Question 1140 Deck General

70% to pass

Which tanker discharge pattern would be the safest and most efficient?

A Empty the forward tanks and start working aft, emptying each tank in sequence
B Start discharging with most of the discharge coming from forward, but include some from midships and after tanks
C Start pumping from midships and then work forward and aft simultaneously as the midships tank is emptied
D Start pumping from forward, midships, and aft with the discharge distributed equally among the tanks
AI Explanation

The correct answer is B) Start discharging with most of the discharge coming from forward, but include some from midships and after tanks. This is the safest and most efficient tanker discharge pattern for a few reasons: 1) Starting the discharge from the forward tanks helps maintain the ship's trim and stability as the tanks are emptied. This prevents the ship from becoming unstable or developing excessive list as the cargo is offloaded. 2) Including some discharge from the midships and aft tanks helps maintain the ship's overall longitudinal stability throughout the offloading process. This distributes the weight loss more evenly along the length of the vessel. The other options are less ideal - A) unloading the forward tanks first can lead to instability, C) unloading the midships first can cause trim issues, and D) equally distributing the discharge can be less efficient. Option B strikes the best balance between safety and efficiency.

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