Rule 1 - Scope of application
These rules apply to all vessels on the high seas and in all adjacent waters accessible to vessels at sea. These rules shall in no way affect special requirements issued by the competent authority for navigation in harbours, ports, rivers, lakes or inland waterways adjacent to the high seas and accessible to seagoing vessels. Nor shall they prevent the application of special requirements issued by the Government of a State to increase the number of position lights, light signals, markings or whistle signals to be used by warships and vessels in convoy, or to increase the number of position lights, light signals or markings to be used by vessels fishing and constituting a fishing fleet. Such additional position lamps, light signals, markings or whistle signals shall, as far as practicable, be such that they cannot be confused with any other lights, markings or signals otherwise permitted in these rules.
The Organization may adopt traffic separation arrangements for the purposes of these Rules.
Rule 2 - Liability
Nothing in these Rules shall exempt a ship or its owner, master or crew from the consequences of any negligence in the application of these Rules or from any precaution required by the ordinary experience of the seafarer or the special circumstances in which the ship finds itself.
In interpreting and applying these rules, account shall be taken of all navigational hazards and risks of collision, and of all special circumstances, including the operating limitations of the ships involved, which may require deviation from these rules to avoid immediate danger.
Rule 3 - General definitions
For the purposes of these Rules, unless the context otherwise requires:
Ship" means any craft or apparatus of any kind, including non-draught craft, ships and seaplanes, used or capable of being used as a means of transport on water.
Power-driven ship' means any ship powered by machinery.
Sailing ship' means any ship operating under sail, even if it has a propulsion machinery, provided, however, that it is not used.
The term"vessel fishing" means any vessel fishing with nets, lines, trawls or other fishing gear reducing its manoeuvring capacity, but does not apply to vessels fishing with trolling lines or other fishing gear not reducing their manoeuvring capacity.
Seaplane" means any aircraft designed to manoeuvre on water.
Ship not in control" means a ship which, because of exceptional circumstances, is not able to manoeuvre in accordance with these Rules and therefore cannot deviate from the course of another ship.
Ship with restricted manoeuvring capabilities" means any ship whose ability to manoeuvre in accordance with these Rules is limited by the nature of its work, and which cannot therefore deviate from the course of another ship.
Ships with limited manoeuvring capacity" include, but are not limited to:
- vessels laying, raising or maintaining underwater buoys, cables or pipelines;
- ships engaged in dredging, hydrographic or oceanographic operations or underwater works;
- vessels refuelling or transhipping persons, provisions or cargo and en route ;
- ships engaged in take-off, landing or recovery operations;
- ships carrying out mine clearance operations;
- vessels engaged in a towing operation which makes it difficult for the towing vessel and its trailer to alter their course
Vessel with a draught handicap" means any power-driven vessel which, because of its draught, the available depth and width of navigable waters, can hardly alter its course.
The expression"under way" applies to any ship which is neither at anchor, moored on land nor stranded.
The terms"length" and"width" of a vessel mean its overall length and widest width.
Two vessels shall be considered to be in sight of each other only when one of them can be visually observed by the other.
Reduced visibility" means any situation where visibility is reduced due to fog, drizzle, snow, heavy rain or sandstorms, or any other similar cause.
Ship" means a multimodal craft whose principal mode of operation is near-surface flying under surface effect.
