🔍 Key Concepts

• Draft marks show how deeply the vessel is submerged and must be readable from outside the hull • Think about where a surveyor, pilot, or officer in a small boat would look to quickly read draft • Consider how trim by the bow or stern affects which end sits deeper in the water

💭 Think About

• Which locations would always be visible and easy to read from the pier or a boat alongside, even in a seaway? • If the ship is trimmed by the stern or by the bow, where must marks be placed so you can see how much each end is drawing? • Are draft marks normally placed inside spaces like tanks/voids, or on the outer shell where the sea meets the hull?

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify that draft marks must be on the outside of the hull where the sea meets the ship • Check whether regulations speak of marks at the ends of the vessel (forward and aft) versus only at midships • Eliminate any option that hides the marks away from direct view from outside, such as inside voids or tanks