Cargo

Cargo demonstrates the careful planning that is needed in loading a cargo ship to enable it to carry maximum cargo without risking the safety of the ship and crew.

The program shows how the Plimsoll line is used to show the limit to which a ship should be loaded. (Historical notes about the Plimsoll line are given in Background information.)

Cargo illustrates how the salinity (saltiness) of oceans and waterways affects how much cargo a ship can carry. This is shown on the Plimsoll line which has different marks for different kinds of water (see diagram).

The program demonstrates that storms and high seas are more frequent in certain areas than others, and the user must take account of these risks in order to make a safe journey.

In trying to load a ship safely, the user will see that it is important to consider the distribution of cargo in a ship. Overloading will cause a ship to sink, and bad distribution of load may lead to the ship capsizing.

Cargo helps users to understand the idea of density by showing that cargoes of the same size can have different masses (or 'weights').