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COLLISION REGULATIONS – COLREGs
Published: 27 October 2022
The Club’s loss prevention team has been looking into the underlying causes of past collision cases. The number of collision cases is decreasing. This is largely due to the advent of modern technology, such as Automatic Identification Systems (AIS), the Bridge Navigational Watch and Alarm System (BNWAS) and the Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS). Unfortunately, collisions do still occur.
The single most significant key contributory factor in these accidents has been found to be violation by the officer of the watch (OOW) of one or more rules in the Convention on the International Regulations for preventing collisions at sea (COLREGs).
Therefore, in light of the Club’s experience with collisions, we are producing a new set of COLREGs posters, reiterating the principal parts of some of the rules in Part B of the COLREGs, Section II – Conduct of vessels in sight of one another. The posters will illustrate scenarios in these rules and are aimed at navigational watchkeepers, setting out with simple illustrations the required actions to be taken in order to comply with each COLREGs rule.
RULES 13 and 14 are the first in the poster campaign.
RULE 13 OVERTAKING ACTIONS
The overtaking vessel should keep out of the way of the vessel being overtaken. The rule also identifies the duties of the overtaking vessel and vessels being overtaken. The poster illustrates the relationships between the overtaking vessel and the vessel being overtaken when they are in sight of one another. The poster identifies their roles and shows how to distinguish the vessels, from their approach angles and/or aspects relative to their positions. The poster stresses that once a vessel has become an overtaking vessel, it remains an overtaking vessel, and any subsequent alteration of the aspect between the vessels does not relieve the overtaking vessel of its duty to keep clear or result in any change of responsibility from an overtaking vessel to a stand-on crossing vessel, for example.
Rule 13 poster can be found here.
RULE 14 HEAD-ON SITUATIONS
When two power-driven vessels are meeting on reciprocal or nearly reciprocal courses while in sight of one another. The poster sets out what action will need to be taken. The poster illustrates a scene where two power-driven vessels are in sight of one another in a head-on situation. Each should alter course to starboard, so that both vessels can pass on the port side of the other. At the same time, it also shows how to determine if they are meeting in a head-on situation in accordance with the rule, with reference to each other’s masthead lights and/ or sidelights at night or by assessing their aspect visually by day.
Rule 14 poster can be found here.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) produced the COLREGs (also known as Rules of the Road or RoR) as a set of traffic regulations which have been internationally agreed. These apply to all vessels on the high seas and in all connected waters which are navigable by seagoing vessels. The rules set out the foundations for navigation light colours, the configuration and location of daylight signals, and sound signals for manoeuvering and restricted visibility. They also set out the types of collision avoiding actions for vessels approaching one another, as well as the assignment of responsibilities for taking appropriate actions.
All navigating officers, including the Master, will have undergone training and certification in relation to knowledge of the rules before taking on their independent navigational watch and/or command of the vessel. The officers will have had months, if not years, of training and will have had seagoing experience in accordance with the International Convention on Standards for Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW), before they are certified competent and awarded their Certificate of Competency (CoC) to be able to navigate a vessel.
However, despite all the training and knowledge of the COLREGs, there are often situations when they are not correctly applied or are misinterpreted by the OOW which can lead to a close quarters situation developing, and can even result in a collision.
In some cases, the OOW may encounter situations which they are unsure of and may misread the intentions of other vessels, even when the vessels are in sight of one another. Normally, standard practice would be to determine the risks of collision by monitoring the relative bearing of the other vessel, using an azimuth mirror and/or the radar/Automatic Radar Plotting Aid (ARPA). The OOW will apply professional judgement after appraising the situation and will then take avoiding actions as dictated by the COLREGs.
A good example is the question of ‘give-way’ and ‘stand-on’ vessels within the context of the COLREGs. Situations can occasionally arise and develop in such a way that the giveway vessel is not taking proper actions to keep out of the way as set out in the COLREGs. The stand-on vessel should initially keep its course and speed, but if it finds that the other vessel is not taking sufficient steps to avoid a close quarters situation, the stand-on vessel may take action to avoid such a situation developing. When an imminent risk of collision cannot be averted by the action of the give-way vessel alone, the stand-on vessel shall take all measures that will best help to avoid a collision.
Although navigators should principally be aware of when and where to apply the specific COLREGs in various situations, sometimes they may become anxious in making decisions or experience uncertainty at that moment, which could impair their judgement call. This may lead them to take shortcuts or apply the COLREGs incorrectly. Where any doubt exists, the OOW should call the Master to the bridge to assist. Ultimately, the COLREGs are specific and outline the roles, responsibilities, and recommended courses of action that must be followed by the OOW should they ever find themselves in a doubtful situation with other target vessels.
CONCLUSION
It is a misconception held by some that the COLREGs are advisory. In fact, they are a set of rules that a vessel must follow strictly at all times when navigating at sea and in all waters connected therewith navigable by seagoing vessels, and no subsequent external influences should persuade them otherwise. In our series of posters, the Loss Prevention team will continue to look into actions between the vessels when in sight of one another and highlight their responsibilities according to the COLREGs.
We hope that the posters will be useful and will be displayed on board our Members’ ships. They will be laminated and are being sent out to our Members in the next few months. If you have not received your posters or require additional copies, please contact us. The images are also available on the Britannia website.