During the night, the OOW detects the vessel is dragging anchor in worsening weather, with several other anchored vessels in proximity. What is the priority sequence of actions?

A. Immediately weigh anchor and depart the anchorage without first calling the Master or assessing surrounding vessel positions

B. Call the Master immediately, bring the engine to immediate readiness (or confirm it already is), assess the situation against nearby vessels and hazards, and be prepared to either pay out more chain (if room and holding ground allow) or weigh anchor and reposition/get underway — do not wait to "see if it stops dragging" before escalating, given the proximity of other vessels and worsening conditions

C. Wait until the next scheduled watch handover before informing the Master, since the situation may resolve on its own

D. Take no action since dragging is a normal and expected occurrence at anchor requiring no escalation

A. Scope is the ratio of chain length paid out to the depth of water; a greater scope lays more chain along the seabed, reducing the angle of pull on the anchor itself (keeping the pull more horizontal), which significantly improves the anchor's ability to dig in and hold rather than being lifted or dragged by a more vertical pull

B. A shorter scope always provides better holding power than a longer scope in all conditions

C. Scope is irrelevant to holding power and only affects swing radius

D. Scope refers only to the type of anchor fitted and has nothing to do with chain length

A. Anchor type has no bearing on holding power, only chain scope matters

B. A high-holding-power anchor is designed and tested to achieve significantly greater holding power for a given weight compared to a standard stockless anchor, allowing either a lighter anchor for the same holding requirement or better holding for the same weight — the trade-off can include different digging-in behaviour or seabed type sensitivity depending on design

C. All anchor types provide identical holding power regardless of design, with weight being the only relevant factor

D. Stockless anchors always provide more holding power than any HHP design, making HHP anchors obsolete