Stability Requirements for Ships Intended for Heavy Cargo Transfer

1 Preamble/Objective

2 Application
2.1 General
Requirements apply to ships specially intended for lifting operations. For this purpose, these ships are
equipped with crane(s) or similar lifting appliance(s).
Ships built in compliance with the requirements in this section may be given the class notation Crane
Ship or Crane Barge, respectively.
[The crane shall be certified acc. to GL Regulations for the Construction and Survey of Lifting
Appliances. ]
2.2 Applicable Stability Criteria
The intact stability criteria applicable to the ship shall be complied with at all times including when
the crane is in operation.
The damage stability criteria applicable to the ship shall be complied with at all times when the vessel
is at sea including when the crane is in operation.
In case environmental and operational limitations are applied, the alternative intact stability criteria
acc. to 3.2 and alternative damage stability criteria acc to. 3.3 may be applied as alternative to the
applicable criteria). The environmental limitations shall include:
• Maximum wind speed (I minute mean velocity at 10m height)
• Maximum significant wave height Hs
The operational limitations shall include:
• Maximum duration of the operation (operation reference period acc. to GL Noble Denton
Guidelines for Marine Transportations 0030IND)
• Limitations in traffic
The environmental and operational limitations shall be stated in the Stability Booklet / Operational
Manual.
The general criteria acc. to section 3.1 shall be complied with at all times .
The criterion regarding accidental loss of crane load acc to section 3.4 shall be investigated at all times
when counter ballast is used.
For obtaining the class notation a stability calculation for crane operation is to be submitted, including
a check considering the most unfavorable situations of cargo lifting and for the smallest initial
metacentric height, GM, corrected according to the lifting requirements.
Any limitations and precautions regarding crane operation as well as the sample stability calculations
shall be included in a Crane Stability Booklet to be given on board.
3 Intact Stability
3.1 General Intact Stability for Heavy Lift Operations
The following criteria are to be complied with during lift:
1. The heeling angle of equilibrium, 9), during crane operation must be less than or equal to the
maximum static heeling angle for which the crane is designed and which have been
considered in the approval of the loading gear.

I The application of the alternative intact and damage stability criteria at sea are subject to the acceptance of the
flag state administration.

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 2. The residual freeboard, taking into account trim and heel, at any position of the unit during
lifting operations is to be not less than 0.50 m in case of harbour conditions. At sea the
residual freeboard shall not to be less than the maximum of75% of the highest significant
wave height Hs to be encountered during the operation, and 0.5m
3. Due to the severe consequences in case a stability pontoon is immersed, the residual freeboard
and residual draught of a stability pontoon shall not be less than 0.60 m. In general, a stability
pontoon shall only be used under harbour conditions.
A stability pontoon is a pontoon attached to the hull only during heavy lift operations for the
purpose of increasing stability.
For cargo lifting operations, the vertical position of the ship's centre of gravity is to account for the
suspension point of the lifted load.

3.2 Alternative Intact Stability during Heavy Lift Operations

In case environmental and operational limitations are in place, the following intact stability criterion
may be applied during cargo lifting instead of the applicable intact stability regulations:
I. When applying a wind heeling moment acc. to 2.2 the area under the GZ curve from the
equilibrium to the second intercept, or the angle of down flooding, or 40 deg., whichever is
less, shall be at least 40% or 0.03mrad, whichever is the greater, in excess of the area
under the heeling lever curve for that range.
ARL ~ 1.4· AHL and ARL ~ AHL + 0.03

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In case of environmental limitations acc. to 2.2 exceeding a significant wave height of 0.3m the above
criterion is to be complied with the ship in the most unfavorable position (normally wave crest
position) of a longitudinal wave with the following characteristics: Wave length equals ship length,
wave height equals Hs acc to 2.2.

3.3 Alternative Damage Stability during Heavy Lift Operation

In case environmental and operational limitations acc. to 2.2 are in place, the following damage
assumptions and criteria may be applied.
The ship shall withstand damage to anyone compartment bounded by the outer shell with the
following criteria fulfilled in the flooded condition:
• s=1 acc. to applicable SOLAS regulation.

3.4 Intact Stability for Sudden Loss of Crane Load

If counter ballast (water, fuel, fixed) is used to carry out the lift operation, the sudden accidental loss
of crane load due to failure of the lifting gear, which will cause the ship to immediately roll away from
the side of the lift, must be considered.

