Forepeak Tank & Panting and Pounding Arrangement

Fore Peak Tank with Panting and Pounding Arrangement :-  

At sea, the forward part of shell plating is subjected to panting ( movement like breathing in – breathing out ) due to varying water pressure due to encountering waves and pounding due to slamming in heavy weather. These local stresses are considerably different and extra strengthening of forward shell plating is must.                                                       

             Hence, Construction within Fore Peak Tank differs from that of the rest of the ship. The cellular double bottom arrangement in the rest of the ship is discontinued in these tanks. 

Pounding Arrangement : Solid plate floors are fitted at every frame space  in the pounding region. Center and side girders are extended forward to few floors to resist the distortion of bottom due to slamming and it is discontinued as the width of bottom gets narrow.

Panting Arrangement : Additional stiffening for panting is provided in the fore peak structure in form of panting beams ( metal beams running port to stbd ) and stringers detailed as below.                 

1. Horizontal Side stringers spaced vertically about 2m apart and supported by panting beams are fitted at alternate frames.                                                                            

2. Panting beams are fitted to resist the in and out motion of shell plating either side of fore and aft line and connected to the frames by triangular brackets.   

   

3. They are supported by partial wash bulkhead at the centreline as required.   

  

4. Side stringers spaced vertically about 2m apart and supported by web frames or perforated flats spaced not more than 2.5m apart.                              

5. Breast hooks are fitted between and at each level of panting stringer in the vicinity of stem.

Collision bulkhead forms the aft most portion of the Fore peak tank. Usually, Port and Stbd chain lockers are fitted at the aft portion and at higher level. Anchor chains are stowed here and their bitter ends are secured at chain locker bulkhead which can be released in case of emergency. They must be marked properly.