188. With regard to a ballast system associated with a dry cargo ship, what is the primary purpose of the fore peak and aft peak tanks?

Fore peak and aft peak tanks are ballast tanks used to adjust a vessel's trim, which is the difference in draft between the bow and stern. Their location at the ship's ends provides leverage for effectively changing this fore-and-aft balance, unlike list, hogging, sagging, or overall draft which are managed by other ballast systems.