A wooden small passenger vessel operating on a coastal route in cold water shall carry inflatable for what percentage of people on board?

• A. 50 percent
• B. 67 percent
• C. 75 percent
• D. 100 percent

Answer: (B)

In cold-water coastal operations, the life‑saving equipment must be able to support a large portion of passengers if abandonment becomes necessary, since hypothermia and longer rescue times increase risk. The rule specifies that inflatable liferafts must be available for at least two‑thirds of the people on board. So, if there are N people aboard, you need enough inflatable liferafts to accommodate at least 0.67 × N passengers. For example, with 60 people on board, you’d need liferafts that can carry at least 40 people. The two-thirds requirement is chosen because it provides substantial coverage without requiring every passenger to have a raft, which would be impractical; percentages like 50% or 75% don’t meet this standard, and 100% would exceed the mandated allocation.