A closer look

If a hundred massive semi-trucks drive onto the right side of a floating boat, the boat should logically flip over and sink. Ro-Ro (roll-on/roll-off) ferries cheat this basic rule of buoyancy using rapid anti-heeling systems. As harbor masters direct heavy cargo onto the starboard deck, monstrous computerized pumps instantly blast an equivalent weight of water into hidden port-side ballast tanks, artificially tricking the ocean into thinking the ship is perfectly balanced.