What does "static stability" refer to?

Static stability refers to the stability of a ship when it is in a stationary or at-rest condition, meaning it is not affected by dynamic forces such as wind or wave action. In this state, the defining factors of static stability include the shape of the hull, the distribution of weight, and the center of gravity in relation to the center of buoyancy.

When assessing static stability, one typically looks at the metacentric height and the area under the righting lever curve, which illustrate how a vessel will behave when it is tilted or heeled to one side. This analysis is crucial for ensuring that the ship can return to an upright position after being tilted and is a primary focus during the design and stability assessments of vessels.

The other options do not accurately describe static stability: dynamic forces pertain to a ship in motion, construction phase stability pertains to the building stage of a vessel, and extreme conditions describe scenarios that typically involve dynamic factors rather than a stationary state.