Coast Guard Test Coast Guard Marine Environmental Protection 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under which federal law is discharging oil into U.S. navigable waters primarily prohibited?
- The Clean Water Act (Correct answer)
- The Jones Act
- The Merchant Marine Act
- The Death on the High Seas Act
Correct answer: The Clean Water Act
The Clean Water Act prohibits the discharge of oil or hazardous substances into navigable waters of the United States.
Question 2: What must a vessel operator do immediately upon discovering an oil spill from their vessel?
- Wait until reaching port to report it
- Notify the National Response Center (Correct answer)
- Clean it up before telling anyone
- Log it and report at the next inspection
Correct answer: Notify the National Response Center
Federal law requires immediate notification of the National Response Center when an oil discharge occurs.
Question 3: The MARPOL Annex V regulations specifically address which type of pollution?
- Oil discharge
- Garbage and plastics (Correct answer)
- Sewage
- Air emissions
Correct answer: Garbage and plastics
MARPOL Annex V governs the prevention of pollution by garbage, including the disposal of plastics at sea.
Question 4: What is the purpose of an Oil Record Book aboard a vessel?
- To record crew wages
- To document oil transfers, discharges, and disposal (Correct answer)
- To track fuel prices
- To log passenger counts
Correct answer: To document oil transfers, discharges, and disposal
The Oil Record Book documents all oil-related operations such as transfers, ballasting, and disposal for regulatory compliance.
Question 5: Discharge of plastics into the ocean is regulated to be permitted:
- Only beyond 12 nautical miles
- Only beyond 25 nautical miles
- Never, it is completely prohibited (Correct answer)
- Only in international waters
Correct answer: Never, it is completely prohibited
Under MARPOL Annex V, the discharge of all plastics into the sea is completely prohibited everywhere.
Question 6: What color placard must be posted on vessels to inform crew of garbage disposal restrictions?
- A garbage disposal placard (Correct answer)
- A no-smoking sign
- A muster list
- A fire control plan
Correct answer: A garbage disposal placard
MARPOL requires a garbage disposal placard be posted to notify the crew of discharge restrictions.
Question 7: Which agency serves as the lead federal on-scene coordinator for oil spills in coastal waters?
- The EPA
- The U.S. Coast Guard (Correct answer)
- The Army Corps of Engineers
- The FBI
Correct answer: The U.S. Coast Guard
The U.S. Coast Guard acts as the Federal On-Scene Coordinator for oil spills in the coastal zone.
Coast Guard Test Coast Guard Marine Environmental Protection 2
Under which federal law is discharging oil into U.S. navigable waters primarily prohibited?