You are underway in the Gulf of Mexico when you hear a... - USCG Deck Safety

You are underway in the Gulf of Mexico when you hear a distress message over the VHF radio. The position of the sender is about 20 miles south of Galveston, TX, and you are about 80 miles ESE of Galveston. What action should you take?

A Do not acknowledge receipt because you are too far away to take action

B Immediately acknowledge receipt of the distress message

C Do not acknowledge receipt until other ships nearer to the distress have acknowledged

D Defer acknowledgment for a short interval so that a coast station may acknowledge receipt

AI Explanation

The correct answer is D) Defer acknowledgment for a short interval so that a coast station may acknowledge receipt. The reasoning for this is that according to maritime regulations, a vessel that is not in the best position to render immediate assistance should defer acknowledgment of a distress message, in order to allow a nearby vessel or coast station to receive and acknowledge the message first. This allows the closest and most capable responders to coordinate the rescue effort. Options A, B, and C are incorrect because they either ignore the regulation to defer acknowledgment, or could result in multiple vessels attempting to respond when a single, closer vessel may be more appropriate.

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Question 6 Deck Safety

You are underway in the Gulf of Mexico when you hear a distress message over the VHF radio. The position of the sender is about 20 miles south of Galveston, TX, and you are about 80 miles ESE of Galveston. What action should you take?

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