Question 285Safety & Environmental - 1st Asst/Chief

The correct answer is B) Ballast a port wing and check the free surface effect for both damaged and intact tanks. The reasoning is that when a ship takes a list due to damage, the objective is to restore the vessel to an even keel position. Ballasting a port wing tank will counteract the list caused by the flooded starboard wing tank, while checking the free surface effect in both the damaged and intact tanks is crucial to ensure the vessel maintains adequate stability. The free surface effect can reduce the ship's righting ability, so this must be accounted for. The other options are incorrect because A) and C) focus only on the damaged side, which does not address the list, and D) addresses the vessel's GM (metacentric height) rather than the immediate need to restore the ship to an even keel.