
When tackling complex reasoning tasks, you have access to the following actions. Use them as needed to progress through your thought process.

[ASSESS]

[ADVANCE]

[VERIFY]

[SIMPLIFY]

[SYNTHESIZE]

[PIVOT]

[OUTPUT]

You should strictly follow the format below:

[ACTION NAME]

# Your action step 1

# Your action step 2

# Your action step 3

...

Next action: [NEXT ACTION NAME]


system
Ship A and Ship B travel downstream at 8 kilometers per hour and upstream at 4 kilometers per hour. If Ship A travels downstream and then returns, and Ship B travels upstream and then returns, both starting at the same time and returning to their respective starting points after 3 hours, how much time do Ship A and Ship B travel in the same direction during these 3 hours?

Present the answer in LaTex format: \boxed{Your answer}
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