Revised Rules for Preventing Collisions at Sea

Extract

In the July number of the Journal there appeared a series of contributions on the revision of the Collision Regulations, preceded by an introductory note which referred to a number of the more important papers on this subject published in the Journal during the last ten years. Partly as a result of this series of contributions, and of a questionnaire recently circulated by the International Chamber of Shipping, Captain Thompson, Master of the S.S. Magara, after discussion with those concerned with the Rules on board his vessel, has drawn up, for general discussion, draft revised Collision Regulations. Naturally they depend heavily on ideas published in the Journal and elsewhere; indeed their particular value is that they take account of many of these ideas and attempt to express them in a practical and seamanlike fashion. Clearly there are loopholes in the draft: it is the work of seamen, not lawyers. What matters at this stage is the intention, which is to provide rules and a code of conduct which are simple, unambiguous and clear. Commander P. C. H. Clissold made some useful comments on the original draft.

Of those who took part in the discussion on the Collision Regulations published in the Journal (22, 285), some favour amending the present rules. and others refraining them completely. There are grounds for thinking that a similar dissension exists among seamen.