History of the Collision Regulations

For several hundred years there have been rules in existence for the purpose
of prev e n t i n g c o l l i s i o n s a t s e a , b u t t h e r e w e r e n o r u l e s o f s t a t u t o r y
f o r c e u n t i l t h e l a s t century. In 1840 the London Trinity House drew up a set
of regulations which were enacted in Parliament in 1846. "One of these
required a steam vessel passing another v e s s e l i n a n a r r o w c h a n n e l t o
leave the other on her own port hand." (“History of the
Collision Regulations”) The other
regulation relating to steam ships required steam vessels on dif
f e r e n t c o u r s e s , crossing so as to involve risk of collision, to alter course to
starboard so as to pass on the port side of each other. There were also regulations
for vessels under sail including rule, established in the eighteenth century, requiring a
sailing vessel on the port tack to give way to a sailing vessel on the starboard
tack. The two Trinity House rules for steam vessels were combined into a single
rule a n d i n c l u d e d i n t h e S t e a m N a v i g a t i o n A c t o f 1 8 4 6 . ( “ ( P D F )
History of the Collision Regulations -
Academia.edu”) "Admiralty regulations con-
cerning lights were included in this statute two years later."
( “ H i s t o r y o f t h e C o l l i s i o n R e g u l a t i o n s ” ) S t e a m s h i p s w e r e required
to carry green and red sidelights as well as a white masthead light. In 1858
coloured sidelights were prescribed for sailing vessels and
f o g s i g n a l s w e r e required to be given, by steam vessels on the
whistle and by sailing vessels on the foghorn or bell.
A completely new set of rules drawn up by the British Boar
d o f T r a d e , i n consultation with the French Government, came into operation in
1863. By the end of 1864 these regulations, known as Articles, had been
adopted by over thirty maritime countries including the United States and
Germany. Several important regulations which are still in force were introduced at that
time. (“(PDF) History of the Collision Regulations - Academia.edu”) When
steam vessels were crossing so as to involve risk of collision the vessel with the
other on her own starboard side was required to keep out of the way. Steam
vessels m e e t i n g e n d - o n o r n e a r l y e n d - o n w e r e r e q u i r e d t o a l t e r c o u r s e
t o s t a r b o a r d . E v e r y vessel overtaking any other had to keep out of the way
of the vessel being overtaken. Whereby any of the rules one vessel was to
keep out of the way the other was required to keep her course. ( “ ( P D F )
History of the Collision Regulations - Academia.edu”) In 1867 Mr.
Thomas Gray, Assistant Secretary to the Marine Department of the
Board of Trade, wrote a pamphlet on the Rule of the Road at Sea
w h i c h i n c l u d e d number of verses as aids to memory. "The verses became popular
and were translated into other languages." (“(PDF) History of the Collision
Regulations - Academia.edu”) They are still quoted in some textbooks. Some
changes to the 1863 Rules were brought into force in 1880, including a new
rule permitting whistle signals to be given to indicate action taken by steam
ships to a v o i d c o l l i s i o n . I n 1 8 8 4 a n e w s e t o f r e g u l a t i o n s c a m e i n t o
f o r c e , b u t t h e s e d i d n o t (“History of the Collision Regulations”)

