Which vessel may combine her sidelights and sternlight in one lantern on the fore and aft centerline of the vessel?

• A. A 8-meter fishing vessel
• B. A 25-meter sailing vessel
• C. A 30-meter motorboat
• D. A 16-meter sailing vessel

Answer: (D)

The light arrangement being tested is the option to use a single combined lantern for both sidelights and the sternlight, mounted on the fore-and-aft centerline. This is permitted for small vessels that meet a length limit, allowing the red and green sidelights plus the white sternlight to be displayed from one lantern on the centerline.

A sailing vessel 16 meters long fits this rule because it is under the length threshold and is the vessel type for which this combined lighting is intended. The other choices don’t meet the criteria: a fishing vessel is typically not allowed to use the combined lantern arrangement, and the longer vessels exceed the length limit needed for this setup. So the 16-meter sailing vessel is the one that may combine sidelights and sternlight in one lantern on the fore-and-aft centerline.