In the restricted sea way such as fair way in harbor, narrow channel etc, the safe ship-handling is a very important problem, which is greatly related with turning ability of ships. It is of great importance that ship-handlers can grasp the position of pivoting point varying with time increase at any moment for relevant steering activities. Mean while, in advanced ship-building countries they study and investigated pivoting point related with turning characteristics, hut their main interest lies in ship design, not in safe ship controlling and maneuvering. In this regards it is the purpose of this paper to provide ship-handlers better under standing of pivoting point location together with turning characteristics and then to help them in safe ship-handling by presenting fact that pivoting points vary according to configuration of ships. The author calculated the variation of pivoting point as per time increase for various type of vessels, based on the hydrodynamic derivatives obtained at test of Davidson Laboratory of Stevens Institutes of Technology , New Jersey, U.S.A. The results were classified and investigated according to the magnitude of block coefficient , length-beam ratio, length-draft ratio, rudder area ratio ete, and undermentioned results were obtained. (1) The trajectory of pivoting point due to variation of rudder angle are all the same at any time, though the magenitude of turning circle are changed variously. (2) The moving of pivoting point is affected by the magnitude of block coefficient, length-beam ratio, length-draft ratio, however the effect by rudder area ratio might be disregarded. (3) In controlling and maneuvering of vessels in harbor, ship-handlers might regard that the pivoting point would be placed on 0.2~0.3L forward from center of gravity at initial stage. (4) The pivoting point of VLCC or container feeder vessels which have block coefficient more than 0.8 and length-beam ratio less than 6.5 are located on or over bow in the steady turning. (5) When a vessel intends to avoid some floating obstruction such as buoy forward around her eourse, the ship-handler might consider that the pivoting point would be close by bow in ballast condition and cloase by center of gravity in full-loaded condition.

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