Question 1

A junior OOW tells you, as Chief Officer conducting a training review, "I was the stand-on vessel under Rule 17, so I had to hold my course and speed no matter what, right up until we were in extremis." How do you correct this?

Accepted Answer

That's an incomplete and potentially dangerous understanding of Rule 17. Rule 17(a)(ii) permits the stand-on vessel to take action as soon as it becomes apparent the give-way vessel is not taking appropriate action — she doesn't have to wait until extremis. Rule 17(b) makes early action a MAY, escalating to a SHALL under 17(c) only once collision cannot be avoided by the give-way vessel's action alone. Teaching a junior officer to hold course rigidly until the last possible moment is exactly the misunderstanding that turns a manageable situation into a genuine emergency This is a genuine, commonly-held misconception worth actively correcting at the training/sign-off stage, before it becomes embedded practice. A Chief Officer who can identify and correct this specific error in a junior officer's understanding — not just recite Rule 17 themselves — is demonstrating the teaching/verification competence examiners expect at management level, distinct from an OOW simply knowing the rule.

Question 2

Rule 5 (Look-out) requires every vessel at all times to maintain a proper look-out by sight and hearing, as well as by all available means appropriate in the prevailing circumstances and conditions — and this duty applies even when the vessel is at anchor in a busy anchorage.

Accepted Answer

True True. Rule 5 applies 'at all times' and to 'every vessel'. A vessel at anchor in a busy anchorage still needs an effective look-out to detect drifting vessels, dragging anchors, or approaching traffic that may pose a risk of collision or contact.

Question 3

Under Rule 6 (Safe Speed), a vessel fitted with a fully operational radar and ARPA never needs to reduce speed in restricted visibility, because the equipment guarantees early detection of other vessels.

Accepted Answer

False False. Rule 6 explicitly lists radar capability as one factor to consider, but also requires accounting for the state of visibility, traffic density, manoeuvrability, and the limitations of radar (range scale, sea/rain clutter, blind sectors). Even a vessel with excellent radar must proceed at a speed that allows proper and effective action to avoid collision and to be stopped within a distance appropriate to the prevailing circumstances.