🔍 Key Concepts

• Vessel documentation hierarchy: what each document is for (station bill, SMS, Certificate of Documentation, general arrangement plan, stability booklet) • Damage control and watertight integrity: what information you actually need right after a collision • Plans vs. certificates: which documents show physical layout (compartments, closures, vents) versus regulatory status or manning

💭 Think About

• Right after a collision and after you start the specific damage control procedures from the stability booklet, what additional information would be most critical to know about the ship itself? • Which of these choices describes a document that actually shows the physical layout of spaces, watertight boundaries, and potential flooding paths, rather than crew assignments or regulatory details? • Think about which option would help you locate where the damage is, what compartments might flood, and how water might spread or be contained.

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify which document typically includes crew assignments and duties in emergencies, and whether that is enough by itself to manage damage control layout-wise. • Check which document(s) usually contain plans showing compartments, watertight doors, hatches, vents, and closures used for damage control and stability assessment. • Confirm that certificates like a Certificate of Documentation state ownership/tonnage/endorsements, and do not normally contain detailed technical data for calculating free surface corrections.