Question 16 RVR01 - Master of Unlimited Tonnage

The Correct Answer is B **Explanation for B (The Mississippi River System):** The Inland Navigation Rules (33 CFR Subchapter E, specifically Part 89 which defines the demarcation lines) apply to the navigable waters of the United States shoreward of the established demarcation lines. The Mississippi River, along with its tributaries, is explicitly categorized as an Inland Waterway system under the jurisdiction of these rules. Waters landward of the demarcation lines—which include major river systems like the Mississippi—are considered "Inland Waters" for the purpose of the Inland Navigation Rules. **Why the other options are incorrect:** * **A) The Great Lakes in their entirety:** While the Inland Rules apply to the U.S. waters of the Great Lakes, the Great Lakes have specific applicability rules (e.g., Annex V of the Inland Rules, and certain areas are governed by the International Rules). Furthermore, the Great Lakes are treated somewhat uniquely, and defining "Inland Waters" simply as "The Great Lakes in their entirety" is inaccurate, as they are often treated separately from the core riverine and sheltered harbor areas typically meant by the term "Inland Waters" in the general sense, even though the Inland Rules apply there. Crucially, the navigable waters of the U.S. shoreward of the demarcation lines (which includes areas within the Great Lakes) are what count, not the lakes "in their entirety," which could imply Canadian waters. * **C) U.S. waters out to three miles offshore:** Waters seaward of the demarcation lines (which are generally close to the shore or harbor mouths) are considered International Waters (COLREGs Waters). The demarcation lines are often significantly closer to shore than the traditional three-mile territorial sea limit. Therefore, U.S. waters out to three miles offshore are primarily subject to the International Rules (COLREGs), not the Inland Rules. * **D) The St. Lawrence River to Anticosti Island:** The demarcation line separating the Inland Rules from the International Rules on the St. Lawrence River is located much further upstream (near St. Regis, NY/Cornwall, Ontario, or where the river enters the territorial sea boundary) than Anticosti Island. The waters seaward of the St. Regis area are subject to the International Rules (COLREGs). Anticosti Island is deep within the Gulf of St. Lawrence, far outside the Inland Waters boundary.