Question 682 Rules of the Road

The correct answer is B) a tug and a barge being towed astern. The display of lights shown in illustration D048RR represents the lighting configuration for a towing vessel (the tug) and a vessel being towed (the barge) when operating at night. This arrangement of lights is required by the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS) and the Inland Navigation Rules to indicate the presence and relative position of the towing vessel and the towed vessel. The other answer choices are incorrect because a submarine on the surface (A) would have a different lighting arrangement, a vessel not under command (C) would display different signals, and a sailing vessel (D) would have a different configuration of masthead, sidelights, and stern lights.