differ substantially from the previous ones. An article specifying signals to be used by
vessels in distress was added bringing the total number of articles to twenty-
seven. (“(PDF) History of the Collision Regulations - Academia.edu”) The first
International Maritime Conference to consider regulations for preventing c o l l i s i o n
at sea was held in Washington in 1889.Itwas convened on the
i n i t i a t i o n o f t h e Government of the United States of America. "Among the new
provisions agreed at the Conference were requirements that a stand-on vessel should
keep her speed as well as her course, that a giving-way vessel should avoid
crossing ahead of the other vessel, and that steamships should be permitted to
carry a second white masthead light." (“A Guide to the Collision Avoidance
Rules”) The regulations agreed at the Washington Conference were brought
into force by s e v e r a l c o u n t r i e s , i n c l u d i n g B r i t a i n a n d t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s ,
i n 1 8 9 7 . A t a f u r t h e r Maritime Conference held in Brussels in 1910
international agreement was reached on a set of regulations which differed
in only minor respects from those drafted at the Washington Conference. The
1910 Regulations remained in force until 1954.In 1929 an International Conference
on Safety of Life at Sea proposed some minor changes to the Rules, but these were
never ratified. However, a recommendation that helm and steering orders
should be given in the direct sense, so that ‘right rudder’ or ‘starboard’
meant ‘put the vessel’s rudder to starboard,’ was accepted and came into
force in 1933. The situation with respect to helm orders had previously been confused
due to the difference between the movement of the wheel and tiller. The
Regulations were revised at an International Conference on Safety of Life at
Sea in 1948. (“(PDF) History of the Collision Regulations -
Academia.edu”) No drastic changes were made. The second
m a s t h e a d l i g h t w a s m a d e compulsory for power-driven vessels of 150 feet
or upwards in length, a fixed stern light was made compulsory for almost all
vessels under way, and the wake-up signal of at least five short and rapid
blasts was introduced as an optional signal for use by stand-on vessel. The
revised Rules came into force in 1954.Relatively few vessels were fitted with
radar in 1948 so no changes were made to take account of this equipment.
(“History of the Collision Regulations”) However, the Conference did add a
recommendation that possession of a radio navigational aid in no way relieves
a master of a ship from
his obligations under the International Regulations and under R
u l e s 1 5 a n d 1 6 (applying to vessels in restricted visibility) in particular. With
the considerable increase in the number of ships fitted with radar during the
following years, coupled with a series of collisions involving such vessels, it
became apparent that further revision of the Rules was necessary. An
International Confer-
ence on Safety of Life at Sea was convened in London in
1 9 6 0 b y t h e I n t e r - Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization
((“History of the Collision Regulations”)
IMCO
) , w h i c h i s n o w t h e I n t e r - national Maritime Organization (
IMO
). At the 1960 Conference it was agreed that a new paragraph should be
added to the R u l e s g o v e r n i n g t h e c o n d u c t o f v e s s e l s i n r e s t r i c t e d
v i s i b i l i t y t o p e r m i t e a r l y a n d substantial action to be taken to avoid a close
quarters situation with a vessel detected forward of the beam. Recommendations
concerning the use of radar were made in an Annex to the Rules. (“A Guide
to the Collision Avoidance Rules”) The changes were not confined to the
Rules relating to restricted visibility but most of the other amendments were relatively
minor in character. These Rules came into force in 1965.In September 1960 the
British Institute of Navigation set up a working group to c o n s i d e r t h e
organization of traffic in the Dover Strait. (“History of the Collision
Regulations”) The French and German xii History of the Collision
Regulations

"Institutes of Navigation agreed to co-operate in the following year and a

separation s c h e m e w a s d e v i s e d . " ( “ H i s t o r y o f t h e C o l l i s i o n
Regulations”) A new working group with representatives from addition
al countries was formed in 1964 to consider routing schemes for other
a r e a s . T h e proposals were accepted by
IMCO
and recommended for use by mariners in 1967.An International Conference was
convened in London in 1972 by (“History of the Collision Regulations”)
IMCO
to consider the revision of the Regulations. The Conference agreed to
change the format so that the Rules governing conduct preceded the Rules
concerning lights, shapes, and sound signals. Technical details relating to lights, shapes
and sound signals were transferred to Annexes. The Stand-on Rule was amended to
permit action to be taken at an earlier s t a g e a n d m o r e e m p h a s i s w a s p l a c e d
o n s t a r b o a r d h e l m a c t i o n i n b o t h c l e a r a n d restricted visibility. (“(PDF)
History of the Collision Regulations - Academia.edu”) New Rules were
introduced to deal specifically with look-out requirements, safe speed, risk of
collision and traffic separation schemes.