CMI Maritime Law & Regulatory Compliance 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under 33 CFR Part 155, what must a vessel owner submit to the USCG to demonstrate oil spill response preparedness?
- A Vessel Response Plan (VRP) (Correct answer)
- An Environmental Impact Assessment
- A Ballast Water Management Plan
- A Port State Control Declaration
Correct answer: A Vessel Response Plan (VRP)
33 CFR Part 155 requires certain vessels to have a Coast Guard-approved Vessel Response Plan detailing spill response capabilities and resources.
Question 2: The concept of 'maintenance and cure' in maritime law requires a shipowner to provide what to an injured seaman?
- Legal representation in admiralty court
- Daily living expenses and medical treatment until maximum medical improvement (Correct answer)
- Lifetime disability payments
- Replacement wages equal to full salary indefinitely
Correct answer: Daily living expenses and medical treatment until maximum medical improvement
Maintenance covers daily living expenses and cure covers medical treatment; both are owed until the seaman reaches maximum medical improvement (MMI).
Question 3: Which provision of SOLAS requires passenger ships to carry sufficient lifeboats and life rafts for everyone aboard?
- SOLAS Chapter II-2 (Fire Protection)
- SOLAS Chapter III (Life-Saving Appliances) (Correct answer)
- SOLAS Chapter IV (Radiocommunications)
- SOLAS Chapter VI (Carriage of Cargo)
Correct answer: SOLAS Chapter III (Life-Saving Appliances)
SOLAS Chapter III establishes requirements for life-saving appliances including lifeboats, rescue boats, and life rafts for all persons aboard.
Question 4: Under the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act (COGSA), what is the default per-package liability limit for cargo damage?
- $500 per package or customary freight unit (Correct answer)
- $1,000 per package or customary freight unit
- $2,500 per container
- Actual value of the goods lost
Correct answer: $500 per package or customary freight unit
COGSA limits a carrier's liability for cargo damage to $500 per package or customary freight unit unless a higher value is declared.
Question 5: A marine investigator discovers that a vessel's fire detection system was inoperable for weeks prior to a casualty. Under ISM Code, this most likely indicates a failure of:
- Flag state port control oversight
- The company's Safety Management System maintenance procedures (Correct answer)
- MARPOL Annex II compliance
- Classification society hull survey requirements
Correct answer: The company's Safety Management System maintenance procedures
A persistent equipment deficiency indicates a breakdown in the ISM Code's requirement for systematic preventive maintenance procedures within the Safety Management System.
Question 6: Under 46 CFR, who is responsible for reporting a marine casualty to the USCG within 5 days?
- The vessel's insurer
- The owner, agent, master, or operator of the vessel (Correct answer)
- The port authority where the casualty occurred
- The classification society surveyor
Correct answer: The owner, agent, master, or operator of the vessel
46 CFR Part 4 requires the owner, agent, master, or operator to file a written marine casualty report with the USCG within 5 days of the incident.
Question 7: The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs) Rule 5 requires every vessel to maintain:
- Adequate life-saving equipment
- A proper lookout by all available means (Correct answer)
- A posted watch schedule
- Radar on continuous operation
Correct answer: A proper lookout by all available means
COLREGs Rule 5 mandates that every vessel maintain a proper lookout by sight, hearing, and all available means appropriate to the circumstances.
CMI Maritime Law & Regulatory Compliance 4
Under 33 CFR Part 155, what must a vessel owner submit to the USCG to demonstrate oil spill response preparedness?