At night, what is the most effective combination of signalling methods if a vessel's lights are spotted in the distance?

A. A single brief flash of light is always sufficient and repeating the signal wastes resources

B. Orange smoke signals should always be used at night in preference to flares or torches

C. Use a handheld white or red flare if the vessel is close enough for a realistic chance of being seen, combined with the liferaft's built-in light and any torch available — repeated, deliberate signalling rather than one single attempt gives the best chance of being noticed by a watchkeeper who may only glance in that direction occasionally

D. Signalling at night is pointless since vessels never maintain a lookout in darkness

A. A handheld torch used only for close-range signalling to nearby vessels

B. A backup liferaft repair kit component unrelated to communication

C. A type of personal flotation device with no signalling capability at all

D. Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon — once activated (manually or automatically by water immersion), it transmits a distress signal with the vessel's identity and position via satellite to search and rescue authorities, continuing to transmit for an extended period to aid location

A. A PLB is only used for testing equipment ashore, never carried during an actual emergency

B. An EPIRB is typically registered to the vessel and often mounted/stowed for the whole crew, while a PLB is a smaller, individually registered device that a single person can carry on their body — useful if separated from the main group or liferaft

C. EPIRBs and PLBs are functionally and legally identical, with the only difference being colour

D. A PLB has no satellite connectivity and only works at very short range