water ballast
Fluid for balance
Water ballast is water taken into tanks or compartments to stabilize a vessel, adjust its draft, or control its trim.
Ships fill ballast tanks when sailing light to maintain proper balance and propeller depth, then discharge the water when loading cargo: The tanker took on water ballast for the return voyage.
Water ballast also appears in some aircraft and hot air balloons for weight adjustment.
- tankLarge storage vessel
- shipSeagoing transport vessel
- hullOuter covering or frame
- cargoTransported goods
- cargo holdVessel's storage area
heavy load · dead weight · stability · submarine · trim · seawater · pumping · pump out · displacement · keel · bilge · flooding · draft · vessel · nautical · counterweight · maritime · sailing
water, ballast, waters, watery, waterless, watershed, waterway, waterfall, underwater