Rocks & mirror
WÄRTSILÄ
Encyclopedia of Marine and Energy Technology

Damage stability of chemical and product tankers

marine

The behaviour of a damaged chemical carrier can vary widely, depending on the combination of transported chemicals and their specific gravity. If a chemical tanker is loaded with cargo that has a higher specific gravity than water then the damaged tanks lose their cargo and that is replaced by the lighter seawater then the ship will list away from the side that is damaged. However, if the chemicals have a lower specific gravity than seawater then the weight of the water will cause the vessel to list towards the damage.

Further reading: IACS “Guidelines for Scope of Damage Stability Verification on new oil tankers, chemical tankers and gas carriers” (No. 110 Nov 2009).