VTS Safety & Emergency Response Operations 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A vessel reports a bomb threat has been made against it while transiting your VTS area. The operator's first call should be to:
- The vessel's shipping agent to notify the owner
- The National Response Center (NRC)
- The Maritime Security Communications with Industry (MSCI) hotline and local COTP (Correct answer)
- The port facility security officer at the destination berth
Correct 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.
Question 2: In VTS emergency communications, what does the abbreviation 'SITREP' stand for?
- Safety Information Transmission Report
- Situation Report (Correct answer)
- Search Incident Tracking and Response Protocol
- Standard Incident Traffic Reporting Procedure
Correct answer: Situation Report
SITREP stands for Situation Report, a standardized briefing format used to convey current emergency status and resource information during maritime incidents.
Question 3: What is the recommended search pattern for a vessel or person lost in a known area with minimal drift?
- Expanding Square Search (SS)
- Sector Search (VS) (Correct answer)
- Parallel Sweep Search (PS)
- Track Line Search (TL)
Correct 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.
Question 4: When a vessel in your VTS area declares a MAYDAY, the VTS operator should impose silence on the working channel using which phrase?
- 'All stations, all stations, this is [VTS name], silence please'
- 'SEELONCE MAYDAY' followed by the station's identity
- 'SEELONCE DISTRESS' followed by the station's identity (Correct answer)
- 'PAN-PAN, all traffic hold communications'
Correct 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.
Question 5: A chemical tanker reports a vapor cloud release at the dock. The VTS operator should NOT do which of the following?
- Notify the COTP and local emergency response agencies
- Broadcast a SECURITE warning to vessel traffic in the area
- Estimate the vapor cloud's movement using wind data and issue protective action guidance
- Board the vessel to assess the severity of the release (Correct answer)
Correct 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.
Question 6: Under 33 CFR Part 26, vessels involved in a collision must exchange which information?
- Insurance certificate numbers and cargo manifests
- Vessel name, official number, home port, and names/addresses of owners (Correct answer)
- Draft readings, cargo weight, and port of call
- MMSI numbers and AIS transponder class
Correct 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.
Question 7: 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:
- Mark the vessel as inactive and continue monitoring other traffic
- Notify the COTP and request a safety check by a patrol boat (Correct answer)
- Broadcast a general call asking nearby vessels if they can see the unresponsive vessel
- Cancel the vessel's notice of arrival and alert customs
Correct 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.
VTS Safety & Emergency Response Operations 5
A vessel reports a bomb threat has been made against it while transiting your VTS area.
The operator's first call should be to: