Question 1

At night you observe: ONE white masthead light, red sidelight, white sternlight. No after masthead light visible. The vessel is bearing 135° from you. What type of vessel is this and what is her aspect to you?

Accepted Answer

ONE forward masthead light + red (port) sidelight + white sternlight: this is a POWER-DRIVEN VESSEL OF LESS THAN 50 METRES in length (vessels under 50m may show one masthead light — Rule 23(b)). The aspect: red sidelight visible means you are seeing the vessel's PORT side — the vessel is heading from right to left relative to you (her port side is toward you). She is bearing 135° (starboard quarter from ahead). If you are on course 000° and she is at 135°: she is to your starboard quarter — from her perspective, you are somewhere on her starboard bow or ahead. COLREGs analysis: is she crossing, overtaking, or head-on in relation to you? She is showing her port side (crossing from your starboard side toward your port — Rule 15 crossing, you may be the give-way vessel if she is on your starboard bow). At management level, lights identification must be instant and must be followed immediately by COLREGs analysis — identifying the vessel type is the first step, but the examiner also expects aspect analysis. The aspect determination from sidelights: RED sidelight = you are looking at the vessel's PORT side — she is therefore heading to your RIGHT (from your perspective, watching a vessel from ahead: if I see her port side, she is heading generally to the right of my view). The one-masthead-light rule: under 50m shows one masthead light (Rule 23(b)); over 50m shows two masthead lights (forward + after, after being higher — Rule 23(a)). No after masthead light = vessel under 50m. At Chief Mate level, the examiner may present a complex scenario with a vessel both identified by lights AND requiring COLREGs analysis of the situation: what rule applies, which vessel is give-way, what action should be taken. Candidates who can only identify the vessel type but cannot complete the COLREGs analysis are assessed as OOW-level, not Chief Mate level.

Question 2

As Chief Mate you are on watch and have developed a close-quarters situation with a vessel that has not responded to VHF calls and appears not to be taking action. The master is now on the bridge. What management-level framework do you apply, and what do you tell the master?

Accepted Answer

Management-level framework for a close-quarters situation: (1) Brief the master concisely on arrival: target bearing, CPA, TCPA, action already taken (course/speed changes), what response (if any) from the other vessel; (2) Confirm your own vessel's status: current course, speed, engine readiness; (3) Apply Rule 17(b) — if the give-way vessel has not acted and a collision cannot be avoided by the give-way vessel alone, the stand-on vessel (if that is you) SHALL take action. This is now a mandatory action, not a permissive one; (4) Rule 2(a) — General Prudential Rule: "Nothing in these Rules shall exonerate any vessel... from the consequences of any neglect to take all precautions which may be required by the ordinary practice of seamen"; (5) Take action EARLY and LARGE — a late small alteration is less effective and less visible than an early substantial alteration; (6) Document actions in the deck log with times; (7) Post-incident: write an OOW narrative of events for the file. Chief Mate COLREGs management is tested at a higher level than OOW — the examiner expects understanding of both the rules and the command management aspects. When the master arrives on the bridge in a close-quarters situation: the master does not automatically "take the con" — the COLREGs responsibility and watchkeeping duty remain with the OOW until the master explicitly states he is taking command. The OOW must brief the master completely and confirm who is taking the con. Rule 2(b) — the General Prudential Rule — is the ultimate override: even if every other rule seems to mandate a specific action, if common sense and seamanship require a departure from the rules to avoid immediate danger, that departure is permitted. Post-incident documentation is a management responsibility: a contemporaneous written account of events, actions taken, and the COLREGs reasoning applied is essential for any subsequent casualty investigation or P&I Club involvement.

Question 3

You are passage planning a voyage that will take your vessel through three different Traffic Separation Schemes. As Chief Mate responsible for the passage plan, what TSS-specific obligations must you document and brief?

Accepted Answer

TSS-specific passage planning obligations (Rule 10 and SOLAS V/34): (1) Identify all TSS on the route — plot them on charts, note their direction of traffic flow and separation zones; (2) Plan the route to navigate in the correct lane (Rule 10(a) — join and navigate in appropriate lanes); (3) If crossing is necessary, plan to cross at right angles to the lane direction (Rule 10(c)); (4) Plan to avoid anchoring in or near a TSS unless in an emergency (Rule 10(g)); (5) Note any deep-water routes or inshore traffic zones relevant to the vessel's draught; (6) Research MSI broadcasts for TSS — check for restricted areas, military exercises, or temporary changes to the scheme; (7) Brief the master in the pre-departure voyage plan review — specifically note any TSS crossing points and their timing (daylight/night preference, tidal considerations); (8) Identify VHF traffic advisory services (CNIS Dover Strait, Jobourg Traffic, Gris Nez Traffic) associated with each TSS. IMO-adopted Traffic Separation Schemes are established under SOLAS Regulation V/10 — compliance with IMO-adopted TSS is mandatory (not voluntary) for vessels to which SOLAS applies. Rule 10 of COLREGs implements the TSS obligations. The Chief Mate's passage planning duty under SOLAS V/34: the Appraisal and Planning stages must specifically address TSS by identifying all schemes on the route, the direction of use, and crossing obligations. Key inshore traffic zones (Rule 10(d)): a vessel not bound for a port in the ITZ area should normally use the TSS lane rather than the inshore zone — the ITZ is reserved for vessels using the adjacent ports. Anchorage in TSS (Rule 10(g)): "a vessel shall not anchor in a traffic separation scheme or in areas near its terminations, except in cases of emergency, force majeure, or for the purpose of giving assistance to persons, ships, or aircraft in danger." Vessels are fined by port states for anchoring in TSS without justification.