If the cause of a sudden severe list is...

If the cause of a sudden severe list is...

Question 1 of 31048aOoZ5ZB0w7oFoxIY7dm3

If the cause of a sudden severe list is negative initial stability, what may happen when counterflooding into empty tanks?

Question 1 of 31048

Q

If the cause of a sudden severe list is negative initial stability, what may happen when counterflooding into empty tanks?

🔍 Key Concepts

• Initial stability (GM) and what it means when GM is negative • How counterflooding changes the ship’s center of gravity (G) and free surface effect • The difference between righting arm (GZ) and righting moment (displacement × GZ)

💭 Think About

• Think about what the GZ curve looks like when GM is negative: what happens at small angles of heel? • If you add water high or transversely, does it usually improve or worsen stability, and why? • If the vessel already has a sudden severe list from negative GM, how could putting water in empty tanks change the angle of loll (the ‘flop’ angle)?

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify what a negative GM implies about the sign of the initial GZ values near 0° heel. • Check whether counterflooding into empty (likely wing) tanks adds or removes free surface effect and how that affects GM. • Confirm whether a vessel with negative initial stability can truly be at a safe upright equilibrium just by adding off-center weight, or whether it tends to seek a new, possibly larger, angle of loll.