A SAROPS case can be closed when which condition is met?

• A. The drift simulation is completed.
• B. A PSDA report has been generated.
• C. The case has been suspended for 24 hours.
• D. The vessel is moored safely and all persons have been assisted or transferred to a safe place.

Answer: (D)

Closing a SAROPS case happens when the active search and rescue effort has achieved a safe conclusion: everyone is safe, accounted for, and the situation is stable. The best choice describes the vessel being moored safely and all persons having been assisted or transferred to a safe place. That means the immediate hazards are addressed, there’s no one left in danger, and the asset is secured, so there’s no longer a need for ongoing search or rescue actions.

The other items are not final safety conditions: completing a drift simulation is a planning tool used during the operation, not a trigger to end it; generating a PSDA report is documentation and assessment work, not the resolution itself; suspending the case for 24 hours is simply a pause, not a resolution of the incident.