The Colregs Guide‘Author: Klaas van Dokkum lay-out: K. van Dokkum, Enkhuizen, The Netherlands FW. List, Iimuiden, The Netherlands Cover: Peter Schotvanger, The Netherlands peterschotvanger@gmail Published by: DOKMAR, Maritime Publishers BV P.0.Box 360 1600 A} Enkhulzen, The Netherlands. © Copyright 2012 4% edition DOKMAR, Enkhuizen, The Netherlands ISBN 978-90-71500-21-3 All rights reserved. No part of this publication ‘may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system fr transmitted in any form or by any means, Including electronic, mechanical, by photocopy, through recording or otherwise, without prior ‘written permission of the publisher, Great care has been taken with the investi- ‘gation of prior copyright. In case of omission the rightful claimant is requested to Inform the publishers. Great care has been taken on the compilation of the taxt. However, mistakes may occur forsaint Preface Learning the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions. at Sea (Colregs) will not in general present the nautical stu- dent with any insuperable problems. After passing several tests and exams the officer-to-be has the impression that the Colregs and the manoeuvres for giving way hold no secrets, from him, The study of other nautical subjects often asks for ‘more effort than is needed for mastering the Colregs. His first solo watch, taking place on an empty ocean, seems to cor- roborate this belief Busy channels, however, demand a quite different approach to applying the Rules. Standard situations as described in the Colregs prove to be far less common than expected. Most si tuations are slightly different from those he has learned and they are not always so clearly related to a certain Rule. A lot of experience is needed to be able to interpret all these situa- tions, especially at night when matching radar images with the real world calls for quite some effort and expertise. Self-reliance is 2 part of the job for a watch-keeping officer, This has a negative as well as a positive side. There Is a real danger that one will not notice that the Colregs have been lea- rned wrongly and are consequently falsely applied or interpre ted. Sometimes an officer will not be receptive to corrections. ‘A compulsory refresher course every 5 years or so might be ‘a good remedy. In this book every Rule has been assigned its own page, and the accompanying amplifications (the author's interpretation of the Rule) are printed on the next page. Should you ever need to defend your actions in relation to an accident, you can only rely on the Rules and not on the amplifications, Computerized ship models are used to visualize many situa: tions. The models used are to the same scale, which gives a true-to-life view of the situation. In order to further understanding of the situation in other ves~ sels there is a chapter dealing with the restrictions and abilities, of several specific kinds of ship. Comments concerning the contents of this book, specifically from mariners, are essential to keep the book up-to-date. 1 would appreciate receiving these comments through the website mentioned above, Klaas van DokkumAdvisors: In an ideal world the Rules would only be open to one inter- pretation, but as the saying goes: so many men, so many opinions. To prevent the amplifications from becoming a one-man show, I consulted with several experts on the contents of these texts. These experts provided me with very useful and instructive ‘material. Many of the comments are used in the book and they tive the book a more general character, based on the present reality | am particularly indebted to Mr Jain Irving for meticulously subjecting the proposed English text to his expert scrutiny and for correcting it where necessary. Given his enormous exper- tise in this field, his advice and recommendations as regards content matter were extremely useful and I wish to convey to him my sincere gratitude, T equally express my thanks to (in alphabetical order): Mc EA. BikLLM Lawyer in Rotterdam and deputy chair- man of