The UK issued three notices referring to the COLREG

UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency has recently issued three merchant shipping notices referring to the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972 (COLREG).

MSN 1781 (M+F) Amendment 3

1. Introduction

1.1 The Merchant Shipping (Watercraft) Order 2023 made provision to bring watercraft (as defined in the Order) within the scope of the Merchant Shipping (Distress and Prevention of Collisions) Regulations 1996, and this Notice provides further background about the application and effect of that change.

2. Latest Amendments

2.1 Amendment 2 of this Notice, incorporated amendments to the COLREG up to and including those implemented through IMO Resolution A.1085(28).

2.2 The amendments identified in section 2.1 of this Notice, adopted in December 2013 and in force from 1 January 2016, included a new part, “Part F”, containing three Rules, Rule 39, 40 and 41, which provide for IMO verification of Member States’ compliance with the provisions of the COLREG convention.

2.3 Amendment 3 of this Notice relates to the provisions of The Merchant Shipping (Watercraft) Order 2023 and their effect on the scope of the Merchant Shipping (Distress and Prevention of Collisions) Regulations 1996.

3. Note on the Application of the Regulations

3.1 The Rules of COLREG apply by virtue of the Merchant Shipping (Distress and Prevention of Collisions) Regulations 1996 (“the 1996 Regulations”) to ships or other vessels as defined in the Merchant Shipping Act 1995.

3.2 The Merchant Shipping (Watercraft) Order 2023 (“the 2023 Order”) makes provision to bring watercraft within the scope of the 1996 Regulations. The 2023 Order does this by providing that any reference to “United Kingdom Ship” in the 1996 Regulations includes a reference to a “watercraft registered in the United Kingdom”, and any reference to “other ships” includes a reference to “other watercraft”.

The 2023 Order makes corresponding provision in relation to references to “Master” as including “any person for the time being using a watercraft”.

3.3 The 2023 Order defines a “watercraft” as any type of craft which;

is capable of moving under its own mechanical power,
is used, navigated, or situated wholly or partly in or on the water, and
is capable of being used to carry one or more persons.

3.4 The application of the Rules of COLREG to watercraft which currently may not fall within the scope of the definitions in the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 and the 2023 Order will be subject to clarification in further legislation or guidance from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).

4. Background

4.1 In the COLREG with regard to some particular Regulations:

4.1.1 The traffic separation schemes referred to in Rule 10(a) are the schemes adapted internationally pursuant to Regulation 10 of Chapter V of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, as amended (SOLAS).

4.1.2 The diagram mentioned in paragraph 7 of Annex 1 is the one specified in the Chromaticity Chart (1975) published by the International Illumination Commission (CIE).

4.1.3 The International Code of Signals referred to in paragraph 3 of Annex IV implies the current edition published by the International Maritime Organisation; and

4.1.4 The International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue Manual, Volume III (IAMSAR) also referred to in Paragraph 3 of Annex IV means the updated version of Volume III of the IAMSAR Manual, which is jointly published by IMO and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

COLREG Table of Contents

The COLREG table of contents is listed below, for the full script of the currently applicable and extant Rules, in electronic or hardcopy format, please contact IMO Publications as at below link:

http://www.imo.org/en/Publications/Pages/Home.aspx

Rules	Descriptor	No.
PART A	GENERAL	1-3
PART B	STEERING and SAILING RULES Section I – Conduct of vessels in any conditions of visibility Section II – Conduct of vessels in sight of one another Section III – Conduct of vessels in restricted visibility	4-10 11-18 19
PART C	LIGHTS and SHAPES	20-31
PART D	SOUND and LIGHT SIGNALS	32-37
PART E	EXEMPTIONS	38
PART F	VERIFICATION of COMPLIANCE WITH the PROVISIONS of the CONVENTION	39-41
ANNEX I	POSITIONING and TECHNICAL DETAILS of LIGHTS AND SHAPES
ANNEX II	ADDITIONAL SIGNALS for FISHING VESSELS FISHING in CLOSE PROXIMITY
ANNEX III	TECHNICAL DETAILS of SOUND SIGNAL APPLIANCES
ANNEX IV	DISTRESS SIGNALS

Original COLREG and Amendments

COLREG/ Amendments	Adopted by	Adopted date	Effective Date	Amendments to the Convention
COLREG	Conference	20/10/1972	15/07/1977
1981 Amendments	Res.A.464(12)	19/11/1981	01/06/1983	Rule 1(c), 3(g), 3(g)(v), 10(b)(iii), 10(d), 10(e), 10(k), 10(l), 13(a), 22(d), 23(c), 24(a)(i), 24(c)(i), 24(d), 24(e), 24(g), 24(h), 24(i), 25(b), 27(b), 27(b)(iii), 27(c), 27(d), 27(e), 27(f), 27(g), 29(a)(iii), 30(e), 30(f), 33(a), 34(b)(iii), 35(d), 36, 37, 38, 38(h), Annex I/Sec.1, 2(f), 2(i)(ii), 2(j), 2(k), 3(b), 3(c), 5, 8, 9(a)(i), 9(a)(ii), 10(a), 10(b), 13, Annex III/1(d), 2(a), 2(b), 3
1987 Amendments	Res.A.626(15)	19/11/1987	19/11/1989	Rule 1(e), 3(h), New Rule 8(f), 10(a), 10(c), Annex 1/section 2(d), 2(i)(ii), 10(a), (b), Annex IV/new para 1(o)
1989 Amendments	Res.A678(16)	19/10/1989	19/04/1991	Rule 10(d), (i), 10(d)(ii)
1993 Amendments	Res.A.736(18)	04/11/1993	04/11/1995	Rule 26(b)(i), 26(c)(i), 26(d), Annex I/Sec. 3(d), sec. 9(b), 9(b)(ii), New Sec. 13, Annex II/Sec. 2(a), 2(b), 2(c), Annex IV/sub-para. 1(o)
2001 Amendments	Res.A.910(22)	29/11/2001	29/11/2003	Rule 3(a), (m), Rule 8(a), Rule 18(f), Rule 23(c), Rule 31, Rule 33(a), Rule 35(i), Annex I/Sec. 13, Annex III/Sec.1-Whistles para. (a), (c), sec. 2-bell or gong para. (b)
2007 Amendments	Res.A.1004(25)	29/11/2007	01/12/2009	Annex IV
2013 Amendments	Res.A.1085(28)	10/12/2013	01/01/2016	Rule 39 (new), Rule 40 (new), Rule 41 (new)