AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE COMBINED EFFECTS OF TRANSVERSE AND DIRECTIONAL STABILITIES ON VESSEL SAFETY

The paper reviews briefly previous attempts to account for the influences of directional stability on transverse stability before putting forward a procedure whereby the two can be treated in parallel and their combined effects on safety investigated. Application of the proposed procedure to a wide beam riverboat is considered and the results are presented and discussed. The investigation undertaken clearly indicates that under certain circumstances directional instability can lead to large heeling angles and possible loss of control, causing a serious threat to vessel safety.