Question 16 TV03 - Towing Vessels - Western Rivers

The Correct Answer is B **Explanation for Option B (The Mississippi River System) being Correct:** The definition of "Inland Waters" for the purpose of the Inland Navigation Rules (33 CFR Subchapter E, Part 89 – Inland Navigation Rules Applicability) generally covers bodies of water shoreward of the COLREG Demarcation Lines. Specifically, the Inland Rules apply on the **navigable waters of the United States shoreward of the established demarcation lines** (33 U.S.C. 2001(l)). The Mississippi River System—which includes the Mississippi River, its tributaries, and the connecting Western Rivers—are entirely navigable waters of the United States located shoreward of any demarcation lines and therefore fall squarely under the definition and applicability 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 U.S. waters of the Great Lakes are designated as "Great Lakes" (a specific category of Inland Waters) and are governed by special Annexes to the Inland Rules. More importantly, the phrase "in their entirety" is incorrect because the Great Lakes are shared with Canada, and the Canadian portions are not governed by the U.S. Inland Navigation Rules. * **C) U.S. waters out to three miles offshore:** This area is generally defined as the Territorial Sea. The demarcation lines (which separate Inland Waters from International/COLREG waters) are usually much closer to shore, sometimes immediately at the entrance of a harbor or river mouth, and almost always well short of the 3-mile limit. Waters seaward of the demarcation lines are considered International Waters where the COLREGs (International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea) apply, not the Inland Rules. * **D) The St. Lawrence River to Anticosti Island:** The St. Lawrence River is a border and international waterway. The Inland Rules only apply on the part of the St. Lawrence River west of a specified position near St. Regis, Quebec/Massena, New York (33 CFR 89.25). East of that point, and certainly well before reaching Anticosti Island (which is far out in the Gulf of St. Lawrence/Atlantic Ocean), the International Rules (COLREGs) apply.