Question 199Safety & Environmental - 1st Asst/Chief

The correct answer is A) notify the Coast Guard. If oil is detected in the water adjacent to your vessel, even if it is determined to be from a source other than your vessel, you are still required to notify the Coast Guard. This is in accordance with the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, which mandates that any oil discharge into navigable waters must be reported to the National Response Center. Notifying the Coast Guard allows them to investigate the source and take appropriate action, regardless of whether your vessel is the origin of the oil. The other options, while potentially reasonable steps, do not fulfill the requirement to report the oil spill to the authorities. Securing operations or making an entry in the oil record book would not be sufficient on their own.