Question 1007 Rules of the Road

The correct answer is C) No fog signal. According to the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS), when a vessel is towing another vessel, the towing vessel (the tug) is responsible for sounding the appropriate fog signal. The vessels being towed (the barges) are not required to sound a fog signal. The tug should sound one prolonged blast at intervals of not more than 2 minutes. The other options are incorrect because: A) One short blast is not the appropriate fog signal for a towing vessel; B) One prolonged and three short blasts is the fog signal for a vessel not under command, which is not the case here; and D) One prolonged and two short blasts is the fog signal for a vessel constrained by her draft, which is also not applicable to this scenario.