A vessel has a cargo hold divided by a shaft alley into two tanks, each 35 feet long and 20 feet wide. Each tank is half filled with sea water. The vessel displaces 5,000 tons. What is the reduction in GM due to free surface effect?

Correct Answer: Option A — .27 foot

Combined free surface moments of multiple tanks are summed directly. For two half-filled tanks measuring 35' by 20' on a 5,000-ton vessel, applying the standard free surface correction formula across both spaces results in a total GM reduction of 0.27 foot.