How are ferries propelled?

Historically, these have ranged from steam-driven, side paddlewheels to a cable ferry powered by horses on a treadmill. In more recent times, we have seen the diesel engine become the dominant power source with a variety of means of putting the power into the water.



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Sometimes two pulleys and tethers are used. Sometimes a single tether is attached to a bar that can be swung from one side of the ferry to the other. This type also uses a rudder in order to set the angle of the ferry to the current flow from zero - it is then stationary - to the best angle for maximal crossing speed.

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Vehicles must be turned off as soon as you are parked on the ferry vessel or when directed to do so by the ferry crew.

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With its propulsion at each end, the double-ended ferry has excellent stopping power and superior maneuverability, especially if using an azimuthing or cycloidal propulsion system. This all contributes to safety, a critical factor for any ferry.

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The golden rule is, something will sink if it's heavier than the water it is displacing. Therefore, a bowling ball would sink, but a football would float. In the case of a ferry, gravity pushes down on the boat, but buoyancy helps it stay afloat as it's not as heavy as the space it's taking up.

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You could get a bit of a sensation if you stare when the boat is pulling away, or the skyline diminishes in the background, or if you look down into the water over the edge... but if you simply sit inside the ferry somewhere you will barely feel movement at all.

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Most ferry accidents are caused by unsuitable weather, overcrowding, and poor vessel maintenance.

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Where does it go? The waste products from the toilet are actually consigned to a treatment plant in the bowels of the ship were it is purified before being pumped back into the ocean away from land. Raw sewage is not allowed to be discharged into the ocean.

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As a RORO ferry rolls, vehicles can break free and slide down if not firmly secured, adversely altering the ship's centre of gravity, accelerating the roll, and possibly turning an otherwise recoverable roll into a capsize.

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Ferry accidents are not uncommon in Indonesia, which is the world's largest archipelago country with more than 17,000 islands. In 2018, as many as 192 people drowned when an overloaded ferry overturned and sank on Lake Toba on Sumatra island.

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This principle is known as buoyancy or Archimedes' Principle. Archimedes' Principle states that the force exerted on an object in a fluid is equal to the weight of fluid displaced (moved out of the way) by the object. This force is called buoyant force.

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