Question 1

While on watch on your coastal passenger ferry, you see a drifting inflatable life raft 0.5nm away emitting orange smoke. No vessel is visible nearby. What is happening and what do you do?

Accepted Answer

Orange smoke from a life raft is an Annex IV COLREGs DISTRESS SIGNAL — it indicates persons in distress at sea. Immediate actions: (1) Sound three long blasts (attention signal); (2) Begin closing at maximum safe speed; (3) Transmit MAYDAY or Pan-Pan on VHF Ch 16 and DSC Ch 70 with position; (4) Call the master immediately — this is an emergency; (5) Post a lookout to watch for persons in the water near the raft — they may have fallen out or be difficult to see; (6) Prepare rescue equipment: life rings, rescue line, fast rescue craft if carried and sea state permits; (7) Contact MRCC to confirm vessel reported in distress and to coordinate response — they may have a prior MAYDAY notification; (8) Approach the raft from the downwind side; (9) If persons are in the water, prepare MOB recovery procedure; (10) Record time, position, and all actions in the deck log. Orange smoke from a life raft is one of the most unambiguous distress signals possible — it is listed in Annex IV to COLREGs and is specifically designed for daytime distress use (orange smoke canisters are standard SOLAS survival craft equipment). The SOLAS V/33 duty to render assistance applies: a vessel that observes any signal indicating distress must proceed to assist. The "I'm a passenger ferry" exception does not exist. Passenger ferries have been involved in rescue operations — the ferry is often the fastest and largest vessel in coastal waters, and the master must balance passenger welfare against the distress duty. In practice: a ferry can approach a life raft, hold station, and deploy a rescue boat or throw a line to bring survivors on board, all while the passengers are secured in their cabins or muster areas. The drifting life raft without a visible parent vessel: the vessel may have sunk, the raft may have inflated automatically when the vessel sank and the EPIRB/SART may have activated. MRCC will know from EPIRB registration whose vessel this is and can coordinate the SAR response — but the first-on-scene vessel provides the critical first eyes and immediate rescue capability.

Question 2

You are OOW on a 180 GT coastal supply vessel. At night you observe a small sailing vessel showing only a combined red and green lantern at the bow — no white lights visible anywhere. What is this vessel legally showing and are you required to give way?

Accepted Answer

Combined bow lantern (bicolour lantern) — red (port) and green (starboard) sectors combined in one fitting at the bow — is permitted for sailing vessels under 20m in length under Rule 25(b) and (c): Rule 25(b) permits a combined lantern (red/green/white all in one unit at the masthead); Rule 25(c) permits an all-round white light plus the sidelights. For very small vessels under 7m: Rule 25(d) — if not reasonably practicable to show the prescribed lights, show an electric torch or lighted lantern showing a white light in sufficient time to prevent collision. The vessel showing only the bicolour bow lantern without any white sternlight is technically non-compliant unless it is under 7m using the Rule 25(d) exemption. However: it IS a sailing vessel regardless — you must give way under Rule 18(a)(v). Monitor carefully — the lack of sternlight makes aspect determination difficult. Use radar to determine course and speed. Small sailing vessel lighting arrangements are tested at near-coastal level because coastal waters in the UK contain large numbers of recreational sailing vessels, yachts, and small craft. Rule 25 permits multiple lighting options for sailing vessels, and the variety means the OOW must be able to identify sailing vessel status from whatever lights are shown. Key Rule 25 variants: (a) standard (any size): separate sidelights + sternlight; (b) under 20m: optional combined tricolour at masthead instead; (c) additional option: all-round red over green lights at the top of the mast to be more visible; (d) under 7m or rowing boats: white torch/lantern when in danger of collision. The COLREGs obligation to give way to sailing vessels (Rule 18(a)(v)) applies regardless of whether the sailing vessel is showing its lights perfectly. Non-compliance with light rules by the sailing vessel does not remove the power vessel's give-way obligation — Rule 2(a) requires taking all precautions required by ordinary seamanship.

Question 3

Approaching a harbour entrance, you see (from seaward): a red can buoy to the north of the channel, a green conical buoy to the south of the channel, then a port-hand mark showing Fl.R every 4 seconds. You are heading west (270°) into the harbour. Describe how you navigate through these marks.

Accepted Answer

IALA System A — entering harbour heading west: "Red to Port Returning." (1) Red can buoy to the NORTH of the channel: it is on the port side of the channel (keep it to port) — it marks the northern edge of safe water; your channel track runs to the south of it; (2) Green conical buoy to the SOUTH: it is on the starboard side — keep it to starboard; your channel track runs to the north of it; (3) Fl.R every 4 seconds port lateral mark ahead: red light, any rhythm = port hand mark — keep this to PORT as you pass through the entrance. Navigation: steer a course keeping the red buoy to your port (north of track), green buoy to your starboard (south of track), and the Fl.R to your port as you enter. The area of safe navigation is between the red (port) and green (starboard) lateral marks. Lateral mark navigation is the most practical buoyage skill for coastal and near-coastal OOWs. The key principle: "conventional direction of buoyage" defines port and starboard — in harbour approaches it is from seaward into the harbour. The OOW heading west into a harbour is heading IN the conventional direction (from sea to harbour) — so IALA A port/starboard conventions apply directly: RED = PORT side of safe water (keep to port), GREEN = STARBOARD side (keep to starboard). The phrase "Red to Port Returning" summarises this for IALA A. The Fl.R light characteristic: in IALA A, port lateral marks use RED lights; starboard lateral marks use GREEN lights. Any rhythm of red flashing = port hand mark; any rhythm of green flashing = starboard hand mark. The light rhythm (4 second period in this case) does not change the colour convention — only cardinal marks have specific group-count requirements. At near-coastal OOW level, the examiner expects instant confident application of IALA A conventions in realistic harbour approach scenarios.