During vessel familiarization, you find the vessel you are newly assigned to as chief engineer has a high-pressure CO2 system for the engine room. In what way are the high-pressure CO2 bottles released in the event of an engine room fire?

Correct Answer: Option A — The master cylinder sends gas to the actuators on all bottles in the affected banks.

High-pressure CO2 systems utilize a master cylinder containing a small charge of CO2. When activated, this gas travels through pilot lines to pneumatic actuators on the main bank cylinders, opening them simultaneously. This design ensures a rapid, total-flood discharge required to suppress large-scale engine room fires effectively.