Question 4479 Deck General

The correct answer is D) ballasting. In the event of heavy weather threatening a vessel, the principal action in changing from transit to survival draft is to add ballast to the vessel. This increases the vessel's stability and lowers its center of gravity, which helps it better withstand the forces of heavy seas and high winds. Ballasting the vessel is the appropriate action to take to shift to a more stable, survival-ready configuration. The other options are incorrect - hanging off and disconnecting are not the primary actions for changing draft, and deballasting would actually decrease the vessel's stability, the opposite of what is needed in heavy weather.