Which vessel would exhibit sidelights when underway and not making way?

• A. A sailing vessel
• B. A vessel at anchor
• C. A fishing vessel
• D. A power-driven vessel

Answer: (D)

Sidelights are part of the running lights that vessels must display to show their presence and direction at night. When a vessel is underway, these lights (red on the port side and green on the starboard side) help other vessels determine where you are and which way you’re heading. If a vessel is underway but not making way, it’s still considered underway, so the same running lights apply. A power-driven vessel fits this scenario most clearly: it has propulsion and is regarded as underway even if it isn’t currently moving forward, so it must exhibit sidelights to signal its position and course.

Vessels at anchor are not underway and use anchor lights instead; fishing vessels have special lighting for gear operations, which differ from the standard sidelights; and a sailing vessel, while it can be underway under sail, isn’t the clearest match to the condition of “underway and not making way” in this context.