🔍 Key Concepts

• GMDSS (Global Maritime Distress and Safety System) carriage and maintenance requirements under SOLAS Chapter IV • The role of regulations vs. recommendations vs. manufacturer guidance • How maintenance options (shore-based, duplication of equipment, or on-board maintainer) affect spares requirements

💭 Think About

• Which of these choices represents a binding regulatory framework that ships must comply with for GMDSS, rather than just advice or a job description? • Think about where SOLAS points you when it talks about how GMDSS equipment must be maintained and what must be carried on board to keep it operational. • Ask yourself: is the quantity and type of spares more likely to be set by an external rule, a circular, the maker of the gear, or the person who fixes it?

✅ Before You Answer

• Identify which option is tied directly to SOLAS Chapter IV – Radiocommunications implementation and GMDSS rules. • Distinguish between regulatory requirements (must do) and recommendations (nice to do). • Consider whether a person’s qualifications or a manufacturer’s advice can, by themselves, legally determine required spares under GMDSS.