Question 194 Rules of the Road

The correct answer is D) overtaking situation. This is an overtaking situation because you are approaching vessel "A" from behind and you are unable to see any sidelights on vessel "A". According to the Navigation Rules, a vessel is in an overtaking situation when it is coming up with another vessel from a direction more than 22.5 degrees abaft its beam, meaning from behind. In this case, since you cannot see the sidelights on vessel "A", it indicates that you are approaching from behind and therefore this is an overtaking situation. The other answer choices are incorrect because a crossing situation involves vessels crossing each other's path, a meeting situation involves vessels approaching each other head-on, and a special circumstances situation would require additional information not provided in the question.