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For this purpose the cargo hatch covers are to be considered open, i.e., downflooding will occur if the
hatch coaming immerses. It may be accepted to assume the hatch covers closed if well justified.
Compliance can be shown by either a simplified criterion based on righting lever curve properties or
by a time domain computation of maximum heeling lever:
3.4.1 Simplified Criterion on righting lever curve properties
After the load is lost, the ship will heel over from the working list, 81, to the maximum (dynamic) list,
83 , before settling at the equilibrium list, 8 c . Referring to the righting lever curve after loss of crane
load for such operations (see Fig. 2), the following minimum stability criterion must be complied with :
1. Area A 2, below the righting lever curves, must be greater or equal to area AI plus
[10%] safety margin, i.e.,
A 2::: [104] AI
Area AI is the area below the righting lever curve measured from heeling angle 8 1 to heeling angle 8c,
area A2 is the area below the righting lever curve measured from heeling angle Sc to heeling angle 82
(see Fig. 2),
where
8 1 = working heeling angle
8c = static heeling angle of equilibrium after loss of load
8 2 = allowable limit heeling angle, equal to the lesser of SF or 8 R or [40°]

8 F = the angle of down flooding

8 R = angle of vanishing stability
83 = maximum (dynamic) heeling angle

Fig. 2: Righting and heeling lever curves for sudden loss of crane load

3.4.2 Computation of Maximum Heeling Angle

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1.2.1.1 Simplified Roll Motion Analysis
The dynamic heel angle after a sudden loss of crane load may be estimated by performing a simplified
time-domain analysis of the ship's roJI motion. With the ship at equilibrium, start the analysis by
releasing the crane load, simulating a sudden failure of the lifting gear. To represent the roJI motion as
a one-degree-of-freedom system, solve its motion equation:
(lroll + I'roll) 8" + B 8' + C 8 = p. d
where
lroll = mass roJI moment of inertia of ship with load
l'roll= added mass roJI moment of inertia of ship with load
8" = roJI acceleration
8' = roJI velocity
8 = roJI motion
B = linearized roJI damping coefficient
C = roJI restoring moment coefficient
= GZ(8) . ~ . g
GZ(8) = righting arm as a function of roJI angle
g = acceleration of gravity
Assume the ship's roJI motion to be lightly damped, using a linearized roJI damping coefficient equal
to two percent critical damping. The righting moment curve must not be linearized, that is, the actual
GZ curve after loss of crane load as a function of roJI angle has to be used . The effect of the counter
baJIast pontoon must be considered. Account for the initial working list, 8), when determining the
maximum list, 83, which must not exceed 8F or 8R with a safety margin of[5 deg] .

1.2.1.2 Model experiments, or Numerical Simulations

The dynamic heel angle after a sudden loss of crane load may also be estimated by performing fuJI-
scale tests, model experiments, or by carrying out nonlinear numerical simulations, using a validated
RANS (Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes) equations solver. The RANS simulations must account for
not only the ship's huJI, but also those parts of the superstructure that contribute to its righting moment.
The predicted time-dependent dynamic behavior of the floating ship after a sudden loss of crane load
yields the maximum list, 83 , which must not exceed 8F or 8R •
Example: Results of a typical RANS simulation
The results of a RANS simulation showing compliance with the requirements regarding sudden loass
of crane load are presented here as an example.
A representative multi-purpose ship is considered lifting a heavy load. Table 1 lists ship particulars;
Fig. 3 shows the idealized ship at its initial position. The idealization of the ship includes its huJI, the
counter balancing pontoon, and rudder and bilge keels as weJI as aJI parts of the superstructure that
contribute to the righting moment at large heeling angles. Figure 4 shows details of the numerical grid
surrounding the idealized ship. The automatic meshing software SnappyHexMesh created about 1.3
miJIion control volumes, consisting of polyhedral and predominantly hexahedral ceJIs. Grids were
10caJIy refined in areas of high flow gradients and in the air-water interface region.
Simulations that predict the resulting roJI motion give access to aJI flow variables and thus enable
monitoring of flooding points at any position. A simulation starts with the ship at its initial list, 8), the
working heeling angle. The sudden loss of crane load causes the ship to perform transient dynamic roJI
motions. Figure 5 shows the ship at its maximum dynamic heeling angle, 83 , and at its static heel angle,
8e , at which it comes to rest. Figure 6 presents time series of the associated roJI amplitude, roJI
velocity, and roJI acceleration. Here, the maximum dynamic heel is 83 = 37 deg, and the static heel
converges to 8e = 23 deg. The resulting roJI decay corresponds to about 8 percent of critical damping.
Table 1: Ship particulars
Length between perpendiculars 150m
Breadth 24m
Draft molded 7.5 m

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 I Metacentric height 5.5 m I

Fig. 3: Multi-purpose ship at its initial working position before loss of crane load

Fig. 4: Numerical grid surrounding the idealized multi-purpose ship

Fig. 5: Extreme heel (left) and static heel (right) after loss of crane load

Roll amplitude [deg] Roll velocitv [dealsl Roll acceleration Ideals2J

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Fig. 6: Time series of roll amplitude (left), roll velocity (center), and roll acceleration (right)

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Schn NB-RA 24 January 2011
OHy, NB-SI 2011-10-06

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