Test loading condition

The test loading condition is the controlled state the ship is loaded to for a trial, set so the measured result maps cleanly to the parameter under test. For the inclining experiment it is the near-lightship condition required by the 2008 IS Code, tanks pressed full or empty, free surfaces minimized, and the deadweight on board small and fully recorded so the lightship and KG can be backed out. For a speed trial it is the design or ballast draft and trim the contract specifies. The surveyed condition (drafts, soundings, density) is documented because the analysis corrects the raw measurement from the actual condition to the reference condition.