The navigation rules of the road are defined by the International Maritime Organisation. The Ocean Seas and Inland waterways, like highways and railways, have restrictions and guidelines in place to keep everyone safe. The 72 COLREGS, or International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, were designed to aid with the safe and lawful management of waterways. The Inland Navigation Rules, which are enforced by coast guards around the world differ from each other in that they include additional measures depending on the country.

Talking in context of ships which sail in vast oceans and seas where there are no concrete roads, you might be a bit surprised to know that the rules of the road have to be followed by the marine vessels as well. In this case these rules is known as sea rules of the road or navigation rules of the road.

Because there was no single, standardized set of travel laws, each region of the world had its own set of restrictions. As a result, discrepancies and safety issues arose, greatly increasing the danger of vessel crashes. When steam-powered ships first appeared on the water in the early 1800s, the risk of collision rose since they had to share the waterways with sailboats.

Rules of the Road is essential for practical navigation as well as for passing the various exams and certifications relating to navigation since they are applicable to all types of ships. Navigation desks and equipment on ships must be designed to allow a ships’ captain and crew to abide by the rules accordingly. Rules are rules, and hence even for marine vessels remaining in inland waters, these rules are made by local authorities but they must be in confirmation by the outline laid out by the IMO ROR and cannot differ totally from them. Similarly there could be a slight variation of these rules while applying them to specific ship types and shapes such as for example say naval aircraft carrier ships, dredgers, minesweepers and so forth.

Several countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the United States, began to implement restrictions for vessels forming a convention around that time. The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (72 COLREGS) were adopted in 1972 to bridge the gap between regional inconsistencies. More revisions were made in 1981 to properly describe inland waterway laws, but they remained broadly comparable to international rules.

Each country that joins the convention promises to establish COLREG laws on international waterways while adhering as closely as feasible to inland waterway restrictions.

Demarcation lines on nautical and maritime charts define the boundary between international and inland waterways, allowing vessel operators to better understand which set of rules they must follow.

The rules are essentially made up of a few simple notions:

1. Place a watchful eye on the area. Designate someone to keep an eye out for hazards coming from any direction.

2. Maintain a comfortable speed. Unless the river is designated with a "No Wake" or "Slow Speed" Aid, you must determine "safe speed" for yourself, taking into account visibility, vessel traffic, your boat's capacity to maneuver, and the weather conditions.

3. Avoid colliding with another vehicle. The measures to follow when encountering another vessel on the water are outlined in the Rules of the Road. Overtaking, colliding head-on, and crossing the bow of another vessel are some of the most prevalent scenarios you may encounter. The boat designated as the "give-way" vessel must yield to the other vessel in each scenario, while the boat designated as the "stand-on" vessel must continue its route and speed.

Some basic definitions of the Rules of the Road

- A power driven vessel is a vessel under mechanical propulsion of any kind.

- Sometimes a vessel may be severely restricted in her manoeuvrability because of specialised or complicated task she is performing which could be cable laying, survey, minesweeping and so forth and such a vessels is known as the “vessel restricted in her ability to maneuver”.

- A “vessel constrained by her draft” means a power driven vessel which because of her depth in relation to the available depth and width of navigable water is severely restricted in her ability to deviate from the course she is following.

-The word “underway” means a vessel is not at anchor, or made fast to the shore, or aground. So for example, a vessel with her engines stopped and drifting is underway, and must comply with the rules.

- the term sailing vessel applies only and only to a marine vessel if it is not using mechanical propulsion at all. If the vessel is using a combination of mechanical power and sails it is classified as a power driven vessel and does not come within the definition of a sailing vessel.

-The term “vessel engaged in fishing” means any vessel fishing with appartus that restrict her maneuverability- so, a pleasure boat with a couple of lines out is not a fishing vessel under ROR.

-“Seaplane" includes any aircraft designed to maneuver on the water.

- a vessel is said to be not under command when her exceptional circumstances prevent the navigating officers on board the vessel to manoeuvre her in a manner required by the rules of the road; therefore such a vessel is not in a position to keep out of the way of other vessels.

In our efficient production facility in China we produce a range of control and navigation consoles designed to allow ships to navigate and follow the Rules of the Sea. Whether they’re designed by us or your engineering teams, we produce according to specified requirements. Get in touch to find out more and get a free quotation.