COLREGS

These rules shall apply to all vessels upon the high seas and in all waters connected therewith navigable by sea going vessels The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972 (COLREGS) are published by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and set out the "rules of the road" or navigation rules to be followed by ships and other vessels at sea in order to prevent collisions between two or more vessels. Certain individuals are legally required… (more)

These rules shall apply to all vessels upon the high seas and in all waters connected therewith navigable by sea going vessels The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972 (COLREGS) are published by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and set out the "rules of the road" or navigation rules to be followed by ships and other vessels at sea in order to prevent collisions between two or more vessels. Certain individuals are legally required to carry or possess a copy of the rules, such as the owners and/or operators of certain vessels. COLREG laws exist within each maritime jurisdiction. Any individual subject to such requirements should be aware of the complete, official wording. In addition to the actual rules, a body of legal precedents and case law exists; judgements on the application of the various rules with respect to specific legal and admiralty court cases have been published. A commonly held misconception concerning the rules of marine navigation is that by following specific rules, a vessel can gain certain rights of way over other vessels, however this is not in keeping with the rules. No vessel ever has absolute 'right of way' over other vessels. Rather, there can be a 'give way' (burdened) vessel and a 'stand on' (privileged) vessel, or there may be two give way vessels with no stand on vessel. A stand on vessel does not have an absolute right of way over any give way vessel. For if there is a risk of collision, a stand on vessel can still be obliged under Rule 2 to give way so as to avoid a collision, if doing so will be effective and is practicable. Two power-driven vessels approaching each other head to head, are both deemed to be 'give way' and both are required to alter course so as to avoid colliding with the other. Neither vessel has 'right of way'