Experimental evaluation of ship squat in shallow waters

Enlargement of ship size in recent decades and no change in the harbors and approach channels have resulted in global attention toward navigation in shallow and confined waters. A phenomenon which restricts ship navigation in shallow waters is reduction of under-keel clearance in terms of sinkage and dynamic trim, which is called squatting. Due to the complexity of flow around the ship hull, one of the best methods for predicting the ship squat is the experimental approach based on systematic model tests in the towing tank. In this study, model tests for tanker ship model and traditional Persian Gulf and Oman Sea vessel called dhow had been performed in the towing tank and the squat of the models were measured and analyzed. Based on the experimental results, suitable formulae for the prediction of these types of ship squat in fairways are obtained.