Question 675 Rules of the Road

The correct answer is A) they indicate that other vessels should not approach within 1000 meters. The special identity lights used by vessels engaged in mine clearance operations are regulated by the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS). These regulations state that such vessels must display special flashing or all-round lights to indicate their status and caution other vessels to keep clear. The required arc of visibility and color of the lights are not specified in the COLREGS. Additionally, these special lights are not used in place of the standard navigation lights, but rather in addition to them. Therefore, option A correctly describes the purpose of the special identity lights, which is to warn other vessels to maintain a safe distance of at least 1000 meters. The other options are incorrect as they do not accurately reflect the COLREGS requirements for these types of lights.