Your vessel's drafts are: FWD 18'-09", AFT 20'-03". How much more cargo can be loaded to have the vessel down to the freeboard draft? (Use the information in Section 1, the blue pages, of the Stability Data Reference Book)

Correct Answer: Option B — 5349 tons

Initial draft averaging accounts for vessel trim before referencing hydrostatic tables. Subtracting baseline displacement from the maximum authorized load line displacement confirms the remaining cargo deadweight capacity.