NA 6

SHIP CONSTRUCTION

INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION
ON TONNAGE MEASUREMENT OF
SHIPS, 1969
and
PRECAUTIONS TO MINIMIZE
ADVERSE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF
BY:
THE TONNAGE CONVENTION
JOSEFA CARMELLI A.
ABEJAR
TONNAGE MEASUREMENT BSNAME, 3-B
 INTERNATIONAL
CONVENTION ON
TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
OF SHIPS, 1969
TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
 GROSS TONNAGE

Gross tonnage as defined in the 1969

Convention is a function of the total
volume of all enclosed spaces of the ship.
No exemption of enclosed spaces is
permitted although there are certain open
spaces that are carefully defined in the
Regulations contained in Annex 1 to the
Convention that are permitted to be
excluded (ICTM, 1969).
TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
 GROSS TONNAGE
The gross tonnage of a ship is determined by
the formula:
GT = KV
Where:

V = the total volume of all enclosed spaces in

cubic meters (m)

K = 0.2 + 0.02logV (or as tabulated in

Appendix 2)

TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
 GROSS TONNAGE
All volumes included are to be measured,
irrespective of the fitting of insulation or the
like, to the inner side of the shell or structural
boundary plating in ships constructed of metal,
and to the outer surface of the shell or to the
shell or to the inner side of structural boundary
surfaces in ships constructed of any other
material. The volume of appendages are to be
included but the volumes of spaces open to the
sea may be excluded.
TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
 GROSS TONNAGE

The numerical value of the volume exceeds

the numerical value of the gross tonnage
found by applying any of the national systems
because those systems express gross
tonnage in units of 1oo Ft or 2.83 m and
take into account only the volume of space
above the floors and inboard of the hull
frames and inboard of deck structure frames
less the volume of certain exempt spaces.
TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
 GROSS TONNAGE

The K coefficient was developed,

therefore, to convert the molded
volume in cubic meters to a
numerical value approximating the
gross tonnage computed according
to the national systems.

TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
 GROSS TONNAGE

The fact that convention gross tonnage is a

function of the molded volume of the entire
vessel permits reasonably good approximation
of the gross tonnage at an early stage of
design of vessels of more than 10,000 dwt. In
the preliminary design stage the volume of
spaces below the deck can be approximated
as soon as the principal dimensions of length,
breadth, depth and draft are determined.
TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
 GROSS TONNAGE

Even though these dimensions may

only be reasonably close to those finally
selected, by assuming a block coefficient
in the range of that to be finally
determined, a displacement in metric
tons may be calculated. Using the
calculated displacement, the volume
under the weather deck Vu may be
estimated by the formula:
TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
 GROSS TONNAGE

In which:
D = Molded depth as defined at
Regulation 2 (2) and used at
Regulation 4 (1) of the 1969
Convention,
d = Molded draft amidship as defined at
Regulation 4 (2) of the 1969
Convention.
TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
 GROSS TONNAGE

The gross tonnage could then be estimated

by substituting Vu + VH for V in the formula
GT = KV; where VH represents the volume of
the houses or enclosed spaces above the
weather deck and is the displacement in
metric tons. The term, VH, can be
approximated as the product of the length,
breadth and height of deck structures or by
using the volume from a vessel with a similar
size crew TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
 GROSS TONNAGE

VH as a percentage of underdeck
volume varies in range of about five to
15 percent with the smaller percentage
applicable to larger vessels such as
tankers over 100,000 dwt.

TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
 GROSS TONNAGE

When the design has progressed to

the point that the lines have been
reasonably well settled, the underdeck
volume can be computed. The
displacement curve can be extended
to the upper deck amidships and this
volume will be much more accurate,
lacking only the sheer and camber, for
use in the GT formula given in the
TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
 NET TONNAGE

Net tonnage as defined in the

1969 Convention is primarily a
function of the volume of cargo
spaces and the number of
passengers.

TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
 NET TONNAGE

the formula for net tonnage NT

is:

TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
 NET TONNAGE

In which:

= total volume of cargo spaces in cubic

meters
= 0.2 + 0.02 log Vc (See Appendix 2)
= 1.25 ( GT + 10,000) / 10,000
D = molded depth amidships in meters as
defined in Regulations

TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
 NET TONNAGE

d = molded draft amidships in meters as

defined in Regulations
= number of passengers in cabins with
not more than eight passengers
= number of other passengers
+ = total number of passengers the
ship is permitted to carry as
indicated in the ship's passenger
certificate.
TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
 NET TONNAGE

In applying the formula:

the factor (4d/3D) shall not be taken

as greater than unity;
The term KVc (4d/3D) shall not be
taken as less than 0.25 GT, and
NT shall not be taken as less than 0.30
GT.
TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
 NET TONNAGE

The draft to depth ratio permits a reduction

of NT for those vessels with high freeboards
and in effect maintains varying degrees the
shelter deck or GT tonnage mark concept in
previous regulations without any structural
requirements. In some vessels with high
freeboards, the effect of squaring the ratio is
excessive, therefore, the NT shall not be taken
as less than 0.30 of the GT.
TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
 NET TONNAGE
Another concept that is indirectly
maintained is the water- ballast exclusion
from net tonnage in that only cargo spaces
are to be marked and included in Vc. (See
Regulations).

