Question 1876 Deck Safety

The correct answer is A) Cuts down free surface effect. Watertight longitudinal divisions in double bottom tanks help to reduce the free surface effect. The free surface effect occurs when liquids in partially filled tanks can shift and affect the vessel's stability. By dividing the tanks into smaller compartments, the free surface effect is minimized, which is an advantage of this design. The other answer choices are incorrect. B) Increasing the rolling period and C) lowering the center of buoyancy without decreasing GM are not direct advantages of the watertight longitudinal divisions. D) Decreasing weight is also not an advantage, as the extra stiffeners required for the divisions would add some weight to the vessel.