Shiphandling - Passenger Ships Without Tugs

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

Witherby Publishing Group Ltd

Witherbys titles are developed using scripts developed by technical experts that are peer reviewed within work groups. Typically, they seek to improve understanding of the regulations, recommendations and guidelines issued by Industry.

Witherbys staff have significant expertise in the fields of navigation and hazardous cargoes as well as in the presentation of complex subjects in a graphic and easy to understand manner.

Nick Nash

Nick Nash was promoted to the rank of Commodore of the Princess Cruises fleet in 2020. He has served Princess Cruises for 31 years and is the seventh Commodore in Princess history. He has become the senior Master of the fleet, representing the interests of all ships and their captains. Commodore Nash is also a former President of The Nautical Institute.