A.A. B.

Dinariyana
Jurusan Teknik Sistem Perkapalan
Fakultas Teknologi Kelautan ITS Surabaya
2013

Trim may be considered as the longitudinal equivalent

of list.
Trim is also known as `longitudinal stability'.
Instead of trim being measured in degrees it is
measured as the difference between the drafts
forward and aft. If difference is zero then the ship is
on even keel.
If forward draft is greater than aft draft, the vessel is
trimming by the bow. If aft draft is greater than the
forward draft, the vessel is trimming by the stern.
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Consider a ship to be
floating at rest in still
water and on an even
keel as shown in
Figure
The center of gravity
(G) and the center of
buoyancy (B) will be in
the same vertical line
and the ship will be
displacing her own
weight of water.
So W = b.
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Now let a weight `w', already on board, be shifted aft

through a distance `d', as shown in Figure.
This causes the center of gravity of the ship to shift
from G to G1, parallel to the shift of the center of
gravity of the weight shifted, so that:

The ship will now trim until the

centers of gravity and
buoyancy are again in the
same vertical line.
When trimmed, the wedge of
buoyancy LFL1 emerges and
the wedge WFW1 is immersed.
the volume of the immersed
wedge must be equal to the
volume of the emerged wedge
F, the point about which the
ship trims, is the center of
gravity of the water-plane
area. The point F is called the
`center of Flotation' or
`Tipping center'.
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A vessel with a rectangular water-plane has its

center of flotation on the center line amidships.
On a ship, the center of flotation may be a little
forward or abaft amidships, depending upon the
shape of the water-plane.
Trimming moments are taken about the center
of flotation since this is the point about which
rotation takes place.
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The longitudinal metacenter (ML) is the point

of intersection between the verticals through
the longitudinal positions of the centers of
buoyancy.
The vertical distance between the center of
gravity and the longitudinal metacenter
(GML) is called the longitudinal metacentric
height.
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BML is the height of the longitudinal metacenter above

the center of buoyancy and is found for any shape of
vessel by the formula:

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The MCT 1 cm, or MCTC, is the moment

required to change trim by 1 cm, and may be
calculated by using the formula:

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Consider a ship
floating on an even
keel as shown in Figure
(a). The ship is in
equilibrium.
Now shift the weight
`w' forward through a
distance of `d' meters.

(a)

The ship's center of

gravity will shift from G
to G1, causing a
trimming moment of
W x GG1, as shown in
Figure (b).
(b)

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The ship will trim to bring the centers of buoyancy

and gravity into the same vertical line as shown in
Figure (c). The ship is again in equilibrium.
Let the ship's length
be L meters and let
the tipping center (F)
be l meters from aft.
The longitudinal
metacenter (ML) is
the point of
intersection between
the verticals through
the center of
buoyancy when on
an even keel and
when trimmed.
(c)

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When a ship changes trim it will obviously

cause a change in the drafts forward and aft.
One of these will be increased and the other
decreased.
A formula must now be found which will give
the change in drafts due to change of trim.

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Consider a ship floating upright as shown in Figure below.

F1 represents the position of the center of flotation which
is l meters from aft. The ships length is L meters and a
weight `w' is on deck forward.

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Let this weight now be shifted aft a distance of `d' meters. The
ship will trim about F1 and change the trim `t' cms by the stern as
shown in Figure.
W1C is a line drawn parallel to the keel.
`A' represents the new draft aft and `F' the new draft forward. The
trim is therefore equal to A - F and, since the original trim was
zero, this must also be equal to the change of trim.

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Let `x' represent the change of draft aft due to the change
of trim and let `y' represent the change forward.

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EXAMPLE#1
A ship 126m long is floating at drafts of 5.5m F and 6.5m A. The center of
flotation is 3m aft of amidships. MCT 1 cm . 240 tonnes m. Displacement
= 6000 tonnes. Find the new drafts if a weight of 120 tonnes already on
board is shifted forward a distance of 45 meters.

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EXAMPLE#2
A box-shaped vessel 90m x 10m x 6m floats in salt water
on an even keel at 3m draft F and A. Find the new drafts if
a weight of 64 tonnes already on board is shifted a
distance of 40 meters aft.

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Ship Stability for Masters and Mates, Fourth

Edition, Revised, D.R. Derrett, B-H Newnes,
1990
Basic Ship Theory, Fourth Edition, Vol. 1,
Chapter 1 to 9, Hydrostatics and Strength,
K.J. Rawson and E.C. Tupper, LST 1994

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