PART A - General Flashcards
Rule 1 - Application
a. These Rules shall apply to all vessels upon the high seas and in all waters connected therewith navigable by seagoing vessels.
Meaning:All ships big or small are to follow the rules as given in Colregs. Small yachts, fishing vessels, and other barges all - as long as they sail on the seas.All waters connected to the high seas which include major rivers, having ports on their banks and which are visited by sea-going vessels. ‘High Seas’ means open seas, coastal waters or waters far away from land. All bays, and canals which are connected to the seas provided that they are sailed on by ocean-going vessels. However certain exemptions are given to this latter by paragraph ‘b’ of this Rule.
b. Nothing in these Rules shall interfere with the operation of special rules made by an appropriate authority for roadsteads, harbours, rivers, lakes or inland waterways connected with the high seas and navigable by seagoing vessels. Such special Rules shall conform as closely as possible to these Rules.
Meaning:A harbour or port authority or a country may make some special rules for their port approaches or rivers or anchorage areas; in that case, the COLREGS shall not cause confusion in having an opposing view to the rules. These special rules if made shall remain restricted only to the defined areas as stated “roadsteads, harbours, rivers, lakes or inland waterways”. The appropriate authority would be the body in control of the area concerned. However, the rules that a country or port makes shall not be too dissimilar to the COLREGS so as to minimise confusion and errors, thus reducing potential accidents.
For example, such special rules exists and are applicable in inland waters of Japan and within US. The inland rules of the US begin to apply to all traffic within 3 miles from US coast.
c. Nothing in these Rules shall interfere with the operation of any special rules made by the Government of any state with respect to additional station or signal lights, shapes orwhistle signals for ships of war and vessels proceeding under convoy, or with respect to additional station or signal lights or shapes for fishing vessels engaged in fishing as a fleet. These additional stations or signal lights, shapes or whistle signals shall so far as possible, be such that they cannot be mistaken for any light, shape or signal authorized elsewhere under these Rules.
Meaning:If a country has made any special rules which may make compulsory for ships and boats to show additional station or signals or lights for warships or for fishing fleets, then these special rules will again be such that they should not be confusing to a seagoing vessel i.e. they should not be similar to another signal in the COLREGS with a different meaning. This point covers two aspects:
additional station or signal lights, shapes or whistle signals - ships of war or vessels proceeding under convoy.
additional station or signal lights, shape - fishing vessels engaged in fishing as a fleet.
Please note ‘whistle signals’ clause is absent when fishing vessels engaged in fishing as a fleet. These additional provisions cannot be applied to a single fishing vessel operating alone or independently and not forming a part of ‘a fleet’.
d. Traffic separation schemes may be adopted by the Organization for the purpose of these Rules.
Meaning:The IMO may decide at any time and place to impose a traffic separation scheme, which would make it easier to navigate in a major traffic area. The above Traffic Separation Schemes will be for the purpose of enhancing the effectiveness of these COLREGS.
e. Whenever the Government concerned shall have determined that a vessel of special construction or purpose cannot comply fully with the provisions of any of these Rules with respect to the number, position, range or arc of visibility of lights or shapes, as well as to the disposition and characteristics of sound-signalling appliances, such vessel shall comply with such other provisions in regard to the number, position, range or arc of visibility of lights or shapes, as well as to the disposition and characteristics of sound-signaling appliances, as her Government shall have determined to be the closest possible compliance with these Rules in respect of that vessel.
Meaning:If a specially constructed ship (aircraft carrier), which due to the nature of the equipment fitted does not have places where to fit the lights or shapes as required by the COLREGS as specified in the annexes, then a government may allow these special ships to carry their lights or shapes in a different place, but it shall make sure that these are the closest deviation from the COLREGS. That is they are almost similar to those fitted on regular ships.
This is the main difference between paragraph ‘c’ and ‘e’, requirements developed under paragraph ‘c’ should have features which ‘cannot be mistaken for any light, shape or signal authorised elsewhere under these Rules’ and these are ‘additional’ to the requirements stated in these Rules, Whereas the requirements developed to meet paragraph ‘e’ are in lieu of the requirements of these Rules or are alternate substitutes with closest possible compliance as the vessel concerned cannot comply with the prescribed standards.
Rule 2 - Responsibility
(a) Nothing in these Rules shall exonerate any vessel or the owner, master or crew thereof, from the consequences of any neglect to comply with these Rules or of the neglect of any precaution, which may be required by the ordinary practice of seamen, or by the special circumstances of the case.
Meaning:There is no escaping the penalty of not following these rules. Everybody is responsible and no excuses are permitted that ‘I forgot’ etc. Also, there are some practices which are followed by seamen which may not be in the rules but they have been said and in use for many years, even these are included in compliance. This rule was formulated after all the ‘ordinary practice of seamen’ were written down as part of these rules, but some of the ‘ordinary practices’ which may have been overlooked are covered by this rule.
Circumstances can dictate a deviation from these rules, like if the seaman thinks that by following the rules in a special situation the action would endanger the ships, in that case, a deviation may be permitted which will not endanger the ships.
(b) In construing and complying with these Rules due regard shall be had to all dangers of navigation and collision and to any special circumstances including the limitations of the vessels involved which may make a departure from these Rules necessary to avoid immediate danger.
Meaning:In understanding and then complying with these rules - pay close attention to the dangers of navigation and to the circumstances which may arise where blindly following these rules may endanger the ships.
For this, if required by common sense that to follow the rules would make a situation worse, then an action may be taken which are different from these rules but would have ensured safety for the vessels.
Rule 3 - General Definitions
i. The word “underway” means that a vessel is not at anchor, or made fast to the shore, or aground.
Meaning:This term is somewhat vague. The opinion has been held that a vessel, which is intentional, anchored with a proper anchor and intends to hold her position, is anchored. But if the vessel ha dropped her anchor to turn the vessel in a tide or is dredging meaning that the anchor has been dropped underfoot and the vessel is being dragged or is under her own power and is steaming astern (the anchor helps in keeping the bow in line) then in these cases the vessel would not be termed as at anchor.
If the vessel drags her anchor and moves away then too she is not at anchor.
Thus the meaning of ‘at anchor’ means in relation to the ‘made fast to shore’ and ‘aground’ that is the ship cannot move or drift away.
j. The words “length” and “breadth” of a vessel means her overall length and her greatest breadth.
Meaning:Here LBP does not mean the length.
k. Vessels shall be deemed to be in sight of one another only when one can be observed visually from the other.
Meaning:The vessel being observed should be capable of being seen with the observer’s eyes and not by any electronic device, this is so because the aspect of the vessel is very important, the human brain analyses data from input more effectively than an electronic device. A change in other vessels heading is very readily apparent when observing visually, by electronic means it has a time lag.
l. The term “restricted visibility” means any condition in which visibility is restricted by fog, mist, falling snow, heavy rainstorms, sandstorms or any other similar causes.
Meaning:Restricted visibility may be caused by any of the above conditions and also by any other means, for example, the smoke from forest fires / Volcanic Eruptions (recently: 2015) in the Indonesian forests had drastically reduced visibility in the Malacca Straits some years back.
m. The term “Wing-In-Ground (WIG) craft” means a multimodal craft which, in its main operational mode, flies in close proximity to the surface by utilising surface-effect action.
