Stability at Sea

The aim of this course is to give an introduction to the factors that affect the flotation and stability of vessels. It has been written to be relevant to people studying or working on a range of vessel types and situations. This course is suitable for whether you are a cadet, a student of maritime studies or a mariner wanting to increase your maritime knowledge to further your career.

Topics covered include how loading and unloading from a vessel will affect its stability and the draft it floats at, to the actions that can affect a vessel's ability to stay afloat and remain stable. There are also key formulae to use to calculate changes in flotation and stability.

Learning objectives

By the end of this course, the learner will:

be able to describe the effect of a fluid at rest

be able to describe stability terms and definitions

understand vessel stability and flotation

be able to complete basic transverse stability calculations.