What should you do if you observe another vessel making irregular or dangerous maneuvers?

• A. Ignore and maintain current speed.
• B. Immediately increase speed to overtake.
• C. Increase monitoring and adjust speed or course to maintain safe distance.
• D. Signal distress to authorities only.

Answer: (C)

When another vessel shows irregular or dangerous maneuvers, you must take proactive action to prevent a collision. The key is to stay highly vigilant, monitor closely, and adjust your own speed or course to keep a safe distance. You can’t rely on the other vessel’s actions, so you evaluate the risk of collision (considering relative bearing, speed, and time to closest point of approach) and make a safe adjustment, such as slowing down or altering course to pass well clear. This kind of early, decisive maneuver is the standard practice to maintain safety and prevent close-quarters incidents.

Ignoring the situation leaves you exposed to a possible collision. Trying to overtake by speeding up can worsen the risk or create new hazards, and signaling distress to authorities only addresses a different scenario and doesn’t resolve an immediate collision risk.