Chapter 5 : Effect of the Wind

Ch5. Effect of wind

mostly experienced when proceeding at slow
speeds
can create major problems when:
-During river passages
-When entering locks
-while berthing

behaviour of the ship in the wind

Ch5. Effect of wind
 Ch5. Effect of wind

Real wind
Relative wind :
a) influences the ship
b) With speed ahead: closer to the bow
then the real wind
Windmeter measures the relative wind
Two effects on a ship:
a) drift
b) turning moment

Wind is usually not a problem under 4 Beaufort unless

a) On a ship in ballast
b) When coming from astern
Relative wind resistance is biggest for an angle of 25-30
 Ch5. Effect of wind

To find the vector of real wind (Vv):

a) Determine Va (relative wind)
b) Bring Vn (vector of ships speed in opposite direction of ships
course/ not opposite to ships heading)
a) Join extremity of Vn to extremity of Va
 Ch5. Effect of wind / Center of windage area

Center of wind pressure (W) depends on the area of the ship exposed
Windage area to be compared with:
a) the underwater profile
b) Position of the pivot point
W is not always at the center of gravity of the windage area : it
depends of the angle between wind direction and ships heading.
 Ch5. Effect of wind / Position of W

Position of Center of wind pressure depends:

a) on the form of the exposed surface
b) on the angle of attack

C1 and C2 are the extreme positions of W for different forms.

 Ch5. Effect of wind / Wind components
Ahead wind:
ships speed decreases
ship is drifting
turning moment acts on the ship

Wind force F is not parallel to direction of Va

 Ch5. Effect of wind / Wind components
Wind from astern:
ships speed diminishes
vessel is drifting
turning moment is acting on the vessel

Wind force F is not parallel to direction of Va

 Ch5. Effect of wind / Heeling moment

Inclining moment FF is producing an heeling angle

 Ch5. Effect of wind
Beam wind force in tons bollard pull
 Ch5. Effect of wind
Beam wind force in tons bollard pull

Previous diagram applies to wind coming from the

beam
Under 10 knots: winds are negligible for ships in
ballast
Under 15 knots: winds negligible for all other ships
Even a weak following wind may influence the conduct
of a ship
Loaded ship less influenced by wind due to the bigger
underwater area
Little ships more influenced than big ships
Wind pressure is proportional to square of wind speed
Ch5. Effect of wind
 Ch5. Effect of wind/ Drifting moment

The drifting moment turns

the vessel untill it reaches
her drifting heading

A this moment there is an

equilibrium between wind
force on the windage area
and water pressure on the
underwater area

Drifting moment = Wind force x distance in meter between

Center of water pressure and wind force point
Ch5. Effect of wind/ Ship even keel and stopped
Beam wind

The right funnel aft acts

like huge sail : large
area
of superstructure + funnel

area of freeboard from

forward of bridge to bow

Center of wind pressure

close to the pivot point.

Result: ship not turning

and stopped with wind on
the beam or just abaft the
beam.
 Ch5. Effect of wind / Headway / Beam wind

Pivot point moves forward: turning lever between P and W and the ship
swings to port.
When approaching the berth the vessels speed decreases and the wind
Effect gets greater: it require considerable corrective action.
 Ch5. Effect of wind / Sternway / Beam wind

With sternway is wind effect less predictable and more complex

Pivot point moves aft creating a different turning lever: the bow fall off
the wind or with other words the stern seeks the wind.
 Ch5. Effect of wind / Vessel stopped &trimmed
Beam wind

The pivot point of a stopped vessel coincides with the

center of gravity of the underwater profile: when trimmed
by the stern, it moves astern (from A to B)
the windage area is bigger at the bow and the center of
wind pressure moves forward
Turning moment = wind force x lever W2B (Bow falls off)
 Ch5. Effect of wind / Headway & trimmed Vessel
Beam wind

When the same vessel gets headway: point B moves

forward, ahead of W2 - the turning moment changes
from direction and the bow turns into the wind.
 Ch5. Effect of wind / Trimmed vessel / Headway
Beam wind

