CMI Marine Accident Investigation Procedures 2

Question 1

Under 46 CFR Part 4, which entity has primary jurisdiction for investigating a marine casualty involving a documented U.S. vessel on the high seas?

Accepted Answer

U.S. Coast Guard

Answer

The U.S. Coast Guard has primary jurisdiction under 46 CFR Part 4 for investigating marine casualties involving U.S. documented vessels, including those on the high seas.

Question 2

When preserving physical evidence at a marine accident scene, what is the investigator's first priority?

Accepted Answer

Ensuring the safety of personnel still aboard

Answer

Life safety always takes precedence over evidence collection; the investigator must confirm the scene is safe before undertaking any evidence preservation activities.

Question 3

Which document is considered the primary official record of a vessel's movements and is given high evidentiary weight during a marine investigation?

Accepted Answer

Deck log (official logbook)

Answer

The official deck log is a legal record maintained under maritime law and carries strong evidentiary weight as the contemporaneous record of a vessel's operations.

Question 4

The 'human factors' component of a marine accident investigation primarily examines which of the following?

Accepted Answer

How crew decisions and actions contributed to the casualty

Answer

Human factors analysis focuses on cognitive, physiological, and organizational influences on crew behavior that may have contributed to an accident.

Question 5

During a post-casualty interview, an investigator should use open-ended questions primarily because they:

Accepted Answer

Encourage narrative responses that may reveal unexpected details

Answer

Open-ended questions prompt witnesses to describe events in their own words, which often surfaces information the investigator had not anticipated.

(CMI) Certified Marine Investigator Practice Test

(CMI) Certified Marine Investigator Practice Test

CMI Marine Accident Investigation Procedures 2