A 310,00 GRT vessel needs to achieve a steady speed of 13 knots after exiting a canal. If the speed of the vessel before exiting the canal is 3 knots, calculate the time (in minutes) to reach the desired speed assuming that her acceleration is 0.08 knots per minute.

Question

Convert the acceleration of the vessel to knots per hour (round up answer to 2 decimal places)
What is the time (in hours and minutes) until the vessel reaches the desired speed?
What is the distance in NM covered by the vessel during the acceleration from 3 knots to 13 knots

Answer 1

To convert the acceleration from knots per minute to knots per hour, we multiply it by 60 since there are 60 minutes in an hour.

0.08 knots per minute * 60 minutes = 4.8 knots per hour

The time to reach the desired speed can be calculated using the formula: time = (Final speed - Initial speed) / Acceleration

time = (13 knots - 3 knots) / 0.08 knots per minute = 10 knots / 0.08 knots per minute
time = 125 minutes

To convert minutes to hours, we divide by 60: 125 minutes / 60 minutes = 2.08 hours

Since the time is 2.08 hours, we have 2 hours and 0.08 hours.
To convert the remaining 0.08 hours to minutes, we multiply by 60: 0.08 hours * 60 minutes = 4.8 minutes.

Therefore, the time until the vessel reaches the desired speed is 2 hours and 4.8 minutes.

The distance covered during the acceleration can be calculated using the formula: distance = (Initial speed + Final speed) / 2 * time

distance = (3 knots + 13 knots) / 2 * 125 minutes
distance = 16 knots / 2 * 125 minutes
distance = 8 knots * 125 minutes
distance = 1000 NM

Therefore, the vessel covers a distance of 1000 NM during the acceleration from 3 knots to 13 knots.