Question 54 ONC02 - Second Mate/Third Mate Unlimited Tonnage

The Correct Answer is A **Explanation for A (American Bureau of Shipping):** The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) is a classification society that is authorized by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), acting on behalf of the U.S. government, to perform statutory functions, including the assignment and marking of load lines on U.S.-flagged vessels. While the USCG is the ultimate regulatory authority that enforces the regulations (derived from international conventions like the Load Line Convention), ABS is the primary organization that physically carries out the surveys, calculates the required freeboard, and approves the placement of the load line markings (the Plimsoll mark) on ships in the United States. **Why other options are incorrect:** * **B) Coast Guard:** The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) is the regulatory body that *enforces* the load line regulations and grants the ultimate authority. However, they typically *delegate* the technical work of surveying, calculating, and setting the specific markings to recognized organizations, primarily the ABS, rather than performing the marking calculations themselves. * **C) IMO (International Maritime Organization):** The IMO is the United Nations specialized agency that develops and adopts the international conventions (like the International Convention on Load Lines, 1966). While the standards originate here, the IMO itself does not physically set or apply the markings on individual ships in the U.S. or any other country; that responsibility lies with the flag state's administration (delegated to ABS in the U.S.). * **D) Federal Maritime Board:** The Federal Maritime Board (FMB) was a predecessor agency to the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) and primarily dealt with economic regulation of ocean shipping and subsidies. It has no jurisdiction over the technical aspects of vessel safety, classification, or load line markings.