Question 1541 Deck General

The correct answer is A) Operations should be shut down immediately. The inert gas system is a critical safety system on vessels carrying flammable cargoes. It is required to maintain a positive pressure and oxygen content below 8% in the cargo spaces to prevent the risk of fire or explosion. If this system is temporarily unable to maintain these requirements, it is extremely hazardous to continue cargo operations, as there is a high risk of an incident. Therefore, the proper and safe action is to shut down operations immediately until the inert gas system is restored to proper functioning. The other options are incorrect because: B) continuing under "Emergency Procedures" would still involve unacceptable risk, C) more frequent monitoring does not address the underlying hazard, and D) continuing at a slower rate does not sufficiently mitigate the risk.