Collisions: How to Avoid Them, First Edition

Overview The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972 (COLREGs) are the foundations upon which safe navigation and conduct of vessels are built. Designed specifically for use on ships' bridges, North P&I club's loss prevention guide on the COLREGs is intended to provide practical advice to all watchkeepers, from cadets to masters and inspecting officers, on the key collision avoidance rules. It is also intended to serve as a focus for discussion in bridge team meetings, at on-board training sessions, during a quiet watch or in the mess room. The 12 rules discussed in the guide are those that are most often misinterpreted and appear to have been breached time and again when collisions occur. This guide demonstrates how these rules fit together and how the interpretation and application of each of them can be influenced, sometimes wrongly, by the vast mass of information now available from electronic aids to navigation. At the end of this guide is a series of collision case studies and simple plotting sheets, which readers can use to illustrate developing situations while on watch. The case studies and the questions they ask are designed to be the starting point for wide-ranging discussions on all aspects of collision avoidance. Content CONTENTS FOREWORD INTRODUCTION   THE RULES Rule 2: Responsibility Rule 5: Look-out Rule 6: Safe speed Rule 7: Risk of collision Rule 8: Action to avoid collision Rule 10: Traffic separation schemes Rule 13: Overtaking Rule 14: Head-on situation Rule 15: Crossing situation Rule 16: Action by give-way vessel Rule 17: Action by stand-on vessel Rule 19: Conduct of vessels in restricted visibility   CASE STUDIES Introduction Case Study 1. Who started this? Case Study 2. Is it good to talk? Case Study 3. What were they thinking? Case Study 4. Watch out astern Case Study 5. To cross or not to cross? Case Study 6. Fishing?   PLOTTING SHEETS Plotting Sheet 1. Open sea Plotting Sheet 2. Traffic separation scheme Plotting Sheet 3. Coastal waters Introduction Collisions are among the most high profile of all maritime accidents. The number of collisions and theircost, in personal and financial terms, has increased in recent years and ‘human error’ seems to be the only common factor. THE COLREGS Collisions should not happen but they do; sometimes with disastrous consequences. Proper application of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972 (COLREGs) by every watchkeeper on every vessel is the only way to reduce the risk of collision. Indeed, if the regulations are followed to the letter, then a collision should never occur. Today’s watchkeeper is required to gather, understand and appraise information from a range of sources; from sophisticated radar, automatic radar plotting aids (ARPA), electronic chart display and information systems (ECDIS), automatic identification systems (AIS) and global positioning systems (GPS) to compass bearings, visual sightings and sound signals. This information is the starting point of a decision making process and the watch keeper must then apply the COLREGs to the factual situation in order to identify the correct steps leading to the correct outcome. IDENTIFYING RISK The concept of the ‘risk of collision’ is a key feature of the COLREGs. The risk of collision must be identified, assessed and avoided at all times and this is the responsibility of every watchkeeping officer on every vessel. The best lesson you can learn from this guide is to acknowledge the watchkeeper’s responsibility to identify a ‘risk of collision’ and to take all necessary steps to avoid or minimise that risk. The aim of this guide is to deliver that message by encouraging discussion between all watchkeepers, from cadets to masters and inspecting officers. We learn best from our experience and from the experience of the people around us, and there is no better way of understanding COLREGs than through discussion, whether in bridge team meetings, at onboard training sessions, during a quiet watch or in the mess room. KEY RULES This is not a textbook on the COLREGs. Rather, it is a focus for discussion of those regulations that we at North believe are the key to collision avoidance and which we see breached time and again when collisions occur. We think the rules that are discussed in this guide are the ones which are most often misinterpreted and misapplied. We hope that this guide will demonstrate how these rules fit together and how the interpretation and application of each of them can be influenced, sometimes wrongly, by the vast mass of information now available from electronic aids to navigation. At the end of the guide are collision case studies and simple plotting sheets which you can use to illustrate developing situations. We hope that the case studies and the questions they ask will be the starting point for wideranging discussions on all aspects of collision avoidance. Details Title: Collisions: How to Avoid ThemNumber of Pages: 44Product Code: WS1707KISBN: ISBN 13: 978-0-9558257-9-8 (9780955825798), ISBN 10: 0-9558257-9-2 (0955825792)Published Date: August 2019Binding Format: Paperback SpiroBook Spine: 10 mmWeight: 0.70 kgAuthor: The North of England P&I Association Ltd