INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION

E
IMO

SUB-COMMITTEE ON STABILITY AND

LOAD LINES AND ON FISHING VESSELS
SAFETY
44th session
Agenda item 17

SLF 44/INF.3
13 June 2001
ENGLISH ONLY

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

Guidance to the Master for avoiding dangerous situations
in following and quartering seas
Submitted by Germany
SUMMARY
Executive summary:

This document contains comments to the guidance given in

MSC/Circ.707 for the avoidance of roll resonance in all types of
encounter with ocean waves.

Action to be taken:

Paragraph 6

Related documents:

MSC/Circ.707

1
When approving MSC/Circ.707 (Guidance to the Master for avoiding dangerous
situations in following and quartering seas), the Maritime Safety Committee decided to review
the Guidance on the basis of new technical development and in the light of experience gained
from its application. In recent years a number of accidents have occurred at sea where ships have
suffered from large roll amplitudes with subsequent loss of containers over board. Investigation
of some of these incidents have revealed that parametric resonance could have been the probable
source of these roll motions.
2
From discussions with mariners at various occasions, the impression has developed that
MSC/Circ.707, although appreciated with regard to the presentation of warning against
surf-riding and travelling with the group velocity of waves, is not clear enough with regard to the
diagram presenting the issue of the wave encounter period and the resulting risk of ship motion in
resonance.
3
Germany proposes in the annex to this document an approach to address resonance
avoidance which makes use of the same principle of presentation as applied in MSC/Circ.707
with regard to the issues of surf-riding and group velocity avoidance. This is a polar diagram
where the user can directly identify critical areas for the tip of the speed vector of the vessel.
These critical areas must be distinguished by the observed wave period and the two critical
relations of encounter period to the rolling period of the vessel, i.e. 1:1 and 0.5:1. A separate
sheet is required for each individual rolling period in full seconds, e.g. 20 sheets for the periods
from 8 seconds to 27 seconds. These sheets need to be individually prepared for each ship.
For reasons of economy, this document is printed in a limited number. Delegates are
kindly asked to bring their copies to meetings and not to request additional copies.

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4
Germany is of the opinion that the use of this set of diagrams, although more simple and
comprehensive than the one given in MSC/Circ.707, will be still rather sophisticated for a
minority of mariners. A more advanced solution therefore would be to apply this principle of
presentation to a semi-online PC-information on the bridge, which could show the speed vector
at all times and, after manual entry of the observed wave direction and wave period, the areas of
probable resonance in a true course mode.
5
Germany is also of the opinion that the above proposal, as described in more detail in the
annex to this document, may need further refinement. Appropriate comments from delegations
and observers of this Sub-Committee would therefore be welcome.
Action requested from the Sub-Committee
6
The Sub-Committee is invited to take note of the above information and the attached
annex and take action as appropriate.

***

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Relevant rolling period of the ship
MSC/Circ.707 addresses the natural rolling period of a vessel and defines it as the period which
is closely related to the GM of the vessel by the formula
TR = 2CB/GM

[s].

It should be noted, however, that the rolling period at large amplitudes, which is in fact relevant
for the consideration of dangerous roll motions, can differ significantly from the period at small
amplitudes, depending on the character of the righting lever curve.
The following rules of thumb can be stated:
Case 1: Ship has limited freeboard and a righting lever curve which remains below its tangent at
zero heel. The rolling period at large amplitudes will be longer than the period at small
amplitudes.
Case 2: Ship has moderate freeboard and a righting lever curve which remains more or less with
its tangent at zero heel up to about 40. The rolling period at large amplitudes will be equal to
the period at small amplitudes.
Case 3: Ship has ample freeboard and a righting lever curve which remains above its tangent at
zero heel up to about 40. The rolling period at large amplitudes will be shorter than the period at
small amplitudes.
Experience has shown, that, e.g. on Panmax container vessels, the rolling period at 30 amplitude
can be only about 70% of the period at small angles of roll, in particular where GMc is
below 0.8 m.
Types of roll resonance
There seems to be a need to clarify the nature of different types of roll resonance, which has only
been addressed briefly in MSC/Circ.707.
Beam sea type resonance 1:1 will occur if the period of wave encounter coincides with the
ship's rolling period. The intensity of the energy transfer is approximately proportional to the
sin2, which means that most intensive synchronous rolling will occur in beam seas while no
such resonance will occur in head seas or stern seas. The minimum wave length, necessary to
create this type of resonance, will be equal to about twice the breadth of the ship.
Parametric resonance 1:1 will occur in longitudinal or near longitudinal seas if the period of
wave encounter coincides with the ship's rolling period and the waves have a length larger
than 0.8 L and a height larger than 0.04 L, as stipulated in MSC/Circ.707. The typical
appearance of this type of resonance is an asymmetric rolling with large amplitudes to one side
and less amplitudes to the other side due to the synchronously changing stability of the ship
between its positions on the wave crest and in the wave trough. This type of resonance usually
appears in stern seas and a gradual transition to the beam sea type resonance behaviour can be
observed in stern quartering seas.

