Naval Architecture

This book was written to address the important aspects of the hydrostatics and stability of the vessels and other marine facilities. We all know that this is one of the most critical areas of the naval architecture. The content covers the essential concepts under assumption that the readers have little to no prior technical knowledge. All of the topics covered in the volume have been dealt with in a very methodical manner, being explained step by step to achieve better understanding of the subject.

The book can be used by the students, willing to enhance their knowledge, as a good reference tool and textbook. There are in total ten chapters in the book, opening with the introduction where the basic vessel geometry is explained and forms are defined. The second chapter covers the flotation matters including the Archimedes’ Principle, static equilibrium, stability curves etc. The next chapters are dealing with the longitudinal stability and trim of the ship, followed by the centroids and methods.

Then, two chapters address the static ship stability at small and large angles of heel. The remaining chapters are devoted to the intact stability, dynamic stability and damage stability. This is a real must-have for any naval architect, from student to the professional.

This is one more excellent book on ship stability and will be greatly appreciated by all naval architects. Like any other book belonging to the well-known Nutshell series, the publication is intended for use while the student is out of sea. The publication is covering the entire syllabuses for both watch keeping officers and second mates; however, it may also be useful to the marine engineers.

The book opens with the chapters on density and relative density, flotation and water pressure, followed by the chapters addressing deadweight and displacement, effect of density on them, centers of gravity and buoyancy, as well as other essentials. The transverse statical stability of the vessels and their equilibrium are discussed in the following chapters, together with the free surface effect, hydrostatic curves, tables and draft.

Each of the chapter is supplemented with the exercises to ensure proper understanding of the material covered. Since the due knowledge of the naval architecture and stability in particular is a must-have for any seaman, we would recommend this publication to everyone on board ship, taking into account the reader-friendliness of the book making it easy to read by literally anyone having basic knowledge of math.

This is a guidance published by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, or MCA for short, with the intention to give the Masters and watchkeeping officers of the sailing vessels with the brief instructions to be followed. The content and arrangement of the material is more or less similar to the ones applied in the Stability Guidance Booklet for Powered Vessels, also released by the MCA.

The volume was developed jointly by the MCA and contributors representing the world respected entities, such as the RINA, RYA, The Royal National Lifeboat Institution, and others. Of course, it shall be noted and remembered that the ultimate responsibility for all actions taken rests with the Master at all times, but the information contained in this small volume will provide the ready-to-use checklists and other supplementary tools, saving time that would otherwise been wasted for searching.

We would strongly recommend having an electronic copy of this publication and, moreover, to print it out and have it readily available on board any sailing vessel for ready reference whenever required. The instructions are clear and informative, and the illustrations make it even easier to understand the material.

This is a compact booklet released by the MCA, standing for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, one of the most recognized and respected authorities in the world of the maritime shipping. The booklet is intended to provide the Masters and watchkeepers of the powered seagoing ships with the brief information on what they shall be concentrated on in terms of the stability.

The information is arranged in six chapters, the first one giving the ship-specific checklist with the tips on how it shall be populated. The general cautions have been addressed in the second chapter, while the third one contains the necessary stability checklists. The next two chapters contain some explanatory notes and definitions.

Finally, the closing chapter of the booklet provides the Masters of the powered vessels with some additional guidance. Despite the compact size of the booklet, it is practically useful and should be referred to at all time; the content is clear and understandable, thanks to the contributions made by the industry professionals, and numerous illustrations supplementing the text. Note that there is a similar publication, providing the necessary stability guidance as applied to the sailing vessels.

The present publication is the very good course in naval architecture covering the essential theoretical knowledge required to be possessed by the naval architects. The main objective of the author was to acquaint the trainees with the theoretical basics and provide the clear explanation on their interrelation and progressive application in the ship hull design. Note that it should not be looked at as a replacement to any standard reference volume but shall rather be treated as a leading title.

It will be the excellent reference source for the students of the naval architecture. In fact this is a good introduction, as it is clearly stated in the title of the book, and those willing to get a deep understanding and knowledge of the subject, should spend more time and efforts. The readers will go through the entire process of ship hull design, understand how the main hull characteristics shall be chosen so that the requirements advised by the clients, can be satisfied.

The book is recommended to the students and is a perfect supplement to any standard training program. The material is explained in a very simple and understandable way, including all calculations as well as the design matters.

The main objective of the present technical paper was the introduction of the essential principles of the small fishing vessel stability as well as provision of the clear guidance on what shall be done by the crew members of the subject vessels in order to keep the stability maintained adequate. It is mainly aimed at the people engaged in the fishing industry including the mariners, shipbuilders, owners of the fishing vessels and all other parties.

We would also recommend the publication to be used as guidance for the people caring about the safety of their ship. The book opens with a brief introduction followed by the definitions of the terminology used. After that, the main precautions relating to the small ship stability are provided, including securing of the heavy items and free surface effect, icing and catch stowage, quartering and following seas, means of closing etc.

The alterations done to the ship construction are addressed in the next chapter. The stability criteria applied to the small fishing vessels are dealt with in detailed within a separate section, followed by the stability documentation including the hydrostatic and cross curves, operating conditions and other aspects.

Over the past several decades there have been many significant changes in the maritime industry. Vessels of today are much bigger and their speeds are higher, their manning has been reduced; there are now so many types of ships including newly introduced ones, for example hovercrafts; ferries carry much more passengers and vehicles than in the past.

And even taking into account that people may now perform much quicker and much more accurate assessment of the ship stability and strength of the ships' hull together with the maneuvering and powering of the ships and their motions at sea by means of the very complex and specialized computer software, the basic concepts of the naval architecture remain unchanged and are valid as ever.

Some very rapid technical advances have been made in the field of the ship design, ship construction and ship operation, and many of them directly relate to the effectiveness. This is mainly owing to the higher efficiency and lower costs of the computers and proliferation of the available information.

This book of ship's theory consists of two separate volumes providing readers with the coverage of all important aspects, including trim and floatation, ship stability, potential hazards and protection of the ship, hull girder, structural design of the ship and associated analysis, launching of the ships and their docking, powering, seakeeping and maneuverability, major design features and so many others.

The present book is very important and useful because of the approach applied by the author to the problems relating to the loss of ship stability by means of the study of different operational aspects together with the dynamic ship behavior in severe condition of the sea and offering a complete picture of the selected modes of stability failure not currently covered by any criteria or applicable regulation.

The original motivation for the idea that has driven subject approach and the requirement to address the assessment of the ship stability is coming from numerous observations on losses of stability and capsizing of the ships. Though there are several regulations in force that all refer to the stability of the vessels, so many ships continue to loss their stability and capsize.

The subjects elucidated within this volume represent parts of the works relating to the critical importance of the assessment of ship stability and fit into the complex research system relating to the intact stability of the vessels, and particularly to the failure modes and how the proper assessment of the stability might prevent the possible losses. Five chapters of the book provide the general information and provide the historical background and analysis, cover the failure modes including ones in the severe conditions, and shed some light on the possible improvement in the field.