Safety & Emergency Response Operations Flashcards
7 cards from real VTS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Safety & Emergency Response Operations flashcards as text
A vessel reports a bomb threat has been made against it while transiting your VTS area. The operator's first call should be to:
Answer: The Maritime Security Communications with Industry (MSCI) hotline and local COTP
A maritime bomb threat is a security incident requiring immediate notification of the COTP and maritime security authorities via established maritime security communication channels.
In VTS emergency communications, what does the abbreviation 'SITREP' stand for?
Answer: Situation Report
SITREP stands for Situation Report, a standardized briefing format used to convey current emergency status and resource information during maritime incidents.
What is the recommended search pattern for a vessel or person lost in a known area with minimal drift?
Answer: Sector Search (VS)
A Sector Search (VS) is optimal when the datum (last known position) is well established and the search area is small, such as when drift is minimal.
When a vessel in your VTS area declares a MAYDAY, the VTS operator should impose silence on the working channel using which phrase?
Answer: 'SEELONCE DISTRESS' followed by the station's identity
'SEELONCE DISTRESS' (from the French 'silence') is the ITU-prescribed phrase used by a controlling station to impose radio silence on a distress frequency.
A chemical tanker reports a vapor cloud release at the dock. The VTS operator should NOT do which of the following?
Answer: Board the vessel to assess the severity of the release
Boarding a vessel with an active chemical vapor release is a hazardous field action outside VTS operator responsibilities; response teams with proper PPE handle such actions.
Under 33 CFR Part 26, vessels involved in a collision must exchange which information?
Answer: Vessel name, official number, home port, and names/addresses of owners
33 CFR Part 26 (Vessel Bridge-to-Bridge Radiotelephone Act) and general maritime law require vessels in a collision to exchange vessel name, official number, home port, and owner information.
A VTS operator observes via radar that a vessel has stopped moving and is not responding to radio calls. After exhausting communication attempts on all available channels, the next appropriate action is:
Answer: Notify the COTP and request a safety check by a patrol boat
A non-responsive vessel that has stopped represents a potential safety emergency; notifying the COTP triggers dispatch of a patrol vessel for a welfare check.