International Regulations For Preventing Collisions at Sea - The History of The Rules

The History of The Rules

Prior to the development of a single set of international rules and practices, there existed separate practices and various conventions and informal procedures in different parts of the world, as advanced by various maritime nations. As a result there were inconsistencies and even contradictions that gave rise to unintended collisions. Vessel navigation lights for operating in darkness as well as navigation marks also were not standardized, giving rise to dangerous confusion and ambiguity between vessels at risk of colliding.

With the advent of steam-powered ships in the mid-19th century, conventions for sailing vessel navigation had to be supplemented with conventions for power-driven vessel navigation. Sailing vessels are limited as to their maneuverability in that they cannot sail directly to windward or into the eye of the wind and cannot be readily navigated in the absence of wind. On the other hand, steamships can maneuver in all 360 degrees of direction and can be maneuvered irrespective of the presence or absence of wind.

In the United States, the Bombay Coasting Vessels Act of 1838 required steamboats running between sunset and sunrise to carry one or more signal lights; color, visibility, and location were not addressed. In 1840 in London, the Trinity House drew up a set of regulations which were enacted by Parliament in 1846. The Trinity House rules were included in the Steam Navigation Act of 1846, and the Admiralty regulations regarding lights for steam ships were included in this statute in 1848. In 1849 Congress extended the light requirements to sailing vessels on U.S. waters. In the UK in 1858 coloured sidelights were recommended for sailing vessels and fog signals were required to be given, by steam vessels on the ships whistle and by sailing vessels on the fog horn or bell, while a separate but similar action was also taken in the United States

In 1863 a new set of rules drawn up by the British Board of Trade, in consultation with the French government, came into force. By 1864 the regulations (or Articles) had been adopted by more than thirty maritime countries, including Germany and the United States, signed in by President Abraham Lincoln.

In 1880, the 1863 Articles were supplemented with whistle signals and in 1884 a new set of international regulations was implemented.

In 1867, Thomas Gray, assistant secretary to the London Maritime Department of Trade, wrote The Rule of the Road, a pamphlet that became famous for its well-known mnemonic verses.

In 1889 the United States convened the first international maritime conference in Washington, D.C. The resulting rules were adopted in 1890 and effected in 1897. Some minor changes were made during the 1910 Brussels Maritime Conference and some rule changes were proposed, but never ratified, at the 1929 International Conference on Safety of Life at Sea (S.O.L.A.S.) With the recommendation that the direction of a turn be referenced by the rudder instead of the helm or tiller being informally agreed by all maritime nations in 1935.

The 1948 S.O.L.A.S. International Conference made several recommendations, including the recognition of R.A.D.A.R., these were eventually ratified in 1952 and became effective in 1954. Further recommendations were made by a S.O.L.A.S. Conference in London in 1960 which became effective in 1965

The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea were adopted as a Convention of the International Maritime Organization on 20 October 1972 and entered into force on 15 July 1977. They were designed to update and replace the Collision Regulations of 1960, particularly with regard to Traffic Separation Schemes (TSS) following the first of these, introduced in the Strait of Dover in 1967.

They have been amended several times since their first adoption. In 1981 Rule 10 was amended with regard to dredging or surveying in traffic separation schemes. In 1987 amendments were made to several rules, including rule 1(e) for vessels of special construction; rule 3(h), vessels constrained by her draught and Rule 10(c), crossing traffic lanes. In 1989 Rule 10 was altered to stop unnecessary use of the inshore traffic zones associated with TSS. In 1993 amendments were made concerning the positioning of lights on vessels. In 2001 new rules were added relating to wing-in-ground-effect (WIG) craft and in 2007 the text of Annex IV (Distress signals) was rewritten.

Each country that is a member of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) designates an "Administration" or federal authority or agency for implementing the provisions of the COLREG convention as it applies to vessels over which the federal authority has jurisdiction. In other words, the IMO convention including the almost four dozen "rules" contained in the international regulations is adopted by each member country signatory to the convention. Each national or federal administration is responsible for the implementation and enforcement of the regulations as it applies to ships and vessels over which it has legal authority. For example, the U.S. Coast Guard regulates U.S. vessels, while Transport Canada regulates Canadian vessels. In effect, there is a set of national navigation laws (regulations) which conform to the international convention. Each administration is empowered to enact modifications that apply to vessels in waters under the national jurisdiction concerned, provided that any such modifications are not inconsistent with the COLREGs.

The full text of the current rules is available from various national administration websites. Typically, the COLREGs are incorporated within national regulatory instruments "by reference". There are multiple books in many languages that not only provide the rules, but also provide discussion and examples related to interpreting the raw rules, including diagrams and hypothetical cases. The UK version is provided by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). The COLREGs are contained within the Merchant Shipping (Distress Signals and Prevention of Collisions) Regulations of 1996 as amended from time to time and is distributed and accessed in the form of a "Merchant Shipping Notice" (MSN), which is used to "convey mandatory information that must be complied with under UK legislation. These MSNs relate to Statutory Instruments and contain the technical detail of such regulations." The MCA says that material it publishes is subject to Crown copyright protection, which means that it may be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium for research or private study, provided it is reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context. The summary below is based upon but is not identical to the published text.