Question 1

Your examiner asks: "You're Master, put into port after a minor contact incident. What's your immediate responsibility regarding evidence and reporting, distinct from the technical COLREGs question of who was at fault?"

Accepted Answer

Preserve evidence promptly (VDR, logs, charts, statements while memories are fresh), notify the company/DPA and P&I Club without delay so they can advise and, if needed, appoint surveyors or lawyers before evidence is lost or accounts drift, and comply with flag/port state reporting obligations (and MAIB reporting if the incident meets the UK reporting threshold) — the fault determination itself is a separate legal/technical question that follows later, often adversarially, and the Master's job in the immediate aftermath is to protect the factual record, not to pre-judge or admit liability This is classic command-level material — the technical COLREGs analysis (who breached what rule) is important but secondary, in the immediate aftermath, to the practical duties of evidence preservation and timely notification. Masters who delay notifying the Club or DPA, or who informally admit fault before proper investigation, can materially worsen the company's position regardless of the underlying facts.

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.