Changing the Collision Regulations

Extract

Tentative arrangements have now been made for the International Maritime Consultative Organization (Imco) to call an International Conference in 1972 to examine the international regulations for prevention of collision at sea and to make proposals for change where appropriate. It would therefore seem timely for members of the Institute with views on how the Collision Regulations might be amended to air these views so that all the aspects of the problem can be considered prior to the Revision Conference.

It would seem essential first to consider whether the rules as at present structured are broadly correct, which would indicate simply a review of each rule to see whether and to what extent amendments or improvements may be desirable, or alternatively whether some of the underlying basic premises on which the present rules are based are in need of revision, which would obviously mean very much more radical change. In the author's opinion the rules as now drafted do not seem to be correctly structured for modern navigation by the great bulk of ships on the high seas.