The recent sea tragedy involving Sulpicio Lines’ MV Princess of the Stars should now compel the national government to prioritize and really implement or modernize the maritime surveillance system.

The more reliable way of ensuring safe maritime travel is underpinned by an effective MARITIME ACTIVITY MONITORING and SURVEILLANCE system. This will enable the concerned agencies to interpret readily what’s happening and then be able to react accordingly.

We cannot simply rely on outdated radio communication systems like the SSB or Single-Sideband radio tranceivers because the signal is not clear, unreliable and that it is limited to voice communication and the “Morse Code” communication only. This coded communication is very unreliable as it requires a radio operator who is skilled enough or trained enough on this. All ships, except some or most of those of the local shipping lines, are now equipped with satellite communication systems (like the INMARSAT) and these ships have already stopped hiring radio operators since the ship captain or the rest of the crew can operate the radio already. It does not require special training.

The Coast Guard should have a monitoring center equipped with large LCD screens displaying the actual movement or location of the every ship. This is made possible with the use of GPS technology. All ships should be fitted with transponders and that every ship will have their own code for quick identification. This is somewhat similar to the transponders that commercial aircrafts have.

For example, MV Princess Urduja can take the code MV0001. With this, all the images or dots on the monitor screen which represents every ship on sail and together with their codes will not congest the screen but will have all the basic ID shown instantly nonetheless.

The Coast Guard and Navy ships will have their own code as well. For the Navy, they may take their bow number as their ID. Like for BRP Artemio Ricarte, it can have the “PS37” ID.

The locations of all Navy and Coast Guard ships should be included in the monitoring so that the “Maritime Travel Monitoring Center” can easily identify which ship to dispatch to rescue a ship in distress.

Also, the government must get a channel from Agila 1 or Mabuhay satellite and use it for communications between the Coast Guard and all the ships. They may even get a second channel that will be exclusive for emergency transmissions like in rescue or medical assistance. A reserved channel from either of the two satellites may even be implemented so that there is a standy-by or a ready channel that the system can use if in case the existing satellite or its signal goes problematic.

By the way, PAGASA has a big role here. As per their statement in the news, they only provide weather updates 4 times only. This should be improved. Ships may be required to install weather monitoring systems. These monitors will be fed with data or video images directly from PAGASA via the satellite channel. The images must include the forecasted route the typhoon may take and the possible deviation that may happen. The suggested alternate route maybe provided by the Coast Guard.

More likely, the Coast Guard will closely work with PAGASA in identifying the possible deviations. PAGASA will forecast the typhoon route and calculate the possible deviations, while the Coast Guard will determine the possible alternate route or where the ship in the affected area may take shelter, like the nearest port or the safer coast.

The advisories will then be communicated to the ships via the satellite channels.

The next concern is the rescue response. The Coast Guard must now have all-weather rescue choppers in their service and these should all carry FLIR or similar suites for night-operations. All Coast Guard choppers today aren’t capable of flying at night.

Something is wrong with our government. The maritime disasters have been occurring since the past decades but our response capabilities are still ineffective.

The Coast Guard may share the airfield situated in the naval base in Cavite. This site is strategic. It sits closer to the areas where these sea mishaps usually occur. This means faster response time if these choppers are located there. Probably we can as well park the Coast Guard cutters and rescue ships there, including the tugboats. The tugboats are needed when ship’s engine conks out while the ship is still at sea.

The Coast Guard or the Air Force must also purchase modern surveillance aircrafts. The P3-Orion aircraft has proven its worth in searching for possible survivors by scanning a wide expanse of the sea. Being able to pinpoint the location of survivors is just like having rescued them already and just soon enough.

The rescue and retrieval capabilities must also be improved. IT IS NOT OKAY TO LET DAYS TO PASS WITHOUT DOING ANYTHING. Lives could have been saved had the rescuers been able to reach the victims EARLY ENOUGH.

We can improve on this by acquiring the needed equipments. Submersibles are needed for surveying the downed ship in order to get the details the rescuers need in drafting how they can navigate inside the ship and how to undertake the actual rescue. Mapua Institute of Technology has already built a prototype on a low-cost remote-controlled underwater camera.

