Chapter five

Group weights, water draft, air draft and density

 Lightweight
• This is the weight of the ship itself when
completely empty, with boilers topped up to
working level.
• It is made up of steel weight, wood and outfit
weight, and the machinery weight.
• This lightweight is evaluated by conducting an
inclining experiment normally just prior to
delivery of the new vessel.
• Over the years, this value will change
 Deadweight
• This is the weight that a ship carries.
• It can be made up of oil fuel, fresh water,
stores, lubricating oil, water ballast, crew
and effects, cargo and passengers.
• This deadweight will vary, depending on
how much the ship is loaded between light
ballast and fully-loaded departure
conditions.
 Displacement

This is the weight of the volume of water that

the ship displaces.

Displacement = Lightweight + Deadweight

 Displacement curves
A displacement curve is one from which the displacement
of the ship at any particular draft can be found, and vice
versa.
The draft scale is plotted on the vertical axis and the scale
of displacements on a horizontal axis.
 Water draft
• This is the vertical distance from the waterline
down to the keel.
• If it is to the top of the keel, then it is draft
moulded.
• If it is to the bottom of the keel, then it is draft
extreme.
• Draft moulded is used mainly by Naval
Architects.
• Draft extreme is used mainly by masters, mates,
port authorities and dry-dock personnel.
Water draft
 Air draft
• This is the quoted vertical distance from
the waterline to the highest point on the
ship when at zero forward speed.
• It indicates the ability of a ship to pass
under a bridge spanning a waterway that
forms part of the intended route.
Effect of change of density when
the displacement is constant
• When a ship moves from water of one density to
water of another density, without there being a
change in her mass, the draft will change.

• This will happen because the ship must displace

the same mass of water in each case. Since the
density of the water has changed, the volume of
water displaced must also change.
 Effect of change of density when
the displacement is constant
Mass = Volume X Density
If the density of the water increases, then the volume of water
displaced must decrease to keep the mass of water displaced constant,
and vice versa.
 The effect on box-shaped vessels
New mass of water displaced = Old mass of water displaced
New volume X New density = Old volume X Old density

New volume Old density

=
Old volume New density

But volume = L x B x Draft

L x B x New draft Old density

=
L x B x Old draft New density

New draft Old density

=
Old draft New density
The effect on box-shaped vessels
 The effect on ship-shaped vessels

New displacement = Old displacement

New volume X New density = Old volume X Old density

New volume Old density

=
Old volume New density

With ship shapes this formula should not be simplified further as it

was in the case of a box shape because the underwater volume is
not rectangular.

To find the change in draft of a ship shape due to change of density a

quantity known as the ‘Fresh Water Allowance’ must be known.
 On a ship shaped vessel:

• For a ship shaped vessel the formula is

not applicable
• But to find the change in draft due to
the change in density,
• a quantity known as the fresh water
allowance must be known
 The Fresh water allowance
• It is the number of millimeters by which the mean draft
changes when the ship passes from salt water to fresh
water and vice versa.
• It is found by the formula:
• FWA mm = Displacement tons
4 TPC
TPC is the mass to be loaded or discharged to change
ship’s mean draft by one cm.
TPC = 1.025 x WPA /100
The Fresh Water Allowance
ship’s load line marks
300 mm
25 mm

540 mm

TF

F 1000 Kg/m3
T
FWA
1025 Kg/m3
S

W
300 mm WNA

230 mm
450 mm
The centre of the disc is at a distance below the deck line equal to the ship’s
statutory freeboard.
Then 540 mm forward of the disc is a vertical line 25 mm thick, with horizontal
lines measuring 230 x 25 mm on each side of it.
The upper edge of the one marked ‘S’ is in line with the horizontal line through
the disc and indicates the draft to which the ship may be loaded when floating in
salt water in a Summer Zone.
Above this line and pointing aft is another line marked ‘F’, the upper edge of
which indicates the draft to which the ship may be loaded when floating in fresh
water in a Summer Zone.
If loaded to this draft in fresh water the ship will automatically rise to ‘S’ when
she passes into salt water.
The perpendicular distance in millimeters between the upper edges of these
two lines is therefore the ship’s Fresh Water Allowance.
The Dock Water Allowance
The Dock Water Allowance
 Effect of density on displacement
when the draft is constant
Should the density of the water in which a ship floats be
changed without the ship altering her draft, then the mass
of water displaced must have changed.
The change in the mass of water displaced may have been
brought about by bunkers and stores being loaded or
consumed during a sea passage, or by cargo being loaded
or discharged.
Effect of density on displacement
when the draft is constant
Effect of density on displacement
when the draft is constant
 Effect of density on :

Draft Displacement
When displacement is constant When draft is constant

New disp. = New density

Box shaped Old disp. Old density
New draft = Old density
Old draft New density

Ship shaped
FWA (mm.) = displacement
4 TPC