An OOW who recently joined the vessel and has limited experience with its specific handling characteristics (e.g. how strongly transverse thrust manifests, or how the bow responds to thruster input) is assigned to assist with an upcoming departure. What should happen before the departure?

A. No additional preparation is needed since the OOW holds a valid certificate of competency covering ship-handling generally

B. The OOW should be given full independent conning responsibility immediately to build experience as quickly as possible

C. A specific briefing or, ideally, supervised practice/observation of the vessel's particular handling characteristics should occur before the OOW takes an active conning or assisting role in a real departure — assuming generic ship-handling competence transfers automatically to this specific vessel's quirks is a known gap that should be closed deliberately, not discovered during a live manoeuvre

D. Vessel-specific handling characteristics are identical across all vessels of similar size and type, so no familiarisation is needed

A. Query the change directly and ask the pilot to explain the reasoning before accepting it — the pilot brings essential local knowledge, but the Master retains overall responsibility for the vessel and must understand and be satisfied with the plan being followed, not simply defer without comprehension

B. Insist on the original MPX plan being followed exactly regardless of the pilot's reasoning

C. Accept the new plan without question since the pilot has local knowledge and authority over all manoeuvring decisions

D. Say nothing and monitor passively, since pilots are never required to explain their plan to the Master

A. Wait for the Master to notice independently before raising any concern

B. Speak up immediately and clearly, stating the specific observed hazard — the presence of a pilot does not remove the bridge team's obligation to maintain independent monitoring and to challenge anything that appears unsafe, regardless of the pilot's experience or authority on the bridge

C. Say nothing, since the pilot is in charge of conning the vessel and has ultimate authority over the navigation

D. Only raise the concern after the vessel has already entered the shallow water, to avoid questioning the pilot prematurely