Mini-submarines may be acquired for reaching passengers trapped down below. Typical submarines or submersibles used by research oceanographic vessels can be modified to become a rescue vehicle. I am sure the developer wont have a hard time figuring it out. Mini-subs have been employed on both civilian and military use. The technology is there. The US in fact has already designed rescue subs that they can use to rescue crews of a downed submarine.

There should also be a “Research and Development Center” that MARINA and the COAST GUARD should put up. This facility will devise, test and evaluate ways, tools and equipments that can be used in their rescue operations. Simple tools like “underwater torches”, better oxygen tanks, rebreathers, sinkers, floaters, inflatable “life rafts” that can be dropped from an airplane and will inflate automatically once it touches the water surface and that can carry around 20 persons.

A better raft design is something that is also fitted with a light beacon and has a door than can be sealed with a zipper or any locking mechanism so that the passengers can seal it to prevent water from coming in. The sealed raft will also improve temperature inside the raft since wind and rain will not get in.

Also, ALL SHIPS MUST HAVE A SCHEME OR PLAN ON HOW TO ABANDON THE SHIP SAFELY AND FAST. This should all be distributed or posted on all the cabins and the other enclosed passenger areas. This is similar to the fire scheme in commercial buildings or the demonstration performed by flight stewardess about the proper use of the safety features of the plane.

Better yet, all ships must play a video showing the demonstration on how to use the life vests, life rafts and how to navigate out of their cabins once they are ordered to abandon the ship. All the crew must be trained on how to guide passengers out of the cabin or the ship and into the rafts.

I've experienced travelling on passenger ships a lot of times already and there was never a time that the ship's crew demonstrated how to use the vests and to familiarize the passengers with how they can safely navigate out of their cabins and into the rafts.

Another concern is the stability of the ship. When the tides go rough, the ship will surely tilt from side to side endlessly until the ship is out of that zone. The danger is when too much water gets in and the ship’s “ballast” is unable to compensate for the imbalance. A ballast tank is a compartment within a boat or ship that holds water. This helps the ship to control buoyancy and stability. Another is when the loose heavy cargo like the 40-foot container vans or fully-loaded trucks suddenly shifts to one side when the ship tilted, the ship may not be able to recover anymore. Worst, the tilted ship may as well throw all the passengers to one side, thereby increasing the pressure on the side where the ship tilted. This will surely increase the chances that the ship will completely fall into its side and then tip over. The big tides will surely increase the chances that the ship will succumb to the overwhelming elements.

Of course, ship crews know this factor. Sadly, sometimes the proper way of stacking loads are being neglected or ignored or that the crews get too complacent.

Also, aside from lighthouses, to complement the satellite-based monitoring system, we should also install RACON or radio beacon to warn ships about the shallow part of the sea and other dangers. See below;

In summary, we need a satellite-based monitoring system for enabling the government agencies to know exactly what’s happening and what actions it can take. The agencies that need to improve COOPERATION are the Coast Guard, Navy, and PAG-ASA. The other agencies like NDCC and the PNP may also be added for large-scale rescue operations.

Also, safety procedures must be undertaken, before the ship leaves port, while it is at sea and even while the passengers are disembarking.

The next thing is RESCUE CAPABILITY. What’s ideal is that we can reach the trapped victims or those floating aimlessly at any time and even at night.

The nation has witnessed too many sea tragedies already. It‘s just that the government doesn’t learn at all from all these as it seems that is why we are still seeing the repeat of all these accidents.

We can prevent the tragedies.

We simply must institute the needed MEASURES, to reduce the possibilities of a disaster, as well as the PREPARATIONS to enable us to cope up with any untoward events.

from the quoted news report posted by Saver111;

What the PCG Needs Now

The problem here is why it's only now that they are reviving this?

The Coast Guard and DOTC should be blamed why the project hasnt been completed. The point is, alam na pala ng CG na may nakabinbin ng project, EH BAKIT PINABAYAAN LANG NILA NA MABULOK?

