the following means for access, acceptable to the
Surveyor, is to be provided:
permanent staging and passages through structures;
temporary staging and passages through structures;
hydraulic arm vehicles such as conventional cherry pickers, lifts and movable platforms;
boats or rafts;
 other equivalent means.
Ships should be designed and built with due consideration as to how they will be surveyed by flag State inspectors and
classification society surveyors during their in-service life and how the crew will be able to monitor the condition of
the ship. Without adequate access, the structural condition of the ship can deteriorate undetected and major
structural failure can arise. A comprehensive approach to design and maintenance is required to cover the whole
projected life of the ship. Such details are contained in the "Ship Structure Access Manual".

(f) Critical Structural Area are the locations of the ship under survey which have been identified to be sensitive to
cracking, buckling or corrosion which would impair the structural integrity of the ship. Identification of such areas can
be based on
calculations to require monitoring or
the service history of the subject ship or from similar ships or sister ships, if applicable.

(g) Suspect Area Suspect Areas are locations showing Substantial Corrosion and/or are considered by the Surveyor to
be prone to rapid wastage. Suspect Areas identified at previous surveys are to be examined. Thickness measurements
are to be taken of the areas of substantial corrosion and the extent of thickness measurements is to be increased to
determine the extent of areas of substantial corrosion.

(h) Representative spaces are those, which are expected to reflect the condition of other spaces of similar type and
service and with similar corrosion prevention systems. When selecting representative spaces account should be taken
of the service and repair history on board and identifiable critical and/or suspect areas.

(i) Coating Condition Coating Condition Coating condition is defined as follows:

GOOD - condition with only minor spot rusting
FAIR condition with local breakdown at edges of stiffeners and weld connections and/or light rusting over
20% or more of areas under consideration, but less than as defined for POOR condition
POOR condition with general breakdown of coating over 20% or more of areas or hard scale at 10% or more
of areas under consideration

(j) Owner's / Ship Officer's Responsibility:

Prepare survey plans in cooperation with the administration.
Maintain requisite documentation onboard and makes them available to the surveyor.
The owner should provide the necessary facilities for a safe execution of the survey.
Tanks and spaces should be safe for access, i.e. gas freed, ventilated, etc.
Tanks and spaces should be sufficiently clean and free from water, scale, dirt, oil residues, etc., to reveal
significant corrosion, deformation, fractures, damages or other structural deterioration. In particular this
applies to areas which are subject to thickness measurement.
Sufficient illumination should be provided to reveal significant corrosion, deformation, fractures, damages or
other structural deterioration.
Means should be provided to enable the surveyor to examine the structure in a safe and practical way.
For close-up survey, one or more of the following means for access, acceptable to the surveyor, should be
provided: - permanent staging and passages through structures - temporary staging and passages through
structures - lifts and moveable platforms - other equivalent means.

(k) Age of The Ship: Under the ESP, theage of the ship is also factored in arriving at the intensity and relaxations in
survey. e.g. For ships of 15 years of age and over, inspection of the outside of the ships bottom should be carried out
with ship in dry-dock. For ships less than 15 years of age, alternate inspections of ships bottom, not conducted in
conjunction with the renewal survey may be carried out with the ship afloat. Inspection afloat should be carried out
only if satisfactory conditions and qualified staff are available.
Though, With increasing age of the ship the intensity of close up inspections and requirements of thickness
measurements increase, the concept of substantial corrosion, critical areas and suspect areas allows for the desired
monitoring of newer ships as well.

Question: Write short notes on the following:

(a) Sacrificial anode (b) Cavitations (c) Corrosion (d) Safety precautions when using paints

Answer:
(a) Sacrificial anode - Sacrificial anodes are metals or alloys attached to the hull that have a more anodic, i.e.
less noble, potential than steel when immersed in sea water. These anodes supply the cathodic protection
current, but will be consumed in doing so and therefore require replacement for the protection to be
maintained.
This system has been used for many years, the fitting of zinc plates in way of bronze propellers and
other immersed fittings being common practice. Initially, results with zinc anodes were not always very
effective owing to the use of unsuitable zinc alloys. Modern anodes are based on alloys of zinc, aluminum, or
magnesium, which have undergone many tests to examine their suitability; high-purity zinc anodes are also
used. The cost, with various other practical considerations, may decide which type is to be fitted.
Sacrificial anodes may also be fitted within the hull, and are often fitted in ballast tanks. However,
magnesium anodes are not used in the cargo-ballast tanks of oil carriers owing to the spark hazard. Should
any part of the anode fall and strike the tank structure when gaseous conditions exist, an explosion could
result. Aluminum anode systems may be employed in tankers provided they are only fitted in locations with
limited potential energy.

(b) Cavitation damage is also associated with a rapidly flowing liquid environment. At certain regions in the
flow (often associated with a velocity increase resulting from a contraction of the flow stream) the local
pressures drop below that of the absolute vapor pressure. Vapor cavities, i.e. areas of partial vacuum, are
formed locally, but when the pressure increases clear of this region the vapor cavities collapse or implode.
This collapse occurs with the release of considerable energy, and if it occurs adjacent to a metal surface
damage results. The damage shows itself as pitting, which is thought to be predominantly due to the effects of
the mechanical damage. However, it is also considered that electrochemical action may play some part in the
damage after the initial erosion.

(c) Corrosion is the deterioration of a metal as a result of chemical reactions between it and the surrounding
environment. There is a natural tendency for nearly all metals to react with their environment. The result of
this reaction is the creation of a corrosion product that is generally a substance of very similar chemical
composition to the original mineral from which the metal was produced
In the most common use of the word, this means electrochemical oxidation of metals in reaction with an oxidant
such as oxygen.
The main force behind corrosion is the tendency of iron to break down into its natural state. The iron found in ships
is elemental iron (Fe0) which is unstable and tends to oxidize, to join with oxygen or other elements. In nature, this
oxidation produces an iron ore such as hematite (Fe2O3), magnetite (Fe3O4), iron pyrite (FeS2), or siderite (FeCO3). In
corrosion, the result of this oxidation is rust, Fe(OH)2 or Fe(OH)3. Corrosion reaction:

4Fe(OH)2 + O2 2H2O + 2Fe2O3. H2O

Iron Hydroxide + Oxygen Water + Hydrated Iron Oxide (Brown Rust)

(d) Safety Precautions when using Paints: The paints on board pose health hazard owing to risk of inhalation, eye
contact, skin contact and ingestion, Fire Hazard as paints constitute flammable material and also release flammable
vapours and Safety Hazard because of risk of painting an enclosed area becoming oxygen deficient.

The associated hazards and safety information for the paints are contained in the Material Safety Data Sheets
(MSDS).

The safety precautions when using paints on board include to mitigate the risks include:
avoid breathing vapours by working in ventilated areas and if necessary use local ventilation methods such as
respirator masks.
avoid splashing in the eye by wearing suitable safety goggles or glasses.
avoid skin contact by wearing suitable clothing and gloves.
avoid any risk of ingestion of paints during use by use of masks.
Storage - Paints should be stored in shaded conditions away from heat and ignition sources. Specific
conditions can be found on individual product technical data sheets.
Ventilation - Use suitable ventilation during painting operations.
Ignition - Painting should only be undertaken when all naked lights and unprotected electrical equipment
have been removed from the area.
Waste disposal - Any wastage should be dealt with in accordance with prevalent local requirements.
Fire Fighting equipment - appropriate fire-fighting equipment must be in state of readiness for emergency
use.