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

A. 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

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

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

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

A. 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

B. A backup liferaft repair kit component unrelated to communication

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

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

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