This points to their NEGLIGENCE.

To think of it, its all there in the

http://pdff.sytes.net/index.php?showtopic=1638

Look here;

Compare these "paper texts" to the many sea accidents

Re

Had the ship been inspected the harmful endosulfan onboard MV Princess of the STARS could have been prevnted from being loaded.

Is there an effective monitoring?

The satellite-based monitoring system has been idle and hasnt been completed after 10 years.

the Coast Guard ships were only able to respond to the distressed passengers 4 days after.

The result was dead passengers floating, with their life vests on. IF THE CG ONLY HAS ENOUGH SAR VESSELS STRATEGICALLY PLACED ACROSS THE COUNTRY IT COULD HAVE SAVED MORE LIVES.

In fact The CG hasnt rescued any. The life rafts was just carried by the waves to shores. The CG didnt know there were even bodies floating. It was the US surveillance plane, P3 Orion, that gave them the info.

The thing is, the Coast Guard has the knowledge but it isnt doing much to have that implemented and put to good use.

The NEGLECTED modern surveillance system is one solid proof that the CG together with the DOTC have not been serious and effective about putting their words and documented missions and roles into actual and useful service.

Accidents do happen. Here is a case where both vessels are radar equipped and have their own safety policies and worse, the other vessel is a

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080703/ap_on_...ferry_collision

That's one of the possibilities out there. It's an accident in its purest form.

But most of the cases in the sea disasters including the ensuing rescue and retrieval operations draw a clear image of how unprepared and unreliable our systems are.

We should not take this lighlty. Else, like how it turned after the MV Dona Paz tragedy, .... another MV Princess of the Stars.

My concern is the response capabilities of the Coast Guard is shamefully disgusting. Even the retrieval phase of it is as bad.

The thing is, .. THE CG SHOULD IMPROVE ITS RESPONSE CAPABILITIES AND EVEN THIER RETRIEVAL CAPABILITIES.

Else, more dead bodies the next time.

"Accident-prone" areas at sea identified
BRENDA C. BARRIENTOS
GMA News Research
07/14/2008 | 07:40 PM

GMA News Research mapped out major marine mishaps from 1980 - 2008 using data from the Board of Marine Inquiry.

These accidents resulted in vessels that sunk, capsized, or those that ran aground.

News Research identified three areas – Manila Bay, Tablas Strait and the Visayan Sea -- that may seem to be "accident-prone" or sites where repeated marine accidents occurred.

All of these areas are along the major sea lanes when traveling from Manila to Visayas.



“These areas have heavy traffic. These are identified marine routes," says Chancellor Glenn D. Aguilar of the UP Visayas College of Fisheries and Ocean Science.

Dr. Laura David of the UP Marine Science Institute seconds this observation on the three identified areas, saying, “Madalas [mangyari ang accidents] along navigational lines. There’s nothing unusual because this is where the ships are."

Of Manila Bay, Chancellor Aguilar says, “Yes, yung Manila Bay, because of heavy traffic. Saka medyo makipot o narrow yung passage papasok at palabas sa pier dito."

Noting the five sea accidents in the are of the Visayan Sea, Aguilar says, " Maybe because maritime talaga ang basic means of transportation to and from the Visayan Islands of Panay, Negros, Cebu, Samar and Leyte."

Dr. David adds that the vicinity of Kalayaan Islands near Palawan is hard to navigate because of shallow waters. She said big vessels find it hard to navigate shallow waters.


The three "accident-prone" areas at sea

* Manila Bay

o where two of the Philippines major ports (Manila North Harbor and Manila South Harbor )
o Traffic of marine vessels is high as this is either a starting point or destination point of many marine routes
o Chancellor Glenn Aguilar says that landforms along marine routes could be a factor why Manila Bay is accident-prone. “Saka medyo makipot o narrow yung passage papasok at palabas sa pier dito", he said. “Bukod dito mataas talaga ang traffic dito.



