Question 38 QMED05 - Machinist-Pump Technician

The Correct Answer is A. **Why option A ("pumping out flooded compartments") is correct:** Progressive flooding refers to the worsening ingress of water that can destabilize a vessel. Once watertight boundaries are secured (limiting the spread of water), the primary next step to minimize the effect of flooding and mitigate the situation is damage control, which includes removing the floodwater. Pumping out the flooded compartments reduces the free surface effect, restores buoyancy, and lowers the dangerously high metacentric height (GM) caused by the ingress of water, thus directly counteracting the effects of the flooding. This is a critical action in damage stability management. **Why the other options are incorrect:** * **B) dumping fuel oil:** While dumping fuel oil (jettisoning) might reduce the overall weight of the vessel, it is primarily a measure taken for stability or pollution control under specific circumstances. It does not directly stop or minimize the effects of the flooding itself, nor is it the immediate, necessary step after securing boundaries. Furthermore, uncontrolled dumping of oil is generally prohibited due to environmental regulations. * **C) evacuating the engine room:** Evacuating the engine room is a safety measure taken when conditions become immediately hazardous, but it is an abandonment of the damage control effort. Evacuation does not minimize the flooding; it ceases the attempts to fight the flood, ensuring the progression of the damage. * **D) transferring reserve feedwater:** Transferring feedwater (or other liquid loads) might be used as a counter-flooding measure to adjust trim or heel, or reduce free surface effect in the tanks being emptied, but it is a secondary, tactical stability measure. Pumping out the compartment that is actually flooded (Option A) is the direct and primary action required to combat the progressive flooding.