Cruise Ship Cruise Ship Navigation and Seamanship 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the term for the minimum safe water depth under a vessel's keel while navigating?
- Freeboard
- Under-keel clearance (Correct answer)
- Draft margin
- Squat allowance
Correct answer: Under-keel clearance
Under-keel clearance (UKC) is the vertical distance between the lowest point of a ship's hull and the seabed, and maintaining a minimum UKC is critical for safe navigation.
Question 2: When a cruise ship enters a port that requires a pilot, who retains overall command of the vessel?
- The harbor master
- The pilot
- The master (captain) (Correct answer)
- The port authority
Correct answer: The master (captain)
Even when a compulsory pilot is embarked, the ship's master retains full command and legal responsibility for the vessel at all times.
Question 3: What does 'squat effect' refer to during cruise ship navigation?
- Increase in fuel consumption at high speed
- The reduction in UKC caused by increased water speed under the hull (Correct answer)
- Listing caused by off-center passenger loading
- Wave wash created near shallow banks
Correct answer: The reduction in UKC caused by increased water speed under the hull
Squat effect occurs when a vessel traveling at speed in shallow water experiences a drop in its bow or stern due to reduced pressure beneath the hull.
Question 4: Which publication provides official navigational warnings for the US coastal waters that a cruise ship bridge team must monitor?
- NAVTEX broadcasts (Correct answer)
- Pilot's Log
- Port State Control Handbook
- MARPOL Annex VI
Correct answer: NAVTEX broadcasts
NAVTEX is an international automated medium frequency broadcast service that provides navigational warnings, meteorological forecasts, and search and rescue notices.
Question 5: What is the standard watch system used by navigating officers on most ocean-going cruise ships?
- 4 hours on / 8 hours off
- 6 hours on / 6 hours off
- 4 hours on / 4 hours off (4-on-4-off) (Correct answer)
- 8 hours on / 16 hours off
Correct answer: 4 hours on / 4 hours off (4-on-4-off)
The 4-on-4-off watch system, where officers stand four-hour watches followed by four hours off duty, is the traditional and most common schedule on deep-sea vessels.
Question 6: A cruise ship's 'passage plan' must be prepared before departure and includes which key element?
- Menu planning for each port
- Waypoints, courses, speeds, no-go areas, and contingency routes (Correct answer)
- Passenger embarkation sequence
- Entertainment schedule for the voyage
Correct answer: Waypoints, courses, speeds, no-go areas, and contingency routes
A formal passage plan required under SOLAS includes plotted waypoints, intended courses and speeds, danger areas to avoid, and alternate routes in case of emergency.
Cruise Ship Cruise Ship Navigation and Seamanship 2
What is the term for the minimum safe water depth under a vessel's keel while navigating?