Vessel Nature Location Date
M/V Cebu City vs MV Kota Suria collision Manila Bay 12/2/1994
MV ACX Lilac vc barge Cargolift III collision Manila Bay 9/2/2000
MV Princess of the Orient sinking vicinity of Fortune Is. 9/18/1998
M/V Super Ferry 12 vs M/V San Nicholas collision vicinity of 1 nm,
Limbones Island 5/25/2003
F/B King Roger capsizing Manila Bay,
South Harbor, Manila 8/15/1997


* Tablas Strait

o A narrow body of water that lies between Mindoro, Marinduque and Western Visayas
o Most routes from Luzon (particularly from North and South Harbor) pass the strait to get to Visayas and Mindanao
o The M/V Princess of the Stars passed by Tablas Strait.




Vessel Nature Location Date
M/V Don Juan vs. M/V Tacloban City collision Maestro de Ocampo,
Tablas St 4/22/1980
M/V Lorcon V sinking Pola Bay,
Oriental Mindoro 3/10/1989
MV Doña Paz and MT Vector collision Dumali Pt.
(Tablas St) between
Oriental Mindoro and Marinduque 12/20/1987


* Visayan Sea

o Major body of water separating Regions 6, 7 and 8 from Luzon
o Being archipelagic in nature, Visayas (consisting of the major islands of Panay, Negros, Cebu, Samar and Leyte) relies heavily on water transport.
o On the frequency of accidents in the area, Chancellor Aguilar says: “Yung Visayas sea may be because maritime talaga ang basic means of transportation to and from the Visayan Islands of Panay, Negros, Cebu, Samar and Leyte."



Vessel Nature Location Date
ML Gretchen I grounding Cadiz City 2/18/1996
M/V Kalibo Star sinking vicinity of Ticasan Pt.
bet. Maripipi & Biliran Is 8/15/1997
M/V Asia South Korea sinking Bantayan, Cebu 12/23/1999
M/B Nilode - A capsizing / sinking Vicinity of Brgy. Atipolo,
Naval, Maripipi, Biliran 5/11/2002
Doña Marilyn sinking Malapascua Is, Cebu 10/24/1988

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/106879/Acciden...identified/_/1/

PCG to deputize PNP Maritime Group to regulate small seacraft
GMANews.TV
GMANews.TV - 2 hours 21 minutes ago

MANILA, Philippines - While it remains short on personnel, the Philippine Coast Guard on Wednesday said it will deputize the Philippine National Police Maritime Group to guard the country's coastal areas to curb accidents involving small seacraft.

Radio dzBB's Carlo Mateo reported Wednesday that the decision was reached during a meeting of representatives of the Coast Guard, Maritime Group and Maritime Industry Authority.

Coast Guard commandant Vice Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said the PNP Maritime Group will be deputized in the monitoring and regulation of motor boats and motor bancas.

Tamayo noted that while the Coast Guard needs 25,000 personnel to keep watch over the country's coastal areas, it presently has only 5,000 personnel. Some 1,000 personnel are expected to be added to the Coast Guard's ranks in 2009.

The Coast Guard's personnel problems became apparent earlier this month following the sinking of two vessels off Masbate and Iloilo provinces. - GMANews.TV

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/gma/20081119/tph-...-t-d6cd5cf.html

Pagasa warns of big waves due to monsoon surge

Philstar.com - Wednesday, November 19

The weather bureau warned the public yesterday against big waves in the northern and western seaboards of Northern Luzon following the surge of the northeast monsoon.

In an advisory, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said the northern and western seaboards of Northern Luzon would experience mostly cloudy skies with scattered rains in the next 24 hours.

"Fishing boats and other small seacraft are advised not to venture out to sea while bigger seacraft are alerted against big waves," the advisory said.

Sea conditions in these areas would be rough to very rough with wave heights expected at 2.8 to 5.0 meters, Pagasa said.

Meanwhile, Pagasa said a diffused tail-end of a cold front and the intertropical convergence zone are expected to bring light rains to Northern Luzon and Mindanao in the next 24 hours.

The extreme Northern Luzon will experience mostly cloudy skies with scattered light rains, while Mindanao would have mostly cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms.

The rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.

