Question 16 RVR03 - Mate of LT 500-1600 GRT

The Correct Answer is B **Explanation of Option B (The Mississippi River System):** Option B, "The Mississippi River System," is correct because the Inland Navigation Rules (33 CFR Subchapter E, Part 89 – Inland Rules) apply specifically to the navigable waters of the United States shoreward of the established demarcation lines (Rule 3(a)). The Mississippi River and its connected navigable tributaries fall squarely within the definition and intent of "Inland Waters" for the purpose of these rules. **Explanation of Incorrect Options:** * **A) The Great Lakes in their entirety:** This is incorrect. While the Inland Rules apply to specific areas of the Great Lakes (like bays, harbors, and connecting waterways), the Great Lakes themselves (specifically the main bodies of the five lakes) are governed by the **Great Lakes Pilotage Rules** and special rules under 33 CFR Part 90, which modify the application of the Inland Rules in those areas. For the purpose of the general definition of "Inland Waters" under the Inland Rules, the entirety of the Great Lakes is treated somewhat separately due to these specialized regulations. * **C) U.S. waters out to three miles offshore:** This is incorrect. The demarcation line that separates the application of the Inland Rules and the International Rules (COLREGs) is defined by specific coordinates and geographic landmarks, not a simple distance offshore. Waters seaward of the established demarcation lines are considered International Waters, and the rules applied there are the International Rules, even if they are within the three-mile territorial sea limit. Inland Waters are defined as the waters **shoreward** of these lines. * **D) The St. Lawrence River to Anticosti Island:** This is incorrect. The demarcation line in the St. Lawrence River is set at a specific geographic point near Cape Sorel. Waters seaward of that line are subject to the International Rules. Extending the Inland Rules all the way to Anticosti Island would be a vast overreach into international navigable waters.