A vessel is underway if it meets the following criteria: not aground; not at anchor; not made fast to a dock, the shore, or other stationary object.

A vessel is underway if it meets the following criteria: not aground; not at anchor; not made fast to a dock, the shore, or other stationary object.

• A. It is not aground
• B. It is not at anchor
• C. It has not been made fast to a dock, the shore, or other stationary object
• D. All of the above

Answer: (D)

Underway means the vessel is free to maneuver and not attached to the bottom or to shore. The definition requires all three conditions to be true: the vessel is not aground, not at anchor, and not made fast to a dock, the shore, or any other stationary object. Because each of those conditions, if present, would mean the vessel is not underway, the only option that satisfies all of them is the one that says all of the above. In practice, a vessel is underway when it’s in open water, not touching bottom, not anchored, and not tied to shore or a dock. If it’s anchored, moored, or aground, it isn’t underway, regardless of its motion.

Underway means the vessel is free to maneuver and not attached to the bottom or to shore. The definition requires all three conditions to be true: the vessel is not aground, not at anchor, and not made fast to a dock, the shore, or any other stationary object. Because each of those conditions, if present, would mean the vessel is not underway, the only option that satisfies all of them is the one that says all of the above. In practice, a vessel is underway when it’s in open water, not touching bottom, not anchored, and not tied to shore or a dock. If it’s anchored, moored, or aground, it isn’t underway, regardless of its motion.