Question 37 MODU02 - Barge Supervisor

The Correct Answer is C ### Explanation of Correct Answer (C) According to the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs), Rule 34(a)(i), when vessels are in sight of one another, **one short blast** signifies: "I am altering my course to starboard." Similarly, **two short blasts** signify: "I am altering my course to port." The wording of the COLREGs rule uses the present continuous tense ("I am altering my course..."), meaning the signal indicates that the maneuver (the alteration of course to port) is *currently happening* or is being initiated at that moment. Therefore, "The vessel is altering course to port" is the accurate interpretation of two short blasts in international waters. ### Explanation of Incorrect Options **A) The vessel will alter course to port** This option uses the future tense ("will alter"). While the vessel is indeed altering course to port (or has just begun to), the COLREGs terminology for the two-short-blast signal uses the present tense/present continuous ("I am altering"), implying an action currently underway, not merely a future intention. **B) The vessel intends to pass starboard to starboard** This describes the geometry of a passing situation but is not the direct meaning of the two-short-blast maneuver signal. Passing signals are typically composed of combinations of short blasts only when taking action. While altering course to port might be a component of a starboard-to-starboard pass (depending on the initial situation), the two short blasts explicitly define the *action* being taken (altering course to port), not the intention for passing geometry. **D) The vessel intends to alter course to port** This option uses the term "intends." In COLREGs (International only), the short blast signals (one, two, or three) are **execution signals**—they describe the action the vessel is taking right now ("I am altering..."). Signals of "intention" are typically reserved for situations where intent must be communicated before execution, but the standard maneuvering signals are execution signals. The phrase "I am altering" is stronger than "I intend to alter."