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Parametric resonance 0.5:1 will occur in longitudinal or near longitudinal seas if the period of
wave encounter coincides with half of the ship's rolling period and the waves have a length
larger than 0.8 L and a height larger than 0.04 L, as stipulated in MSC/Circ.707. The ship will
heel over whenever on a wave crest with reduced stability and right up when in the trough with
increased stability. The roll motions will be symmetrical. This type of resonance usually
appears in head or bow seas, and rarely in stern seas. The changing of stability in phase with the
vessels motion will be amplified due to the inherent pitching of the vessel with the synchronous
immersion and emersion of the wide stern frames of modern ship designs.
It should be noted that in stern or stern quartering seas an intensification of each of the above
types of resonance will occur if the period of encounter is equal or close to twice the wave
period. Under this condition neighbouring wave periods in a wave spectrum will create close to
identical encounter periods and the vessel proceeds with the group velocity of the waves. This
situation is characterised by:
TE = 2 T

and

V cos = 0.5 wave speed.

Characteristics of storm waves and swell

International research on the nature of ocean waves carried out and published in 1954 shows that
the characteristics of storm waves and swell differ somewhat with regard to wave length and
wave speed in relation to the wave period. MSC/Circ.707 uses the relation T = 0.8 which
applies only to swell, i.e. a sea state without the appropriate wind.
MSC/Circ.707 recommends the direct measurement of the wave period T by the "foam patch
method", which has proven successful in practice. From this figure of T the wave length and
the wave speed c can be obtained by the simple relations:
= q T2

[m],

c=qT

[m/s],

where q = 1.3 in storm waves and q = 1.56 in swell. The latter value originates from the
trochoidal theory while the former is the result of empirical observation and recommended for
the use by mariners.
It seems advisable, to use the factor q for storm waves and for swell as appropriate, in order to
demonstrate the band width of influences.
Presentation of resonance conditions
Mariners are sometimes required to pre-estimate the risk of either type of resonance in advance,
with estimated figures of wave period and wave direction, or, in bad weather, to react quickly
and properly if rolling motions with resonance character start to develop. In both cases a
decision on a course and speed has to be taken which provides a period of encounter other than
the rolling period or half the rolling period of the ship. The attached diagram presents a possible
tool for mariners to be used in such situations.

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Page 3
The advantage of this diagram is that course and speed can be shown as a vector with a direction
relative to the wave direction. The diagram is prepared for a distinguished rolling period of the
ship, e.g. 15 seconds. It shows lines of wave periods which produce an encounter period of
15 seconds or 7.5 seconds, if the tip of the ship's speed vector coincides with the appropriate line.
For avoiding resonance the speed vector must be changed, observing a suitable margin
(approximately 1.5 knots relative speed).
The disadvantage of this presentation in paper form is that separate diagrams for each rolling
period must be used, that a considerable number of wave lines are displayed on each sheet and
that relative course and not true course is used. The latter aspect implies that two different speed
vectors must be used if two different wave systems appear at the same time. This disadvantage
can be overcome if the presentation is realised on a computer screen and presents the conditions
for the actual period of roll and the observed wave period in true course mode.
The normal vectors for the identification of lines of resonance represent the speed component Vr
of the ship into the wave travel direction. They are given by the following formulae:
Vr = (q T (q T2/TR)) / 0.514

for the 1:1 resonance

Vr = (q T (2 q T2/TR)) / 0.514

for the 0.5:1 resonance

Sketch for demonstrating the

preparation of the resonance diagram

[knots],
[knots].

Vr

A negative result indicates a speed Vr against the direction of wave progress, while a positive
result indicates a speed Vr into the direction of wave progress.
Full lines in the attached diagram represent the 1:1 resonance, while broken lines represent
the 0.5:1 resonance. The diagram uses q = 1.3 for storm seas.

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