Ship-Assist & Escort Practice Questions

1. 'Girting' (also called tripping or girding) of a tug occurs when:

• A.The tug runs out of fuel during an assist
• B.The barge takes on water and lists
• C.The towline leads athwartships and the side load capsizes the tug✓
• D.The tug's radar fails in fog

Why: Girting/tripping happens when the towline comes abeam and the transverse pull, combined with the ship's way, heels the tug until it capsizes. It is a leading cause of fatal tug casualties in ship-assist and escort work.

2. A 'gob' (or gog) rope or line on an assist tug is used to:

• A.Lift the barge's anchor
• B.Mark the limit of the snapback zone
• C.Measure the depth of water
• D.Control the towline's lead and lower its pivot point to help prevent girting✓

Why: A gob rope restrains the towline closer to the tug's centerline/stern, lowering the effective pivot point and limiting how far the towline can swing athwartships — a key defense against girting, along with quick-release gear and good positioning.

3. A 'tractor tug' achieves its exceptional maneuverability because its propulsion units are:

• A.Fixed shafts and rudders at the stern, like a conventional vessel
• B.Located forward of amidships (Voith-Schneider or azimuthing) and can vector thrust in any direction✓
• C.A single outboard motor
• D.Sails supplemented by a small engine

Why: Tractor tugs carry their omnidirectional drives (Voith-Schneider cycloidal or azimuthing units) forward of amidships and tow over the stern. Vectoring thrust in any direction gives them the agility and 'indirect' towing ability prized in ship assist and escort.

4. The abbreviation 'ASD' applied to a modern tug refers to:

• A.Automatic Steering Device
• B.Anchor Stowage Davit
• C.Azimuth Stern Drive (steerable propulsion units aft)✓
• D.Approved Safety Document

Why: An Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) tug has steerable, 360°-rotating drive units mounted aft. Like tractor tugs, ASDs can apply thrust in any direction, making them highly effective for ship docking and escort.

5. A tug made up 'on the hip' is:

• A.Secured alongside the vessel it is working✓
• B.Towing on a long hawser astern
• C.Pushing dead ahead on the bow
• D.Anchored awaiting orders

Why: Working 'on the hip' means the tug is made up alongside (lashed to the side of) the vessel, a common arrangement for breasting a ship or barge into or away from a berth where the tug can both push and back.