Trimmed vessel:
a) W moves forward and very close to P
b) the turning lever is reduced and the vessel has tendency to fall off
c) ship difficult to keep head to wind (SBM mooring operations)
 Ch5. Effect of wind / Trimmed vessel / Sternway
Beam wind

Performance when backing is seriously altered

The bow wants to fall off rapidly
The stern seeks the wind
When berthing with beam wind: ship difficult to hold in position
Always try to use the wind to your advantage : poor mans tug
 Ch5. Effect of Wind / Water resistance / Headway

Water resistance R has two components:

the drag, opposed to Vn (ships course)
the lift, perpendicular to Vn.
With headway, center of drift forward of center of gravity: the vessel
turns into the wind.
 Ch5. Effect of Wind / Water resistance / Sternway

With sternway: center of water pressure applies behind the center of gravity:
The bow is falling off the wind.

Several factors modify the water resistance: angle of heel , speed of the ship,
effect of waves and current.
Ch5. Effect of wind / Position of Equilibrium
Ship stopped

Position of equilibrium between

wind and water forces
Function of the windage area:

Passenger ship: wind on beam

Tanker in ballast: forward of beam

Loaded tanker: from bow quarter

Tugboat: wind from stern quarter

No water pressure when vessel is

stopped
Ch5. Effect of wind / Position of Equilibrium
Ship with headway

The arrow of the wind represents the

real wind.

The wind action diminishes as soon as

the vessel gets some speed

Water pressure influences the ship:

all ships with headway will come into
the wind (between one and two points)
as compared with the ships stopped.

With sternway:
a) nearly all ships take aan equilibrium
position with stern wind
b) Loaded tankers take the wind in the
stern quarters
Ch5. Effect of wind / Various forces acting on the ship
Ch5. Effect of wind / Behaviour of ship (7000T tanker)

Head wind

with head wind: no transverse force

with headway:
a) good steering / pivot point near bow
b) after course deviation: wind brings ship
back on course

when backing:
a) pivot point near stern and bad steering
b) after course deviation: windtends to put
ship off initial course.
Ch5. Effect of wind / Behaviour of ship (7000T tanker)

Wind in bow quarter (30)

for same wind speed ( 25knots):

wind force is 15 tons bollard pull
compared to 6T for stopped ship

At rest or at slow speed:

wind force swing ship off the wind/
center of windage ahead of pivot
point

At speed:
pivot point near bow / wind force
brings ship to the wind.
Ch5. Effect of wind / Behaviour of ship (7000T tanker)

Wind in bow quarter (60)

For the same wind speed 25 knots) the wind force amounts now
to 27 tons bollard pull.
Ch5. Effect of wind / Behaviour of ship (7000T tanker)
Beam wind / ship dead in water

Large wind force (36 tons)

No longitudinal component

Ships behaviour depends of

relative positions of pivot point
and centre of windage
Ch5. Effect of wind / Behaviour of ship (7000T tanker)

Beam wind / Speed ahead

Pivot point shifts forward: ship tends to swing to the wind

Exception: hips with very large windage area in forward part.
Ch5. Effect of wind / Behaviour of ship (7000T tanker)

Ship is backing
The pivot point is near the stern
The wind swings the ship off the wind
Ch5. Behaviour of ship in following wind
7000 tons tanker/ speed: 6kn/ 30 knots wind
Ship to be stopped
1. Engine stopped / speed 6 knots
2. Full astern: transverse thrust* of propeller
pushes stern to port
3. Wind on Sb quarter: wind + transverse thrust
= ship swings to Sb
4. Ship comes beam to wind and wind force
increases
5. Ship stopped / transverse wind force max /
ship drifts to port
6. Ship gets sternway / pivot point closes stern
7. Due to position of pivot point: wind force is
bigger than transvers thrust = swing to port
8. The more sternway the faster swing to port.

*Transverse thrust could be 10% of applied

stern power