Deck General and Deck Safety Practice Test

G is the centre of gravity—the point where the ship’s total weight can be considered to act vertically downward. This location reflects how weight is distributed through the hull, including cargo, fuel, ballast, and structure. Stability in small tilts depends on G relative to the metacenter M: the distance between G and M (the metacentric height) indicates how strong the restoring righting moment will be. If G lies below M, the ship has positive stability and tends to right itself when inclined; if G rises above M, stability is reduced. The centre of buoyancy is a different point where buoyant force acts, and metacentric height is the distance between G and M, not G itself.