Question 1415 Deck General

The correct answer is D) the deballasting must be terminated automatically. The reason this is the correct answer is that under the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), ships are required to have an oil content meter that will automatically stop the discharge of ballast water if the oil content exceeds 15 parts per million. This ensures that oil-contaminated ballast water is not discharged directly into the marine environment. The other answer choices are incorrect because: A) the ballast cannot simply be allowed to settle, as it must be automatically terminated; B) the entire ballast does not need to be discharged, only the contaminated portion; and C) "load on top" is a separate process not related to the automatic termination of the deballasting.