What is the consequence of increased weight at a high center of gravity?

When an object, such as a vessel, has an increased weight at a high center of gravity, it leads to decreased overall stability. This is because stability in marine vessels is heavily influenced by both the weight and the center of gravity.

As weight is added higher in the vessel, the center of gravity becomes elevated, which raises the metacenter relative to the center of gravity. A higher center of gravity reduces the righting arm—the lever arm that acts to restore the vessel to an upright position after it has heeled or tilted. When a vessel heels, an upright position is reestablished through the righting moment, which relies on the width of the vessel's beam and the height of the center of gravity.

With the center of gravity higher, the vessel becomes more prone to capsizing or excessive heel angles because the righting moment is weaker and less effective. This means that any disturbance causing the vessel to tilt will result in less stability and a greater likelihood of further inclination. Consequently, when assessing stability in vessels, it's crucial to manage both the weight distribution and its vertical alignment to maintain safe operational stability.