In the preliminary design stage the cargo

space volume Vc may be approximated as
0.66 times the underdeck volume
approximated for the gross tonnage.
TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
 NET TONNAGE
This approximation may be as such as 10
percent low or 10 percent high and should
be checked as soon as n arrangement plan is
developed. The designer may have his own
approximation to cargo space volume
depending on the purpose of the volume and
his own knowledge of required stowage
factors. The approximation given applies to
cargo vessels, bulk carriers, tankers and
container vessels. Special types such as roll-
on-roll-offTONNAGE
require other consideration.
MEASUREMENT
 NET TONNAGE

Provision is made in the Convention

for occasional changes in the net
tonnage if the characteristics of the
ship such as V, Vc, d, N or N are
altered (ICTM, 1969). The passenger
part of the net tonnage formula
requires no approximation since it is
not a volume function of the number of
passengers.
TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
 TONNAGE
COEFFICIENT
It should be noted that the Tonnage
Conference adopted the logarithmic
coefficients K and K in order to produce
curves reasonably representing plots of
molded volumes against gross tonnages and
cargo cubics against net tonnages as
contained in data furnished by IMCO
members during studies preceding the
Tonnage Conference. These coefficients are
listed in Appendix
TONNAGE2.MEASUREMENT
 PRECAUTIONS TO
MINIMIZE ADVERSE
ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE
TONNAGE CONVENTION
TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
PRECAUTIONS TAKEN BY THE 1969 TONNAGE
CONFERENCE
The 1969 Conference, in order to minimize the
adverse economic impact of adopting a truly
international uniform system of tonnage
measurement, sought a system in which the new
tonnages would closely match those found under
the various national systems. Since the
Conference decided to do away with the shelter
deck concept and other exemptions from gross
tonnage, however, it realized that certain types of
vessels would have substantially higher gross
tonnages and, in some cases, higher net tonnages
TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
PRECAUTIONS TAKEN BY THE 1969 TONNAGE
CONFERENCE

Accordingly, the Conference decided

that to be effective the Convention
should be widely accepted and that so
to minimize the impact there should be
a relative long period of transition from
the national systems to that new
system.

TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
PRECAUTIONS TAKEN BY THE 1969 TONNAGE
CONFERENCE
a.Coming into Force. In the Article 17 (1) of
the Convention it is provided that the
Convention shall come into force twenty-
four months after the date on which not less
than twenty-five governments of states the
combined merchant fleets of which
constitutes not less than sixty-five percent
of the gross tonnage of the worlds
merchant shipping have deposited
instruments of acceptance
TONNAGE or accession.
MEASUREMENT
PRECAUTIONS TAKEN BY THE 1969 TONNAGE
CONFERENCE
a. The Secretary General of IMCO in a
document (TM. 2/Circ. 45), July 22, 1980,
announced that Japan had deposited an
instrument of acceptance on July 17. With
that action 44 states, with combined
merchant fleets which exceed 65 percent of
the gross tonnage of the worlds merchant
shipping, have become parties to the
Convention. The Convention shall, therefore,
come into force JulyMEASUREMENT
TONNAGE 18, 1982.
PRECAUTIONS TAKEN BY THE 1969 TONNAGE
CONFERENCE
b. Transitional Period. Resistance to the
Convention in countries which have not
deposited instruments is largely from
owners and operators of paragraph ships
who are concerned about the tonnage
boundaries listed at Section 1.2 of this
chapter. The Tonnage Conference
anticipated some of the problems with
paragraph ships and provided in Article
TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
PRECAUTIONS TAKEN BY THE 1969 TONNAGE
CONFERENCE
The present Convention shall apply to:
(a) New ships;
(b) Existing ships which undergo alterations or
modifications which the Administration
deems to be a substantial variation in their
existing gross tonnage;
(c) Existing ships if the owner so requests; and

TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
PRECAUTIONS TAKEN BY THE 1969 TONNAGE
CONFERENCE
(d) All existing ships, twelve years after the
date on which the Convention comes into
force, except that such ships, apart from
those mentioned in (b) and (c) of this
paragraph, shall retain their then existing
tonnages for the purpose of the application to
them of relevant requirements under other
existing International Conventions.
TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
 INTERNATIONAL TONNAGE
CERTIFICATE

TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
 INTERNATIONAL TONNAGE
CERTIFICATE

TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
 UNILATERAL ACTIONS

Governments appear to be free to deal

unilaterally with problems arising from
tonnage boundaries relating to domestic
laws and standards. Governments will
probably, as a long range solutions, raise
some of the tonnage boundaries and
replace some with other more relevant
parameters.

TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
 UNILATERAL ACTIONS

In the meantime, for a vessel required to be

measured under the new system a
government may, at the owners request,
measure the vessel also under previous
national rule and use the tonnages so found
to determine the applicability of the various
domestic standards.

TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
 LIMITING PARAMETERS

Although the Tonnage Convention does

not specify that its tonnages should be
used as limiting parameters for
determining the applicability of provisions
of existing international conventions, there
is little doubt that was one of the ultimate
aims of the 1969 Conference.

TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
 LIMITING PARAMETERS

For that reason administrations appear

understandably reluctant to recommend
that their government takes unilateral
action with respect to use of national
tonnages as limiting parameters in
connection with other international
conventions after the 1969 Tonnage
Convention comes into force. Accordingly
the IMCO assembly during its tenth session
in November 1977 adopted the following
TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
 LIMITING PARAMETERS

The 1969 Tonnage Convention as the

potential, ultimately, to eliminate gross
tonnage as an important design influence.
In the meantime, at least through 1985,
designers may find it necessary to be
familiar with the national tonnage
measurement rules where the vessels they
design are to be registered.
TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
 END OF REPORT
THANK YOU!

TONNAGE MEASUREMENT