Question 17 TV02 - Towing Vessels - Great Lakes and Inland

The Correct Answer is B **Explanation for B (Sidelights and a stern light):** This scenario is governed by Rule 24(g) of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs), concerning towing and pushing operations. Rule 24(g) states: "A vessel or object being towed, other than those mentioned in paragraph (i) of this Rule, shall exhibit sidelights and a stern light." Since a vessel being towed alongside is still considered part of a towing operation, and there are no specific exemptions for this method that change its lighting fundamentally from a standard tow (unless it qualifies as an inconspicuous, partly submerged vessel/object, which it typically would not), it must show the lights required for a standard towed vessel: **sidelights and a stern light**. **Explanation for why other options are incorrect:** * **A) One all-round white light:** This light configuration is reserved for inconspicuous, partially submerged vessels or objects being towed (Rule 24(i)). It is not the standard requirement for a conventional vessel being towed. * **C) A masthead light, sidelights, and a stern light:** This combination (or variations thereof) represents the lights required for a vessel **underway** (Rules 23/30), or a vessel **towing** (Rule 24(a), requiring two or three masthead lights). A vessel being towed alongside is not considered to be underway solely by its own power and does not show masthead lights. * **D) Only the outboard sidelight and a stern light:** COLREGs Rule 24(g) explicitly requires "sidelights" (plural), meaning both port and starboard lights, along with the stern light, regardless of the positioning alongside the towing vessel. Restricting the sidelight to only the outboard one is not permitted.