the Council of Transport, Shipping Chamber Master at Holland America Line Former captain of the merchant navy and Fellow of the Nautical Institute. Former teacher at the ‘Maritiem Instituut Willem Barentsz" Former teacher at the ‘Maritiem Instituut De Ruyter’ Mr. P. Bos: Me. LO. Irving Mr. 6.33, Klaasse Me. A. Martin Me. 3. Vink Head of the bridge simulator department at the Royal Navy Institute Mr.3. Visser Teacher at the ‘Berechja College’, Urk Computer simulations ‘A unique contribution was made by Hans Meyer. Computerized ship models are used to visualize many situa- tions. The models used are in the same scale, which gives a true-to-lfe view of the situation. The three-dimensional pic- tures, however, cannot show you the same as the human eye can. The human eye is unique. For this reason the distance between vessels in the 3D pictures is sometimes adapted to make the vessels visible in the pictures, 3D models and stils by Hans Meijer, hitto://wnw.3dshipmedels.com Other contributors: Specialists in particular fields supplied textual contributions on tthe abilities and limitations of several types of vessel. Henk Jukkema, Harlingen Sailing yachts Dr H. Sampson, Cardiff University Authority and accidents Capt, Starling-Lark, Cornwall Oil and ore carriers Editing Joke van Dokkum-Stap Mimi Kuljper-Heeres Enkhuizen, The Netherlands Terscheling West, ‘The Netherlands. ‘Translation carmen Koenen-Loos __Noordbroek, The Netherlands.Table of Contents History of collission regulations Rule 1: Application Rule 2: Responsibility 4 Rule 3: General Definitions ‘Section 1. Conduct of Vessels in any Condition of Visibility Rule 4: Application 2 Rule 5: Look-Out 22 Rule 6: Safe Speed 34 Rule 7: Risk of Collision 38 Rule 8: Action to Avoid Collision 48 Rule 9: Narrow Channels 56 Rule 10: Tratfic Separation Schemes 60 Section If. Conduct of Vessels In Sight of One Another 70 Rule 11: Application 70 Rule 12: Salling Vessels, 70 Rule 13: Overtaking 74 Rule 14: Head-on Situation 80 Rule 18: Crossing Situation 84 Rule 16: Action by Give-way Vessel 88 Rule 17: Action by Stand-on Vessel 88 Rule 18: Responsibilities between Vessels, 94 Section I, Conduct of Vessels in Restricted Visibility Be Rule 19: Conduct of vessels in Restricted Visibility Rule 20: Application 106 Rule 21: Definitions 108 Rule 22: visibility of Lights 110 Rule 23: Power-driven Vessels Underway 112 Rule 24: Towing and Pushing 118 Rule 25: Sailing Vessels Underway and Vessels under Oars 126 Rule 26: Fishing Vessels 130 Rule 27: Vessels Not Under Command or Restricted in their Ability to Manoeuvre 136 Rule 28: Vessels Constrained by their Draught 142 Rule 29: Pilot Vessels 146 Rule 30: Anchored Vessels and Vessels Aground 150 Rule 31; Seaplanes: 154 Rule 32: Definitions 158 Rule 33: Equipment for Sound Signals 158 Rule 34: Manoeuvring and Warning Signals 158 Rule 35: Sound Signals in Restricted Visibility 160 Rule 36: Signals to Attract Attention 162 Rule 37: Distress Signals 162 Part E. Exemptions 162 anaes!oman ‘Annex I: Positioning and Technical Details of Lights and Shapes 166 1, Definition 166 2. Vertical positioning and spacing of lights 166 3, Horizontal positioning and spacing of lights 167 4, Details of location of direcion-inccating lights for fishing vessels, dredgers and 167 vessels engaged In underwater operations 5. Screens of sidlights 167 6. Shapes 167 7. Colour specification of lights 168 8. Intensity of lights 168 8. Horizontal sectors 168 10. vertical sectors 169 41. Intensty of non-electric lights 169 12. Manoeuyeing ight 169 13.High speed craft 169 14. Approval 169 | ‘Annex 11: Additional Signals for Fishing Vessels Fishing in Close Proximity 472 1. General 472 | 2. Signals for trawlers 172 | 3. Signals for purse seiners 472 ‘Annex III: Technical Details of Sound Signal Appliances 172 | 1. Whistes 172 2. Bell or gong 173 3. Approval 173 ‘Annex IV: Distress Signals 175 | 1. Dredgers| 4178 2. Fishing vessels 482 3. Large oil or ore carers 186 4. rast vessels 188 5. Salling yachts 190 Reproduced with kind permission of 192