Pagasa said moderate to strong winds blowing from the northeast would prevail over extreme Northern Luzon and its coastal waters would be moderate to rough. - Helen Flores (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/star/20081119/tph...on-541dfb4.html

And it's happening already...

Japanese ships rescue Pinoy fishermen

Philstar.com - Wednesday, November 19

Japanese merchant vessels rescued ten Filipino fishermen in two separate incidents last week after their boats capsized, an embassy report said yesterday.

Citing a report by the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo, Foreign Affairs spokesman Claro Cristobal said the first incident involved eight Filipino fishermen of Phil F/B Richard based in Arosan, Bolinao, Pangasinan, which foundered in rough seas last Nov. 9.

The eight rescued seamen were Carmelito Lapez, Danilo Labesores, Glenn Silva, Renato Penaranda, Angelito Najaro, Elmer Perges, Manuel Suncad and Jason Consejeros, all from Loon, Bohol. They were rescued by Japanese cargo ship MT Torben Spirit last Nov. 11.

Cristobal said the second incident involved Ronnie Cabradilla and Eldie Rey, both of San Esteban, Ilocos Sur, who were rescued by Japanese vessel MT Ryuoshan/H3SR after their fishing boat Mam capsized in rough seas last Nov. 12.

Both Japanese vessels were en route to Japan from the South China Sea when the Filipino fishermen were spotted and rescued.

The report said all 10 fishermen were in good condition.

Cristobal added that the embassy is coordinating with the Japanese government and shipping companies for their repatriation.

Cabradilla and Rey were scheduled to arrive in Manila last night on a Northwest Airlines flight. - Pia Lee-Brago (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/star/20081119/tph...en-541dfb4.html

I hope these fishermen would be responsible enough to update themselves on the latest weather bulletins.

Coast Guards jump out of a helicopter during a natural disaster drill in Manila, the Philippines

Copied from "Superferyy 9 sinks"

http://pdff.sytes.net/index.php?showtopic=6839&st=0

As I see it the SHIP'S DESIGNS tends to easily tilt.

It was a ship that was meant to sink from the start.

It is possible that Aboitiz compromised the design just to increase passenger capacity.

The taller the ship and the more weigh at the upper decks tend to lower the stability of the ship.

The ship's submerged bottom and the weight of that submerged bottom helps the recover from the usual tilting.

That principle works best when the weight is centered on the middle (across the bow and stern) of that submerged buttom. But when the center of the weight destroyed or it shifited to either of the sides, that stability becomes unstable.

Add to that the weight of the passengers on top.

When the weight at the bottom part shifted to its right, the weight of upper deck that tilted to the right pushed the ship to fall on its right.

The pull of the unbalanced weight below worked together with the pushing of the weight of the upper decks.

One passenger even said that ship was tilting even before it left the port. From these i believe that the cargoes at the bottom was not stacked properly. The weight was uneven. Also, a heavy cargo or the combination of lighter cargo that shifted to the right when the waves tilted the ship a bit started the tragedy. The uneven weight at the cargo bay at the bottom caused an instabvility and further tilted the ship. Then the faulty ship design (too many top decks / too much height / plus passenger weights ) helped pushed the ship to its side.



But as you can see the ship didnt sink instantly when it tilted. This is because when the sugmerged part increased, it helped stabilize the tilting.

Or somehow, the new center of gravity gave it the needed balance to stay afloat.

But unfortunately, water started to get in and lowered the bouyancy gradually until it finally sank.

The bottomline, the modified ship's design is faulty as per my simple assessment.

I would suggest MARINA must have a committee of naval architects and engineers that will check the design of all passenger ships before these are issued clearance.

In the recent Superferry tragedy, MARINA's role on the release of clearances should be looked into.

Were there lapses or negligence or abuse or authority or worse, corruption involved in the release of clearances?

The problem in all these is that MARINA might not be doing what it should do to protect the safety of the passengers.

They are the ones who set the rules and are responsible for ensuring that every ship that is allowed to sail is SAFE for the PASSENGERS and CREWS.

Mr. Flipzi,

In nautical or mariner speak, when a ship starts to "tilt" to its side, that is called "listing".

