Question 80Safety & Environmental - 1st Asst/Chief

The correct answer is C) As much reserve buoyancy as possible. The reasoning is that in a grounding situation where the vessel has lost buoyancy due to flooding, the priority should be to maintain as much reserve buoyancy as possible. This helps prevent the vessel from sinking further or capsizing. Reducing free surface and lowering the center of gravity are important steps, but preserving overall buoyancy is the most critical factor in this scenario. The other options are not correct because: A) Maintaining the pre-grounding ballast state may not be sufficient to address the new stability issues; B) Achieving a neutral GM (center of gravity at the metacenter) is not as important as preserving buoyancy; and D) Maintaining a no-list condition is secondary to ensuring adequate reserve buoyancy.