STSDSD exit exam questions and answers — Set 12 — Security Training for Seafarers with Designated Security Duties
Set 12 of the Security Training for Seafarers with Designated Security Duties (STSDSD) exit exam bank — 30 of 481 questions, with the correct option marked and a one-line explanation for every one. Read it end to end, jump to a single set, or search it — then sit the same bank as a timed paper. The real DG Shipping exit exam is 30 marks with 15 to pass.
These are the bank's original groupings. Practising deals the whole bank out again every time you reshuffle, so a practice “Set 3” is a different 30 questions each time — the set numbers below are the source file's, and are only used here so the key stays navigable. Options are listed in their original order with fixed letters; when you practise, those move too.
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Set 12 — 30 STSDSD exit exam questions with answers
1. A short international voyage is an international voyage in the course of which a ship is not more than ____ from a port or place where passengers and crew could be placed in safety.
- A. 50 miles
- B. 100 miles
- C. 150 miles
- D. 200 miles
2. Which of the following is a mandatory requirement of the SOLAS Convention to enhance ship security?
- A. Provision of a ship security alert system
- B. Fitting of anti-piracy boarding systems
- C. Providing high pressure water turrets
- D. Fitting electrified fences
3. A CSO is required to liaise on security matters with the:
- A. Master and PFSO
- B. Master and charterer
- C. PFSO and consignee
- D. Charterer and SSO
4. Setting the security level is carried out by the:
- A. Maritime Administration (Contracting Government)
- B. Ministry of Shipping
- C. Port
- D. Ship
5. When the SSAS is activated, it must transmit an alert to:
- A. All ships in the vicinity
- B. All crew on board
- C. A competent authority designated by the Administration
- D. The nearest port only
6. The Ship Security Assessment (SSA) is the responsibility of the:
- A. Master
- B. CSO
- C. SSO
- D. Administration
7. The Ship Security Officer (SSO) is the person on board the ship accountable to the:
- A. Company
- B. Master
- C. Port
- D. Administration
8. For exchange of security related information under SOLAS, which of the following must be fitted on board?
- A. Gyro compass
- B. Radar
- C. AIS and LRIT
- D. ECDIS
9. Containers used in intermodal transport are subjected to security scanning mainly to detect:
- A. Loading of IMDG cargoes
- B. Carriage of refrigerated cargoes
- C. Illicit trade in drugs and weapons
- D. Freight collection irregularities
10. When pirates board a ship, the crew should take shelter in the:
- A. Citadel (if available)
- B. Bridge
- C. Engine room
- D. Steering flat
11. The IMB Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) in Kuala Lumpur provides free services to seafarers. These do NOT cover:
- A. A contact point to report piracy incidents
- B. Pirates' command centre details and identity
- C. Piracy maps of the area
- D. Piracy-prone areas and warnings
12. Which type of ship is normally least likely to be attacked by pirates?
- A. Container ships
- B. General cargo ships
- C. Handy-size bulk carriers and tankers
- D. Passenger ships
13. The ISPS Code came into force on
- A. 1st July 2002
- B. 1st July 2003
- C. 1st July 2004
- D. 1st July 2005
14. Under the IMO FAL Convention, a stowaway is a person secreted on a ship or in its cargo without consent who is:
- A. A crew member who fails to rejoin the ship before sailing
- B. Found on board while the ship is still alongside at the port of embarkation
- C. Detected on board after the ship has departed from a port, or in the cargo while unloading at the port of arrival
- D. Any unauthorised visitor found on the gangway
15. Which of the following best describes 'collateral damage' as a maritime security threat?
- A. Damage to cargo caused by poor stowage
- B. Loss of revenue from delayed port clearance
- C. Damage caused by heavy weather to deck fittings
- D. Damage to a ship caused by an attack aimed at a nearby target such as another ship or port installation
16. The 1985 hijacking of the passenger ship Achille Lauro led directly to the adoption of which instrument?
- A. The ISPS Code, 2002
- B. The SUA Convention, 1988 (Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation)
- C. The MLC, 2006
- D. The FAL Convention, 1965
17. The 2002 attack on the tanker Limburg off Yemen is an example of which security threat?
- A. Contraband smuggling through ship's stores
- B. Stowaway infiltration
- C. Terrorism using an explosive-laden small boat
- D. Cargo theft by organised gangs
18. Why is contraband smuggling considered a security threat to the ship and not only a customs matter?
- A. It is a threat only on passenger ships
- B. The ship may be detained, fined or its crew arrested, and the same concealment routes can be used for weapons or explosives
- C. It only affects the profit of the charterer
- D. Contraband is always harmless to the ship's operation
19. 'Intermodal' transport, as discussed in the STSDSD introduction, refers to:
- A. Use of two engines on one ship
- B. Carriage of dangerous goods in bulk only
- C. Movement of cargo in the same unit, such as a container, by more than one mode of transport (sea, rail, road)
- D. Transfer of passengers between two ships at sea
20. High-security mechanical seals used on freight containers are specified by which standard?
- A. ISO 9001
- B. ISO 45001
- C. ISO 14001
- D. ISO 17712
21. On arrival at a container berth, the seal number on a loaded container does not match the number on the cargo documents. What does this indicate?
- A. That the container has passed customs inspection
- B. Possible tampering with the container, which should be reported and the container treated as suspect
- C. That the container is empty
- D. A routine clerical difference that can be ignored
22. Which international programme provides 'Authorised Economic Operator' status to companies with secure supply chains?
- A. The ISM Code
- B. The MARPOL Convention
- C. The World Customs Organization SAFE Framework of Standards
- D. The Load Line Convention
23. Refugees and migrants attempting to board ships, or being rescued at sea, are relevant to ship security mainly because:
- A. They are never a concern for merchant ships
- B. The ISPS Code prohibits rescuing them
- C. They automatically become crew members
- D. Large numbers of unidentified persons on board create safety, health and control problems that must be managed under the SSP
24. Cargo theft as a maritime security threat is most likely to occur:
- A. Only when the ship is in dry dock
- B. At ports, terminals and anchorages where cargo and stores are accessible
- C. Only in mid-ocean on the high seas
- D. Only on passenger ships
25. Which of the following is an example of a ship being used as a weapon?
- A. Using fire hoses against boarders
- B. Carrying an armed security team on board
- C. Firing distress flares
- D. Deliberately ramming a hijacked ship into a port facility or another ship
26. A security threat to a ship is assessed mainly on the basis of:
- A. The number of crew nationalities
- B. The deadweight of the ship
- C. The intent and capability of a potential perpetrator against that ship
- D. The ship's age and flag only
27. Who is responsible for detecting and reporting stowaways found on board after departure?
- A. The pilot who disembarked last
- B. The classification society
- C. The master, who must report them to the appropriate authorities
- D. The shipper of the cargo
28. Before sailing from a port known for stowaway attempts, the most effective security measure is:
- A. Increasing main engine speed after leaving
- B. Inspecting only the bridge
- C. Locking only the accommodation doors
- D. A thorough search of the ship, including holds, store rooms, funnel and rudder trunk, before departure
29. Which of these is a common way stowaways gain access to ships in port?
- A. Boarding with cargo, stores or shore workers, or climbing mooring lines and anchor chains
- B. Being delivered by the pilot boat with official papers
- C. Joining as replacement crew through the manning agent
- D. Arriving with port State control officers
30. The ship/port interface is a high-risk point for security because:
- A. Persons, goods and services move between ship and shore, offering opportunities for unauthorised access and tampering
- B. The ISPS Code does not apply in port
- C. The ship is always at its lowest crew strength at sea
- D. There are no security procedures in port
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