Squat effect

Squat effect from a combination of vertical sinkage and a change of trim may cause the vessel to dip towards the stern or towards the bow.

The rock upon which the vessel grounded was an uncharted shoal later determined to be 34.5 feet (10.5 m), which should have given her room to spare, were it not for the "squat effect.

[5] Squat is also mentioned as a factor in the collision of the bulk carriers Tecam Sea and Federal Fuji in the port of Sorel, Quebec, in April 2000.

[1] The third largest cruise ship in the world, MS Oasis of the Seas, used this effect to obtain an extra margin of clearance between the vessel and the Great Belt bridge, Denmark, 1 November 2009, on a voyage from the shipyard in Turku, Finland to Florida, USA.

[6] The new cruise liner passed under the bridge at 20 knots (37 km/h) in the shallow channel, giving the ship extra clearance due to a 30 cm squat.