5 Questions that can help in Understanding of Squat effect on ships

Years back when I first came across the term squat, frankly I failed to understand it. Well if you just want to know the mathematical formula and calculate the squat, it is no rocket science. But to answer questions like "Why do squat effect take place" may not be easy to understand. Are you too in the same boat ? Most of us know that Squat is the decrease in ship's under keel clearance due to vessel's movement in the shallow water. And it is not a theoretical thing, it is a real thing. Incident of sinking of RO-RO vessel "Herald of free enterprise" was the result of squat. But squat is not always bad. In 2010, passenger vessel "Oasis of the sea" used the squat to its advantage. It allowed squat to reduce its air draft. This helped the vessel to safely pass under a bridge, which otherwise was not possible. Incidents like these show how important the knowledge of squat is. But there are many questions related to squat, answers to which are sometimes difficult to find. In this post I will try to answer five of these questions related to squat that mariners usually ask or enquire about.