When discharging clean ballast, prior to entering the loading port, if the ballast is determined by the oil monitor to exceed 15 parts per million of oil, the deballasting must _________.

Correct Answer: Option C — be terminated automatically

MARPOL Annex I requires that oil discharge monitoring and control systems (ODME) automatically terminate the discharge of ballast water if the oil content exceeds 15 parts per million. This fail-safe mechanism prevents illegal pollution and ensures compliance with international standards for the prevention of oil pollution from ships.