🔍 Key Concepts

• Difference between commercial cargo documents and vessel registration documents • What information is legally required to prove a vessel’s nationality and ownership • How tonnage (gross tons/net tons) is officially recorded for a vessel

💭 Think About

• Ask yourself: Which of these documents is primarily about the ship itself (its legal status), rather than about a voyage or cargo? • Which document would a port state control officer or Coast Guard want to see to confirm the vessel’s flag, owner, and tonnage? • Look at each choice and decide: Is this mainly used for ship operations/records, cargo and carriage, or legal registration of the vessel?

✅ Before You Answer

• Identify which option is a formal federal registration document for the vessel, not just a log or cargo paper. • Eliminate any documents that mainly record voyage details, crew events, or cargo contracts. • Ask: Which document would be issued by a government authority to establish the vessel’s national character and official particulars (including tonnage)?