Question 64 ONC05 - Master or Mate of LT 200 GRT

The Correct Answer is B **Explanation for Option B (New York, NY) being correct:** The requirement to sign "foreign" articles is governed by U.S. shipping law, specifically regarding voyages between U.S. ports (coasting trade) versus voyages to a foreign port or voyages involving certain distant domestic ports. U.S. law dictates that voyages between two U.S. mainland ports on the same coast (e.g., San Francisco to Seattle) typically use "coastwise" articles. However, a voyage between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States (e.g., San Francisco to New York) via the Panama Canal is legally defined as a "foreign" voyage for the purpose of signing shipping articles, even though both ports are in the U.S. This classification is primarily related to the necessary port clearances and operational requirements associated with passing through the foreign jurisdiction of the Panama Canal. **Explanation of why other options are incorrect:** * **A) Mazatlan, Mexico (west coast):** While Mazatlan is a foreign port, a voyage from San Francisco to any foreign port (including Mazatlan, Vancouver, or Vera Cruz) requires signing foreign articles. This option is incorrect as the question seeks the *specific* domestic route that requires foreign articles. If the question was simply "which of these requires foreign articles," A, C, and D would also be valid because they are foreign ports. However, option B represents the unique case of a domestic (U.S. to U.S.) route that *requires* foreign articles, making it the intended answer when testing knowledge of this specific legal distinction. * **C) Vancouver, Canada (west coast):** Vancouver is a foreign port. A voyage from San Francisco to Vancouver requires signing foreign articles. Like Mazatlan and Vera Cruz, this option represents the standard requirement for international voyages and does not represent the unique "coast-to-coast domestic requiring foreign articles" scenario intended by the question. * **D) Vera Cruz, Mexico (east coast):** Vera Cruz is a foreign port. A voyage from San Francisco to Vera Cruz requires signing foreign articles. Like A and C, this is a standard foreign voyage and does not fit the specific context where a domestic port is the destination requiring foreign articles.