Summary of The Rules
The rules are specified in great detail in the regulations. Certain individuals are legally required to carry or possess a copy of the rules, such as the owners and/or operators of certain vessels. COLREG laws exist within each maritime jurisdiction. Any individual subject to such requirements should be aware of the complete, official wording. Copies are available from government and official sources, such as the coast guard.
In addition to the actual rules, a body of legal precedents and case law exists; judgements on the application of the various rules with respect to specific legal and admiralty court cases have been published. Such precedents of judicial interpretation provide guidance as to how the rules were deemed to have applied given specific facts, often with a view to apportioning contributory liability or blame.
A commonly held misconception concerning the rules of marine navigation is that by following specific rules, a vessel can gain certain rights of way over other vessels. No vessel ever has absolute "right of way" over other vessels. Rather, there can be a "give way" (burdened) vessel and a "stand on" (privileged) vessel, or there may be two give way vessels with no stand on vessel. A stand on vessel does not have an absolute right of way over any give way vessel, for if there is a risk of collision, a stand on vessel may still be obliged under Rule 2 to give way so as to avoid it, if doing so will be effective and is practicable. Two power-driven vessels approaching each other head to head, are both deemed to be "give way" and both are required to alter course so as to avoid colliding with the other. Neither vessel has "right of way".
Read more about this topic: International Regulations For Preventing Collisions At Sea
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