And a ship's "submerged bottom" is usually called its "hull" under the "waterline".

I do volunteer work for the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary during the weekends and have come across these terms.

am not sure how and where did the Master (Captain) got his statements that it was the wind ( and my gosh...we are only talking about a 10 knots wind speed) this is even less than a "Sea Breeze" when you are near a shore. If we are talking about a gale force wind or more, that will be quite reasonable, but on a stable ship, whatever forces are acting on it, it will always be upright. I have nothing against the Master, nor I would like to questions his competence, but as a Licensed Master Mariner myself, his reasons are really unfounded.

Just as a basic Seamanship knowledge, ships regardless if size and shape, are subject to several forces acting on it. Some of the natural forces of Physics that are acting on a ship are Bouyant Force and Gravitational Force, while the internal physical forces moving longtitudinal along the hull are the shear forces and bending moments, and on a transverse situation will be the metacentric force. I am not going to elaborate further on the longtitudinal forces as when a ship list, it is always the trasnverse forces acting on it. In a layman's term, in order to balance (Stability) out a vessel, despite several external forces acting on it (Wind, waves, curent, gravity, internal weight..etc) for as long as the relationship between Gravity and the transverse metacenter of the vessel remains positive (GM) it will not capsize. A vessel will tilt/cpasize if the so called GM becomes negative. The factors that can easily affect the GM are internal movement of weights/cargo of vessel, and from time to time the external forces. A situation of negative GM is always contributed when a vessel is in a tender condition where the weights are placed above the metacenter of the vessel. Of course, this can be countered by placing a greater weight below the metacenter. From what I discussed, one assessment that I can provide regarding the capsizing of the SF 9 is a movement of a dynamic weight inside the vessel. From the looks of it, as the vessel is a combination of roll on roll off, container, passenger vessel, it might have been involved in cargo shifting that contributes its list.

Bottom line, the possibility is that Master and Chief Mate did not practice proper cargo stowage, and trim stability calculations prior to departure. There might be other reasons like possible failure to secure loading doors that possibly provide water ingress, but all in all, summing up reasons, it is more of a Human Error, than a force majeure. We cannot blame it on the design, as the vessel had been in service for quite a while.

Just my ten cents............Semper Paratus.....OOOOHHHRRRAAAHH!!!!

Semper P;


I am very thankful for your contribution on this particular discussion.

You have given us all the better understanding and clue to the mystery shrouding the S9 disaster.

Before i proceed let me emphasize that I am writing this reply simply because I wanted to get your reaction on this to understand the case better and with due respect to your status.

I would have not dared question the design of the ship since these ships were built and design by experts. Probably Japanese technology. The only reason why i have a doubt is that this ship had undergone remodelling to suit Aboitiz's needs.

That might have included redesigning the top layers of the ship to carry more passengers.

If the ship had been redesigned, as it would have been under the usual practice of local businessmen in their attempt to maximize profit even if it compromises passenger safey, the stability of the ship with regard to the metacenter has been greatly lessened.

I believe the problem started with the improperly stacked cargo and the failure of the crew to balance the weight by working on the ships "ballast tanks" to counter the tilting or listing.

When the ship entered rough waters and hit by wind shears, the already unstable ship listed even further.

Now, the weight of the (heavy) upper decks started to push the ship to list even more.

Worse, the ballasts that was still filled with air that (and has less weight, the shape itself tells us which part is heavier, than the upper part of the ship) comprises the lower part of the ship.

Now, with all the negative factors working together, the downward push of the heavy upperdecks, and the upward push of the lighter bottom brought the ship down.

The S9 would have been saved had the crew fixed the ballast while still is clamer waters.

Adjusting the draft, (submerging the ships bottom to stabilize it) woud have given the ship the better fighting chance against wind forces and the waves, including the sudden tiltings.

To summarize, the S9 succumbed to the collaboration of negative factors when a HUMAN ERROR gave the FAULTY DESIGN the trigger it needed.

