1.2.

Ships measurement
A.-Texts 1. Dimensions:
The major dimensions of a ship are the length, breadth/beam, draught (draft) and depth.

Length is the distance measured from the ships head to the stern. There are different measures of
length: Length overall is the distance between the extreme fore-end and the extreme aft-end of the vessel. It is often abbreviated as (LOA) and it is referred to the maximum length of the vessel from one end to the other. Length between perpendiculars is the distance between two perpendiculars to the summer water line drawn at the fore and after ends of the vessel. It is often abbreviated as LBP or LPP and refers to the length of the summer load waterline from the stern post to the point where it crosses the stem.The fore perpendicular is the point at which the Summer Load Waterline crosses the stem, that is, the vertical line through the point where the CWL (Construction Water Line= the line to which the ship may be loaded in summer) and the stem intersect. The after perpendicular is the after side of the rudder post or the centre of the rudder stock if there is no rudder post. The distance between these two points is known as the length between perpendiculars, and is used to determine the vessels stability. Length at the waterline, often abbreviated as lwl,w/l, w.l. or wl is the term used to describe the length of a ship. This term refers to the length of a vessel along the waterline.

Breadth: It is the width of the vessel. There are two measures of breadth:
Extreme breadth or beam is the breadth of the hull at the widest part measured between the outer surfaces of the shell plating. It is an important factor to obtain a clearance to proceed in restricted, narrow fairways. Moulded breadth is the breadth of the vessel measured between the outer surfaces of the frames, that is, measured to the inside of the strakes of the shell plating. It is used to determine the vessels cargo carrying capacity in relation to her stability. The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point, or at the mid-point of its length. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship (or boat), the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of capsizing, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position. 1

Depth is the distance form the upper deck to the keel. There are two measures of depth:
Extreme depth is measured at the ships side from the upper deck to the lowest point of the keel. Moulded depth is the vertical distance between the upper deck to the inner point of the keel. It can also be defined as the vertical distance measured from the top of the keel to the underside of the upper deck at side

Draft (Draught)
It is the distance between the bottom of the keel and the water line. It is the limiting factor for size of a vessel that can be berthed in most harbours. It is normally given for salt water of specific gravity 1.025. The forward draft is the draft measured at the stem and the after draft is measured at the stern. The mean draft is the numerical mean of the forward and after draft. The trim is the difference between the forward after drafts. When there is no difference between fore draft and after draft we are on an even keel. If the vessel has a more draft forward than aft the vessel is said to be down by the head, and if the vessel has more draft aft than forward the vessel is said to be down by the stern. Draft marks are numbered scales painted on the ships sides at the bow and the stern which show the draft of a ship

Height (Air draft)

It is the distance from the waterline to the highest point of the vessel. It is essential information for safe passage under bridges and also for loading at installations such as container terminals, bulk loading conveyors, etc.

Underkeel clearance
It is the distance from the lowest point of the keel to the sea bottom. Particularly for large vessels, in shallow water, this is essential information because of squat (the increase in draught due to forward motion in shallow water). In some busy channels squat can reduce under-keel clearance from a safe amount to zero. Therefore captains will wish to know what their under-keel clearance will be and adjust their speed accordingly, before proceeding into shallow water.

Freeboard
It is the vertical distance measured at the ships side between the water line and the freeboard deck. The freeboard deck is normally the uppermost complete deck exposed to weather and sea which has permanent means of closing. FB is the difference between Depth and draft. It is essential information for the safety of the vessel and also for pilots and port officials wishing to board. If the freeboard is too high, it may be difficult, dangerous or impossible to board the vessel from a launch. Other means such as a helicopter, will then have to be employed Freeboard deck is the upper continuous deck, that is, the uppermost deck exposed to weather and sea, which has permanent means of closing all openings in the weather part and below which all openings in the sides of the ship are fitted with permanent means of watertight closing. Load lines are marks on the sides of merchant ships to indicate the greatest depth to which they may safely be loaded under various conditions. Temperature affects the level because warm water

provides less buoyancy, being less dense than cold water. The salinity of the water also affects the level, fresh water being less dense than salty seawater. The letters on the Load line marks have the following meanings: TF Tropical Fresh Water F Fresh Water T Tropical Seawater S Summer Temperate Seawater W Winter Temperate Seawater WNA Winter North Atlantic The Plimsoll mark consists of a disk with a horizontal line through its centre indicating the summer load line and a series of other horizontal lines indicating the load lines for various waters and seasons. Letters may also appear to the sides of the mark indicating the classification society that has surveyed the vessel's load line. Above the Plimsoll disk a line painted on the hull indicates the position of the upper continuous deck.

2.-Tonnage: It is a means of measuring a ship and expressing its size and earning capacity. Volume
The gross tonnage refers to the entire volume of the vessel that can be used for cargo, stores and accommodation. It is the registered tonnage (tonnage under the tonnage deck) plus the measured tonnage over deck, such as the spaces for the bridge, accommodation, etc. The net tonnage is the volume that can be used to carry cargo. It is often used to calculate harbour dues that must be paid to municipal port authorities for the use of the port facilities. It is a normal unit for passenger ships and cargo liners.

Weight
While not "tonnage" in the proper sense, the following methods of ship measurement are often incorrectly referred to as such: Displacement tonnage is the actual weight of a ship. It equals the weight of water displaced by a vessel when floating at the specific draught. It is the normal unit for warships. Light displacement is the weight of the ship in a light or unloaded state, but including the weight of water in boilers and any permanent ballast. Load displacement is the light displacement weight plus the weight of cargo, fuel, stores, fresh water, and water ballast.

Capacity
Deadweight tonnage (dwt) It is the difference between light and load displacement. It is a measure of the carrying capacity of a vessel and is the weight of cargo, fuel, fresh water, and stores that it is able to carry at a specified draft. It is the normal unit for bulk carriers and tankers.
Please note that "Tonnage" refers to the unit of a ship's volume in measurement for registration and "Ton" refers to the unit of weight. They are totally different in concept. As a weight 1 ton equals 1000kg. As a volume 1 ton equals one cubic metre.