9 Intermediate Stages of Flooding Including Equalization, if any, and Cargo Run-Off
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Statutory Documents - IMO Publications and Documents - Circulars - Maritime Safety Committee - MSC.1/Circular.1461 – Guidelines for Verification of Damage Stability Requirements for Tankers – (08 July 2013) - Annex – Guidelines for Verification of Damage Stability Requirements for Tankers - Part 1 – Guidelines for Preparation and Approval of Tanker Damage Stability CalculationsGuideline for scope of damage stability verification on new oil tankers, chemical tankers and gas carriers1 - 9 Intermediate Stages of Flooding Including Equalization, if any, and Cargo Run-Off

9 Intermediate Stages of Flooding Including Equalization, if any, and Cargo Run-Off

 Intermediate stages of flooding cover the flooding process from the commencement of flooding up to but excluding the final equilibrium damage condition (see also paragraph 3.4.3.2). Intermediate stages should be comprehensively checked for all ships at the design appraisal stage.

9.1 Basis for checking intermediate stages of flooding and minimum stability criteria applied

 The stability criteria applicable to the final equilibrium stage should also be satisfied for all intermediate stages. If any stability criteria during intermediate stages shows more severe values than in the final stage of flooding, these intermediate stages should also be submitted.

9.2 Number of intermediate stages considered

  9.2.1 A sufficient number of intermediate stages should be examined for all damage cases. It is generally recommended to apply 5 intermediate stages of flooding (see also sections 6.8, 6.9 and 10.1).

  9.2.2 If the ship is equipped with non-instantaneous (greater than 60 s) passive equalization arrangements or non-passive equalization arrangements of any size, the following procedure is to be used:

  • .1 compliance with the relevant criteria should be demonstrated without using equalization arrangements for intermediate and final stages; and

  • .2 for subsequent equalization, additional two intermediate stages and final stages the compliance should also be demonstrated.

9.3 Cargo outflow and flood water inflow

  9.3.1 During intermediate flooding stages a practical method of calculating the floating position and residual righting moments is the added weight method where the intact condition is corrected for the weights of inflowing floodwater and outflowing cargo.

  9.3.2 During each stage an assumed amount of added floodwater and/or cargo outflow should be used. The following method is recommended:

  • .1 for a loaded tank, an equal loss of liquid cargo mass and equal inflow of floodwater mass at each stage resulting in a total loss of liquid cargo at and total inflow of floodwater to the final damage equilibrium waterline; and

  • .2 for an empty tank, an equal inflow of floodwater mass at each stage resulting in total inflow of floodwater to the final damage equilibrium waterline.

 See appendix 5 for example calculation.

  9.3.3 Alternative methods may be accepted, for example:

  • .1 For a loaded tank the loss of liquid cargo mass and inflow of floodwater mass is based on a linear change of total tank content density over each intermediate stage from pure cargo at the intact condition to pure floodwater at the final damage equilibrium waterline.

  • .2 For an empty tank an increasing depth of water at each stage based on the difference between the depth of water in the tank and the depth to the waterline in way of the tank, divided by the number of remaining stages, resulting in total inflow of floodwater to the final damage equilibrium waterline.

  9.3.4 Noting that calculation of stability in the final damage condition assumes both the liquid cargo and the buoyancy of the damaged spaces to be lost, it is therefore considered both reasonable and consistent to base the residual GZ curve at each intermediate stage on the intact displacement minus total liquid cargo loss at each stage.

9.4 Treatment of free surface and KG adjustment

  9.4.1 Taking due account of the requirements of paragraph 6.5.1.1, it is generally recommended to apply actual liquid transfer moments for all tank-filling levels in determining compliance with the relevant damage stability criteria through direct calculations of actual loading conditions.

  9.4.2 With regard to the treatment of free surfaces of flooded spaces and, noting that there will be combinations of empty and loaded tanks within the damaged extent, all damaged compartments should be considered individually flooded during the intermediate stages – i.e. individual free surfaces. (The compartments are considered open to the sea in the final damage condition.)


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