COLLISION CASE STUDY

North of England P&I Association's loss prevention guide Collisions: How to Avoid Them includes a series of collision case studies intended to generate discussion about the International Regulations for preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs). Further case studies are published in NEPIA Signals from time to time and here is the latest.

Each case study is set out as simply as possible, with the minimum information necessary to describe a developing situation. The case studies ask a number of questions but answers are not provided. The case studies are intended to promote wide-ranging discussions about collision avoidance.

Scenario

The northern summer is approaching and yachtsmen are getting ready to sail. You are the Master of the Blue Ship, a large container vessel leaving a major terminal. You are constrained by your draft, you have a pilot on board and you are following the directions of the port’s Traffic Management Scheme. You have just started an 80° turn to port and your new course will take you into a fleet of racing yachts, which are all lying becalmed as there is no wind.

Questions

1. Which of the Collision Regulations govern this situation?

2.What do you do?

3. What should the yachts do?

4.The Pilot says that you should follow the passage plan and pay no attention to the yachts. Is that good advice?

Extracted from NEPIA Signals Newsletter Spring 2017