A cadet asks who is "really" responsible if something goes wrong on a permit signed by the Chief Officer while the Master is ashore. What's the basic answer?

A. Day-to-day authorisation can be delegated to qualified officers, but the Master retains overall accountability for safety on board — delegation doesn't remove the Master's responsibility

B. Responsibility is shared equally among the entire crew on board at the time

C. Responsibility transfers completely to whoever physically signed the permit

D. The company ashore is solely responsible, regardless of who signed

A. There is no fixed maximum — it depends entirely on the job

B. 48 hours, renewable once without re-inspection

C. 7 days, matching the standard watch rotation

D. 24 hours from issue, with any shorter job-specific time limits also stated on the permit

A. Check elapsed time against the 24-hour limit, recognise it's close to expiry, and flag to the authorising officer that revalidation will be needed rather than letting it lapse unnoticed

B. Cancel the job immediately without consulting the authorising officer

C. Wait until the 24-hour mark is actually reached before mentioning anything

D. Accept the outgoing OOW's assessment and take no further action since the job scope hasn't changed