CONVENTION ON THE

INTERNATIONAL REGULATIONS FOR

PREVENTING COLLISIONS AT SEA, 1972
The Parties to the present Convention,

DESIRING to maintain a high level of safety at sea,

MINDFUL of the need to revise and bring up to date the International Regulations
for Preventing Collisions at Sea annexed to the Final Act of the International
Conference on Safety of Life at Sea, 1960,
HAVING CONSIDERED those Regulations in the light of developments since they
were approved,
HAVE AGREED as follows:

Article I
General obligations
The Parties to the present Convention undertake to give effect to the Rules and other
Annexes constituting the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea,
1972, (hereinafter referred to as "the Regulations") attached hereto.

Article II
Signature, ratification, acceptance,
approval and accession
1. The present Convention shall remain open for signature until 1 June 1973 and
shall thereafter remain open for accession.

2. States Members of the United Nations, or of any of the Specialized Agencies, or

the International Atomic Energy Agency, or Parties to the Statute of the International
Court of Justice may become Parties to this Convention by:
(a) signature without reservation as to ratification, acceptance or
approval;
(b) signature subject to ratification, acceptance or approval followed by
ratification, acceptance or approval; or
(c) accession.

3. Ratification, acceptance, approval or accession shall be effected by the

deposit of an instrument to that effect with the Inter-Governmental Maritime
Consultative Organization" (hereinafter referred to as "the

* NOTE: The name of the Organization was changed to "INTERNATIONAL MARITIME

ORGANIZATION" by virtue of amendments to the Organization's Convention which entered into
force on 22 May 1982.
Organization"} which shall inform the Governments of States that have signed or
acceded to the present Convention of the deposit of each instrument and of the
date of its deposit.

Article III
Territorial application
1. The United Nations in cases where they are the administering authority for a
territory, or any Contracting Party responsible for the international relations of a
territory, may at any time by notification in writing to the Secretary-General of the
Organization (hereinafter referred to as "the Secretary-General"), extend the
application of this Convention to such a territory.

2. The present Convention shall, upon the date of receipt of the notification or
from such other date as may be specified in the notification, extend to the
territory named therein.

3. Any notification made in accordance with paragraph 1 of this article may be

withdrawn in respect of any territory mentioned in that notification and the
extension of this Convention to that territory shall cease to apply after one year or
such longer period as may be specified at the time of the withdrawal.

4. The Secretary-General shall inform all Contracting Parties of the notification of

any extension or withdrawal of any extension communicated under this article.

Article IV
Entry into force
1. (a) The present Convention shall enter into force twelve months after the
date on which at least 15 States, the aggregate of whose merchant
fleets constitutes not less than 65% by number or by tonnage of the
world fleet of vessels of 100 gross tons and over, have become Parties
to it, whichever is achieved first.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions in subparagraph (a) of this paragraph,
the present Convention shall not enter into force before 1 January
1976.

2. Entry into force for States which ratify, accept, approve or accede to this
Convention in accordance with article II after the conditions prescribed in
subparagraph 1 (a) have been met and before the Convention enters into force,
shall be on the date of entry into force of the Convention.

3. Entry into force for States which ratify, accept, approve or accede after
the date on which this Convention enters into force, shall be on the date of
deposit of an instrument in accordance with article II.

4. After the date of entry into force of an amendment to this Convention

in accordance with paragraph 4 of article VI, any ratification, acceptance,
approval or accession shall apply to the Convention as amended.
5. On the date of entry into force of this Convention, the Regulations
replace and abrogate the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions
at Sea, 1960.

6. The Secretary-General shall inform the Governments of States that

have signed or acceded to this Convention of the date of its entry into force.

Article V
Revision conference

1. A conference for the purpose of revising this Convention or the

Regulations or both may be convened by the Organization.

2. The Organization shall convene a conference of Contracting Parties for the

purpose of revising this Convention or the Regulations or both at the request of not
less than one third of the Contracting Parties.

Article VI
Amendments to the Regulations

1. Any amendment to the Regulations proposed by a Contracting Party shall be

considered in the Organization at the request of that Party.

2. If adopted by a two-thirds majority of those present and voting in the Maritime

Safety Committee of the Organization, such amendment shall be communicated
to all Contracting Parties and Members of the Organization at least six months
prior to its consideration by the Assembly of the Organization. Any Contracting
Party which is not a Member of the Organization shall be entitled to participate
when the amendment is considered by the Assembly.

3. If adopted by a two-thirds majority of those present and voting in the Assembly,

the amendment shall be communicated by the Secretary-General to all
Contracting Parties for their acceptance.

4. Such an amendment shall enter into force on a date to be determined by the

Assembly at the time of its adoption unless, by a prior date determined by the
Assembly at the same time, more than one third of the Contracting Parties notify
the Organization of their objection to the amendment. Determination by the
Assembly of the dates referred to in this paragraph shall be by a two-thirds
majority of those present and voting.

5. On entry into force any amendment shall, for all Contracting Parties
which have not objected to the amendment, replace and supersede any
previous provision to which the amendment refers.

6. The Secretary-General shall inform all Contracting Parties and Members of the
Organization of any request and communication under this article and the date on
which any amendment enters into force.
Article VII
Denunc/at/on
1. The present Convention may be denounced by a Contracting Party at any time
after the expiry of five years from the date on which the Convention entered into
force for that Party.

