Depth vs. Draft: which statement is true?

• A. Depth is measured from deck to bottom; Draft is Waterline to bottom
• B. Depth is waterline to bottom; Draft is deck to bottom
• C. Depth is load line; Draft measures depth of cargo hold
• D. Depth and Draft refer to the same measurement in shipping

Answer: (A)

Depth and draft describe two different vertical measurements of a ship. Depth is the height of the hull from the deck down to the bottom, essentially how tall the hull is above the waterline. Draft is how deep the hull sits in the water, measured from the waterline down to the lowest point of the hull (usually the keel). So the correct statement is that depth runs from the deck to the bottom, while draft runs from the waterline to the bottom.

The other ideas mix up where these measurements are taken. Depth isn’t measured from the waterline to the bottom; that would be draft. Draft isn’t a measurement of the cargo hold’s depth. And depth and draft are not the same measurement—they describe different parts of the hull and are used for different purposes, such as overall hull size versus how much of the hull is submerged.