Ship grounding
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Ship grounding is a type of marine accident that involves the impact of a ship on the seabed, and may cause damage to the submerged part of her hull and particularly the bottom structure, potentially leading to water ingress and to compromise of the ship's structural integrity and stability. Grounding, even without initial damage, induces extreme loads onto marine structures and is a marine accident of profound importance due to its impact:
- The loss of human life.
- The environmental impact, especially in the case where large tanker ships are involved.
- Financial consequences to local communities close to the accident.
- The financial consequences to ship-owners, due to ship loss or penalties.
The grounding, depending on the maneuvers of the master before the impact, may result in the ship being stranded. Depending on the nature of the relief of the seabed at the location, i.e. being muddy or rocky, different measures have to be taken to release the ship and transport it to a safe harbor.
