Coast Guard Exams
Question 256Safety & Environmental - 1st Asst/Chief70% to pass

You are on a vessel with a 30' mean draft. While maneuvering away from the dock at slow-speed the vessel grounds near the bow area on hard sand. In order to achieve an additional three foot of trim by the stern, you need to shift ballast from the forepeak, which is full, to the after peak, which is empty. Your ballast pump for this operation has a capacity of 85 tons per hour. How much tonnage needs to be shifted and how long should it take?

AI Explanation
The correct answer is D) The tons to shift for a 36" trim exceeds the tank capacity. This is the correct answer because the draft of the vessel is 30 feet, and to achieve an additional 3 feet of trim by the stern, the amount of ballast that needs to be shifted would exceed the capacity of the ballast tanks. With a 30-foot mean draft, the forepeak tank would need to be completely emptied and the full capacity of the after peak tank would not be enough to achieve the 3-foot trim. The other answer choices provide tonnages and time frames that are not feasible given the vessel's dimensions and tank capacities.