LLM DEGREE MARITIME LAW COLLISION SCENARIO Essay

LLM DEGREE MARITIME LAW COLLISION SCENARIO - Essay Example The second rule that relates to steam ships required steam vessels on different courses to pass on different port sides to reduce the risk of collision. The London Trinity House also laid down a rule for vessels under sail, which required sailing vessels on the tack to give way for a vessel on the starboard tack. This was followed by a collusion of the two Trinity rules of steam vessels through an 1846 act of parliament that saw their inclusion in the Navigation act. In 1858, there was an addition to the Navigation act which saw the addition of regulations on colored side lights for sailing vessels and fog signals for both sailing and steam vessels. In 1863 however, there was a complete change to the Navigation act which saw a new set of rules drawn by the British Board of Trade in consolation with the French government: vessels that were meeting end-on or near end –on were to alter their course to starboard. Every vessel that was overtaking another was to keep away from the v essel being overtaken. By the end of the year 1864, these regulations and others were adopted by over 30 maritime countries including the United States and Germany as Maritime articles.1 1Simon Baughen, Shipping Law (London: Routledge, 2009), 21. The year 1880 saw minor changes to the articles with a requirement for whistle signals to be given by steam vessels as a way of indicating the direction they were taking and therefore avoid collision. 1884 also saw a minor addition of an article that specified the signals that could be used by a vessel in distress, thus bringing the total number of articles to 27. In 1889 for the first time, there was a conference in Washington that sought to consider the regulations for collision at sea. New provisions were put in place requiring a stand on vessel to keep her speed and course. Vessels were also to avoid crossing in front of the other vessel and steamship permission to carry a second white light was also included. Another Maritime conferenc e was held in 1910, which mainly insisted on the Washington regulations with only some minor changes. Another international conference on Safety of life at Sea was held in 1948, which saw minor revisions which came into effect in 1954. This was followed by another international conference in 1960 that saw an addition of a new paragraph in the exiting regulations and better definition of the wordings. In 1972 COLREGs, the article was designed to replace the collision Regulations of 1960. There were several minor changes that were made in the Collision acts in the years following 1972 until in 1995 when the Merchant Shipping Act was introduced, that sought to consolidate the shipping acts from 1894-1995 and other enactments. Convention on International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at sea (1972) governs the Merchant Shipping Act on all water crafts, either personal or public, which is classified as a ship.2 2Susan Hodges, Law Of Marine Insurance (London: Routledge, 1996), 23. Main 1. Who do colregs apply to? This is well stipulated in rule of the preventing sea collisions convention which defines the application of the rules as: these rules apply to all vessels upon the high seas and the waters that are connected with navigable seagoing vessels. Nothing in the rules so specified shall interfere with the special rules that have been made by any authority. Nothing in the rules shall interfere with the special rules that may have been made by the government or any particular state. Traffic