Question 46 RVR01 - Master of Unlimited Tonnage

The Correct Answer is A **Why Option A is Correct:** This question references a specific exception found in the US Inland Rules (33 CFR § 83.01 - Application). Specifically, Rule 1(c) addresses vessels that, due to their construction (as determined by the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating, which is the Secretary of Homeland Security), cannot comply fully with the requirements for the placement or spacing of lights. In such cases, the rule requires that the lights "shall comply as closely as possible" to the requirements of the rules. This ensures safety is maintained to the maximum extent practicable without requiring impossible structural alterations to specialized vessels. **Why Other Options Are Incorrect:** * **B) The vessel must be altered to permit full compliance with the rules.** This is incorrect because the premise of the question is that the Secretary has *already* determined the vessel *cannot* comply with the spacing requirement. Requiring structural alteration in these specific, certified cases contradicts the relief provided by Rule 1(c). * **C) An all-round light should be substituted for the after-masthead light and the stern light.** This describes a lighting configuration used for specific types of smaller power-driven vessels (like those less than 12 meters), but it is not the standard requirement mandated when a larger vessel cannot meet masthead light spacing requirements. The requirement under the exception is to comply as closely as possible with the *original* mandated lighting scheme. * **D) The vessel must carry only the lights that comply with the rules; the others may be omitted.** This is incorrect and highly dangerous. Omitting required navigation lights simply because they cannot be perfectly spaced would severely compromise collision avoidance safety. The rule requires that all necessary lights must be carried, even if they can only be placed "as closely as possible" to the required specifications.