Your examiner asks: "What is 'stowage factor,' and why does it matter when deciding how to load a cargo?"

A. Stowage factor is a safety margin applied only to dangerous goods stowage plans, with no application to general bulk cargo.

B. Stowage factor is the maximum permitted moisture content for a Group A cargo, identical in meaning to the TML.

C. Stowage factor refers only to the deadweight tonnage available for cargo and has no relationship to hold volume.

D. Stowage factor is the volume occupied by a unit weight of cargo (e.g. cubic metres per tonne), used to determine how much hold space a given cargo weight will require and, by extension, what permeability/void space remains — relevant to both cargo planning (will it fit, broken stowage allowance) and stability (a cargo with a higher stowage factor occupies more volume for the same weight, which affects centre of gravity and the hold's effective permeability for flooding/stability calculations).

A. Group A cargoes are chemical-hazard cargoes; Group B cargoes are liquefaction-risk cargoes — the definitions are the reverse of common usage.

B. The IMSBC Code uses the same Class 1-9 numbering system as the IMDG Code, with no separate A/B/C grouping.

C. There are only two categories: hazardous and non-hazardous, with no further sub-classification.

D. Group A: cargoes that may liquefy if carried at a moisture content exceeding their Transportable Moisture Limit (TML). Group B: cargoes that possess a chemical hazard which could give rise to a dangerous situation (e.g. self-heating, toxic, flammable). Group C: cargoes not liable to liquefy (Group A hazard) and not possessing chemical hazards (Group B hazard), though they may still have other physical hazards. Some cargoes can fall into more than one group simultaneously (e.g. both A and B).

A. A shipper's declaration of the cargo's properties (including any chemical hazards relevant to Group B classification, such as self-heating or methane generation for coal), a signed certificate of the Transportable Moisture Limit, and a signed certificate of the actual Moisture Content at the time of shipment — all of which the Master/OOW should review and retain before agreeing to load.

B. No documentation is required for coal cargo specifically, since it is a long-established bulk trade.

C. Only a bill of lading is required; TML and moisture content certification apply only to mineral concentrates, not coal.

D. The shipper's declaration covers quantity and price only; moisture/TML certification is the receiving port's responsibility, not the shipper's.