🔍 Key Concepts

• How bilge suctions are led from bilge wells to a common bilge main or manifold • The individual suction lines and valves from that manifold to the bilge, ballast, and general service pumps • The meaning of different line labels and symbols (e.g., check valves vs. stop valves) on the piping diagram

💭 Think About

• Starting at the label for the forward, port, engine room bilge, trace the piping and note which main or manifold it joins—does it connect only to one pump, or to a common line serving several pumps? • For each of the three pumps shown, follow its suction side and count how many have a valve connection to the same bilge main that the forward, port bilge connects to. • Look for any check valves in the bilge line near each pump—would those allow suction from the bilge well into that pump, or do they only permit flow in another direction?

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify that you can clearly identify the forward, port, engine room bilge connection and the exact piping line style it uses (bilge vs. ballast vs. fuel). • Confirm, by following the drawing, which pumps are actually piped with an openable valve to that same bilge main—not just nearby, but directly connected on the suction side. • Double‑check flow direction arrows and check valve orientation so you don’t count a pump that cannot physically draw suction from that bilge well.