This book was written to meet the needs of Cadet Captains of Naval Academies. The content has been written in accordance with the requirements of the International STCW Convention for the training of Cadets attending these academies. Shipping is a common ground for all of us who have traveled from whichever homeland we come from, so the content was not written from scratch but various sources were used, which are referenced at the end of the book. Many of the diagrams I created myself using computer techniques, and others I found in books and on the internet. The aim of the book is to help our students - tomorrow's captains on commercial ships - to understand so that they can later use the methods of creating and maintaining the stability of their ship.

I would like to especially thank my friend Captain Nikolaos Tsaldarakis who provided me with his personal notes which were invaluable to me.