Before departure, several additional guests and a large amount of luggage/provisions are loaded, along with launching the tender. How should this affect your pre-departure checks as Master?

A. Reassess the vessel's loading condition (draft, trim, freeboard, stability margins) against the approved loading conditions, particularly if weight is added high up (e.g. on upper decks) or the tender's stowage/launching affects stability or freeboard

B. No action needed — small additions are within normal margins by default

C. Ask the guests to redistribute their own luggage

D. Only check stability if the vessel is over 500GT

A. Only the Chief Engineer needs to consider this, never the deck watchkeeper

B. None — stability is fixed regardless of loading

C. Increased displacement generally raises the centre of gravity if weight is added high up, and free surface effects in partially-filled tanks can reduce the effective metacentric height (GM)

D. Additional weight always improves stability regardless of where it is placed

A. This only matters when the vessel is at anchor

B. Negligible — watertight doors below the waterline are rarely closed anyway

C. Only relevant if the vessel carries passengers

D. Significant — a failed watertight closure compromises the subdivision the vessel's damage stability calculations rely on, potentially allowing progressive flooding between compartments in the event of damage