Let's see the photo below;



top: upward thrust of buoyancy (B ) and downward thrust of gravity (G ) allow a stable ship to right itself when heeled

bottom: with a metacenter (M ) below gravity, forces of gravity and buoyancy are further apart and will cause an unstable ship to capsize when heeled





Reference:

METACENTER:
The intersection of vertical lines through the center of buoyancy of a floating body when it is at equilibrium and when it is floating at an angle. The location of the metacenter is an indication of the stability of a floating body.

SHEAR FORCE:
Force acting on a substance in a direction perpendicular to the extension of the substance, as for example the pressure of air along the front of an airplane wing. Shear forces often result in shear strain. Resistance to such forces in a fluid is linked to its viscosity. Also called shearing force.

TRANSVERSE:
Situated or lying across; crosswise.

BOUYANCY:
is the upward force on an object produced by the surrounding fluid (i.e., a liquid or a gas) in which it is fully, or partially immersed, due to the pressure difference of the fluid between the top and bottom of the object. The net upward buoyancy force is equal to the magnitude of the weight of fluid displaced by the body. This force enables the object to float or at least to seem lighter.

GRAVITATIONAL PULL:
downward pull towards the earth by the latter magnetic field force

BALLAST TANK:
is a compartment within a boat or ship, that holds water. A vessel may have a single ballast tank near its center or multiple ballast tanks typically on either side. A large vessel typically will have several ballast tanks including double bottom tanks, wing tanks as well as forepeak and aftpeak tanks. Adding ballast to a vessel lowers its center of gravity, and increases the draft of the vessel. Increase draft may be required for proper propeller immersion.

DRAFT:
(or draught) of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull (keel), with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained. Draft determines the minimum depth of water a ship or boat can safely navigate.

Good Day Flipzi.....Great elaboration and research! Our forum readers should now have a better understanding of Ship Trim and Stability. Although that what we presented seems easy to do as it looks, it does involve a lot of calculations and understanding of advance math and physics. Most senior deck officers onboard ships (Master and the Chief Officer) should have a very good undersatnding about Trim and Stability, and Cargo Stowage, that as a matter of fact, they are more well verse than the Naval Architect who designed and built the ship, as the onboard officers are the ones who operates the vessel in real world scenario. A ship is a ship, no matter what shape or form it is, no matter who designs it, or what type of design. What matters most all the time are the people who runs it. No matter how technologically advance in design, or it is equipped with sophistication, if the people do not run and operate the ship very well, it will always become a good recipe for disaster.

I do agree with you that the there might be some design flaws most especially the SF9 was re-fitted to fit the business needs of its owners, but in most cases, the design only counts less of a percentage of a cause during marine casualities. Most vessels are surveyed by several entities before it gets a "go signal" to operate. The entities are: Flag Administration, Port State Administration, Class Society, the Builder, and Independent Surveyors representing P and I Clubs (Insurance Companies). Merchant vessels, particularly the ones that are engaged in international trade are subject to several International, Flag, and Port State regulations to include requirements of periodic inspections, surveys, and certification audits.

I am currently connected with a Flag State Administration that currently operates the second largest Merchant fleet in the world. With well over 4,000 vessels, we have one of the best marine safety record, with casualty of less than 1 percent out of the total number of ships we have all plying international voyages. These are all because of a very stringent implementation of safety regime we have in placed onboard vessels under our flag. Our organization operates free from political interventions and bureaucracy, and just focused on providing quality shipping.

I enjoyed imparting some thoughts in this regard, and I am willing to provide more insights if necessary.


Semper Paratus!!!!!

Master Mariner - US Merchant Marine
LCDR - USCG®

Of Course......Proud Filipino pa rin!!!!! hehehehehehhe!!!

Semper P,


It's an honor to have you with us.

By the way, we can then assume now that the primary fault falls on the ship crews for failing to do their job in securing the stability of the ship.

Also, MARINA, must now enforce stricter rules like ordering port controllers to disallow voyage when the ship is showing signs of instability prior to departure, like listing or overloading.

Added to that, the rules on emphasising that the original level of the stability of the ship must be maintained when doing redesign to at least counter the occassional but destructive human errors..