
Shiphandling - Passenger Ships Without Tugs
Written by an industry expert, this detailed, illustrated publication provides guidance and practical advice relating to the handling of cruise liners and ferries.
Commodore Nick Nash shares his extensive knowledge and experience gained from nearly twenty years in command of cruise ships.
The book covers the ‘mechanics’ of handling a large cruise ship and has primarily been written to help aspiring cruise ship captains to master the art. However, it will also be a useful source of reference for more experienced officers.
The book discusses:
- Ship’s equipment, including propellers, rudders and thrusters. podded propulsion systems, the rate of turn indicator and radius track control systems
- Shiphandling theory, including berthing and lifting-off techniques, the pivot point, drift angle and Bernoulli’s theory as it relates to ship squat and interaction
- The effect of wind and current and how to calculate the forces on the ship
- Stopping techniques and emergency anchoring.
The appendices include numerous approach/departure plans for ports around the world, based on the author’s own manoeuvring notes. Each port is illustrated with annotated route charts and practical guidance notes.
Captain Nick Nash has written a much needed practical and informative book on how to manoeuvre large modern passenger vessels and ferries that have multi-engines, rudders and thrusters. He has also included a chapter on handling ships with POD propulsion.
To be able to handle a large cruise ship in a safe and efficient way, you have to understand and have knowledge of the ‘controllable’ and ‘uncontrollable’ forces that can affect a ship. Nick has gone into both these forces in detail, making this book a useful reference for all who handle or aspire to gain competence in handling ships.
The book usefully has an appendix of over 50 manoeuvres (including notes and diagrams) taken from Nick’s own experience manoeuvring large (290 m+) passenger vessels in the most popular cruise ports of the world while he has been in command over the last 15 years.
Captain Hans Hederstrom, FNI
Managing Director, CSMART (Center for Simulator Marine Training)
Ex Ship Master and Gothenburg Pilot
1. THE PIVOT POINT
1.1 Locating the Pivot Point
1.2 How to Find the Pivot Point – In Practice
1.3 Pivot Point in Action
1.4 Pivot Point Zone
2. PROPELLERS, RUDDERS AND THRUSTERS
2.1 Transverse Thrust
2.2 Propeller Torque
2.3 Rudder Force
2.4 Thrusters
3. PODDED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
3.1 A Brief Summary of Azipod Development
4. BERNOULLI’S PRINCIPLE
4.1 Squat
4.2 Bank Effect
4.3 Navigation in Narrow Channels
4.4 The Rudder
4.5 Altering Course on High-Sided Vessels
5. RATE OF TURN
5.1 Constant Rudder vs Constant Radius Turn
5.2 Monitoring the Constant Radius Turn
5.3 Summary
6. PRACTICAL USE OF A RADIUS TRACK CONTROL SYSTEM
7. WIND AND CURRENT
7.1 Wind Loads on Cruise Vessels
7.2 How to Construct a Ship’s Wind Chart
7.3 How Does Wind Act on a Stationary Ship in Practice?
7.4 Crabbing
7.5 Wind Measurement
7.6 Current Forces
7.7 Wind Statistics Log
7.8 Summary
8. STOPPING AND EMERGENCY ANCHORING AS A BRAKE
8.1 Manoeuvring Stopping
8.2 Controlled Slow Down
8.3 Crash Stop
8.4 Alternative Stopping Ideas
8.5 Rudder Cycling
8.6 Emergency Anchoring
8.7 Looking at the Forces Involved and a Different Approach
9. BASIC HANDLING
9.1 The 7° Approach
9.2 The 50 m and 10° Lift Off Angle
9.3 A Long Run In
9.4 Backing into the Berth
9.5 The 100 m Lift Off
9.6 The ‘U’ Turn Approach
9.7 The Finger Pier
9.8 Ship’s Tender
9.9 Push and Drive
9.10 Head Up Display
9.11 Transfer Distance
9.12 Control Checks
9.13 The Overshoot, Backup and Drop Anchoring Method
9.14 Undocking in a Strong Current
10. THE UP AND DOWN SIDE OF THE DRIFT ANGLE
10.1 Conning Position in Relation to the Centreline
10.2 Estimation of Drift Angle
10.3 The Full Drift Angle Excel Spreadsheet
10.4 In Practice
APPENDICES
Appendix A – Example Port Manoeuvring Plans
Appendix B – ‘Planning and Control of Turns’ – Captain Hans Hederstrom, FNI and Captain Benny Pettersson, FNI (and Captain Sven Gylden, MNI) (reproduced with their kind permission)
Appendix C – Useful Shiphandling and other Formulas
- Number of Pages:
- 361
- ISBN:
- 9781856096690
- Binding Format:
- Hardback
- Book Height:
- 305 mm
- Book Width:
- 217 mm
- Weight:
- 1.8 kg
- Published Date:
- June 2018
Reviews
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Comprehensive shiphandling guide by a cruise master who’s seen it all
(Posted on 04/07/2019) Cruiseships keep getting bigger and bigger and, as some incidents have served to demonstrate, the consequences of accidents have increased exponentially. This clear and thorough 361-page book therefore makes a significant contribution to the cause of safety, providing insightful guidance based on the practical experience that Capt Nick Nash - a serving master with Princess Cruises and a training captain at the CSMART Centre - has gained in almost 30 years of cruise ship experience, including the last 14 in command. Aimed in particular at those serving on vessels of 70,000gt and above with twin-screws, twin-rudders and multiple thrusters, the book draws from his manoeuvring notes and is liberally illustrated with relevant photographs, diagrams, charts and actual approach and departure plans for some of the most popular cruise ports around the world. Capt Nash gives four 'top tips’ for prospective shiphandlers in his foreword -on positioning, speed control, patience and keeping one hand in your pocket (so as to use only one hand on one control lever at a time). However, his 361-page book leaves no stone unturned in its comprehensive guidance. Subjects covered include: the pivot point; propellers, rudders and thrusters; podded propulsion systems; squat, interaction and bank effects; rate of turn; the impact of winds and currents; controlled and crash stops and emergency anchoring; and issues such as berthing and lifting-off techniques, and drift angles. Along the way, Capt Nash throws in some fascinating case studies, telling the reader how not to do it as well as how best to do it, as well as devoting a whole chapter to detailed advice on making the best use of a radius track control system. Another very important section covers the rate of turn, stressing the importance of good monitoring and the way in which local environmental conditions can have a dramatic effect upon plans. Capt Nash also gives some useful advice on how to avoid the risk of heeling during the tight turns that cruiseships sometimes have to make. Produced to admirably high standards, the book Is clear and direct and excellently presented. Whilst it is primarily intended to help new and aspiring cruiseship captains, it contains much of relevance to all ship handlers and deserves to become a standard reference work for many years to come.