2. Denunciation shall be effected by the deposit of an instrument with the

Organization. The Secretary-General shall inform all other Contracting Parties of
the receipt of the instrument of denunciation and of the date of its deposit.
3. A denunciation shall take effect one year, or such longer period as may be
specified in the instrument, after its deposit.

Article VIII
Deposit and registration
1. The present Convention and the Regulations shall be deposited with the
Organization, and the Secretary-General shall transmit certified true copies
thereof to all Governments of States that have signed this Convention or acceded
to it.
2. When the present Convention enters into force, the text shall be transmitted by
the Secretary-General to the Secretariat of the United Nations for registration and
publication in accordance with Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations.

Article IX
Languages
The present Convention is established, together with the Regulations, in a single
copy in the English and French languages, both texts being equally authentic.
Official translations in the Russian and Spanish languages shall be prepared and
deposited with the signed original.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned* being duly authorized by their respective

Governments for that purpose have signed the present Convention.

DONE AT LONDON this twentieth day of October one thousand nine hundred
and seventy-two.
 INTERNATIONAL REGULATIONS FOR
PREVENTING COLLISIONS AT SEA, 1972

PART A - GENERAL

Rule 1
Application
(a ) These Rules shall apply to all vessels upon the high seas and in all waters
connected therewith navigable by seagoing vessels.
(b) Nothing in these Rules shall interfere with the operation of special rules
made by an appropriate authority for roadsteads, harbours, rivers, lakes
or inland waterways connected with the high seas and navigable by
seagoing vessels. Such special rules shall conform as closely as possible to
these Rules.
(c) Nothing in these Rules shall interfere with the operation of any special
rules made by the Government of any State with respect to additional
station or signal lights, shapes or whistle signals for ships of war and
vessels proceeding under convoy, or with respect to additional station or
signal lights or shapes for fishing vessels engaged in fishing as a fleet.
These additional station or signal lights, shapes or whistle signals shall, so
far as possible, be such that they cannot be mistaken for any light, shape
or signal authorized elsewhere under these Rules.
(d) Traffic separation schemes may be adopted by the Organization for the
purpose of these Rules.
(e) Whenever the Government concerned shall have determined that a
vessel of special construction or purpose cannot comply fully with the
provisions of any of these Rules with respect to the number, position,
range or arc of visibility of lights or shapes, as well as to the disposition
and characteristics of sound-signalling appliances, such vessel shall comply
with such other provisions in regard to the number, position, range or arc
of visibility of lights or shapes, as well as to the disposition and
characteristics of sound-signalling appliances, as her Government shall
have determined to be the closest possible compliance with these Rules
in respect of that vessel.

Rule 2
Responsibility
(a) Nothing in these Rules shall exonerate any vessel, or the owner, master or
crew thereof, from the consequences of any neglect to comply with these
Rules or of the neglect of any precaution which may be required by the
 ordinary practice of seamen, or by the special circumstances of the case.

(b) In construing and complying with these Rules due regard shall be had to all
dangers of navigation and collision and to any special circumstances,
including the limitations of the vessels involved, which may make a
departure from these Rules necessary to avoid immediate danger.

Rule3
General definitions
For the purpose of these Rules, except where the context otherwise requires:

(a) The word vessel includes every description of water craft, including non-
displacement craft and seaplanes, used or capable of being used as a
means of transportation on water.

{b) The term power-driven vessel means any vessel propelled by machinery.

(c) The term sailing vessel means any vessel under sail provided that propelling
machinery, if fitted, is not being used.

(d) The term vessel engaged in fishing means any vessel fishing with nets, lines,
trawls or other fishing apparatus which restrict manoeuvrability, but does
not include a vessel fishing with trolling lines or other fishing apparatus
which do not restrict manoeuvrability.

(e) The word seaplane includes any aircraft designed to manoeuvre on the
water.

(f) The term vessel not under command means a vessel which through some
exceptional circumstance is unable to manoeuvre as required by these
Rules and is therefore unable to keep out of the way of another vessel.

(g) The term vessel restricted in her ability to manoeuvre means a vessel which
from the nature of her work is restricted in her ability to manoeuvre as
required by these Rules and is therefore unable to keep out of the way of
another vessel. The term vessels restricted in their ability to manoeuvre
shall include but not be limited to:
(i) a vessel engaged in laying, servicing or picking up a navigation mark,
submarine cable or pipeline;
(ii) a vessel engaged in dredging, surveying or underwater operations;
(Mi) a vessel engaged in replenishment or transferring persons, provisions
or cargo while underway;
(iv) a vessel engaged in the launching or recovery of aircraft; (v) a
vessel engaged in mine clearance operations;
(vi) a vessel engaged in a towing operation such as severely restricts the
towing vessel and her tow in their ability to deviate from their course.
(h) The term vessel constrained by her draught means a power-driven vessel
which, because of her draught 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.

(i) The word underway means that a vessel is not at anchor, or made fast to
the shore, or aground.

(j) The words length and breadth of a vessel mean her length overall and
greatest breadth.

(k) Vessels shall be deemed to be in sight of one another only when one can be
observed visually from the other.

(I) The term restricted visibility means any condition in which visibility is
restricted by fog, mist, falling snow, heavy rainstorms, sandstorms or any
other similar causes.