REGULATIONS FOR

PREVENTING

COLLISIONS AT SEA.

At the Court at Osborne House, Isle of Wight, the 14th day of August, 1879.

PRESENT:

The Queen's Most Excellent Majesty in Council.

WHEREAS by "The Merchant Shipping Act Amendment Act, 1862," it was enacted, that on and after the first day of June one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, or such later day as might be fixed for the purpose by Order in Council, the regulations contained in the table marked C in the Schedule to the said Act should come into operation and be of the same force as if they were enacted in the body of the said Act; but that Her Majesty might from time to time, on the joint recommendation of the Admiralty and the Board of Trade, by Order in Council, annul or modify any of the said Regulations, or make new Regulations in addition thereto or in substitution therefor; and that any alterations in, or additions to, such Regulations made in manner aforesaid should be of the samo force as the Regulations in the said Schedule:

And whereas, by the same Act, it was further provided, that whenever it should be made to appear to Her Majesty that the Government of any foreign country was willing that the regulations for preventing collisions contained in Table C in the Schedule to the said Act, or such other Regulations for preventing collisions as are for the time being in force under the said Act, should apply to the ships of such country when beyond the limits of British jurisdiction, Her Majesty might, by Order in Council, direct that such Regulations should apply to the ships of the said foreign country, whether within British jurisdiction or not; and it was further provided by the said Act, that whenever an Order in Council had been issued applying any Regulation made by or in pursuance of the said Act to the ships of any foreign country such ships should, in all cases arising in any British Court, be deemed to be subject to such Regulation, and should, for the purpose of such Regulation, be treated as if they were British ships:

And whereas, by an Order in Council made in pursuance of the said recited Act, and dated the ninth day of January one thousand

eight hundred and sixty-three, Her Majesty was pleased to direct: First, that the Regulations contained in the Schedule to the said Act should be modified by the substitution for such Regulations of certain Regulations appended to the said Order:

Secondly, that the said Regulations appended to the said Order should, on and after the first day of June one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, apply to French ships, whether within British jurisdiction or not:

And whereas, by several Orders in Council subsequently made, Her Majesty was pleased to direct that the Regulations appended to the said Order of the ninth of January one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three should apply to ships of the countries specified in the said orders, whether within British jurisdiction

or not:

And whereas, by Order in Council dated the thirtieth day of July one thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, Her Majesty, on the joint recommendation of the Admiralty and the Board of Trade, was pleased to make certain additions to the Regulations appended to the said first-recited Order in Council, for the purpose of explaining Articles 11 and 13 of the said Regulations, and of removing doubt and misapprehension concerning the effect of the said two Articles:

And whereas the Admiralty and the Board of Trade have jointly recommended to Her Majesty, that the Regulations contained in the Order in Council dated the ninth day of January one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and the additions to the said Regulations contained in the said Order in Council of the thirtieth day of July, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight shall be annulled from the first day of September one thousand eight hundred and eighty, and there shall be substituted for the said Regulations and additions respectively the new Regulations herein-after set forth:

And whereas it has been made to appear to Her Majesty that the Governments of the several Foreign countries mentioned in the Second Schedule hereto are respectively willing that the Regulation contained in the First Schedule hereto shall apply to ships of the said countries respectively, whether within British jurisdiction

or not :

Now, therefore, Her Majesty, by virtue of the powers vested in Her by the said recited Act, and by and with the the advice of Her Privy Council, is pleased to direct :-

First, that on and after the first day of September, one thousand eight hundred and eighty, the Regulations appended to the said Order in Council of the ninth day of January, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and the additions to the said Regulations contained in the said Order in Council of the

thirtieth day of July one thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight shall be annulled, and that there shall be substituted for the said Regulations and additions respectively the new Regulations contained in the First Schedule thereto.

Second, that the said Regulations contained in the said First Schedule hereto shall, from and after the first day of September one thousand eight hundred and eighty, apply to ships of the countries mentioned in the said Second Schedule hereto, whether within British jurisdiction or not.

C. L. PEEL.

FIRST SCHEDULE.

REGULATIONS FOR PREVENTING COLLISIONS AT SEA.

Preliminary.

Art. 1. In the following rules every steamship which is under sail and not under steam is to be considered a sailing ship; and every steamship which is under steam, whether under sail or not, is to be considered a ship under steam.

Rules concerning Lights.

Art. 2. The lights mentioned in the following Articles, numbered 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11, and no others, shall be carried in all weathers, from sunset to sunrise.

Art. 3. A seagoing steamship when under way shall carry(a.) On or in front of the foremast, at a height above the hull of not less than 20 feet, and if the breadth of the ship exceeds 20 feet then at a height above the hull not less than such breadth, a bright white light, so constructed as to show an uniform and unbroken light over an arc of the horizon of 20 points of the compass; so fixed as to throw the light 10 points on each side of the ship, viz., from right ahead to two points abaft the beam on either side; and of such a character as to be visible on a dark night, with a clear atmosphere, at a distance of at least five miles.

(b.) On the starboard side, a green light so constructed as to show an uniform and unbroken light over an arc of the horizon of 10 points of the compass; so fixed as to throw the light from right ahead to 2 points abaft the beam on the starboard side; and of such a character as to be visible on a dark night, with a clear atmosphere, at a distance of at least two miles.

(c.) On the port side, a red light, so constructed as to show an uniform and unbroken light over an arc of the horizon of 10 points of the compass; so fixed as to throw the light

from right ahead to 2 points abaft the beam on the port-side; and of such a character as to be visible on a dark night with a clear atmosphere, at a distance of at least two miles.

(d.) The said green and red side lights shall be fitted with inboard screens projecting at least three feet forward from the light, so as to prevent these lights from being seen across the bow.

Art. 4. A steamship, when towing another ship, shall, in addition to her side lights, carry two bright white lights in a vertical line one over the other, not less than three feet apart, so as to distinguish her from other steamships. Each of these lights shall be of the same construction and character, and shall be carried in the same position, as the white light which other steamships are required to carry.

Art. 5. A ship, whether a steamship or a sailing ship, when employed either in laying or in picking up a telegraph cable, or which from any accident is not under command, shall at night carry, in the same position as the white light which steamships are required to carry, and, if a steamship, in place of that light, three red lights in globular lanterns, each not less than ten inches in diameter, in a vertical line one over the other, not less than three feet apart and shall by day carry in a vertical line one over the other, not less than three feet apart, in front of, but not lower than her foremast head, three black balls or shapes, each two feet in diameter.

These shapes and lights are to be taken by approaching ships as signals that the ship using them is not under command, and cannot therefore get out of the way.

The above ships, when not making any way through the water, shall not carry the side lights, but when making way shall carry them.

Art. 6. A sailing ship under way, or being towed, shall carry the same lights as are provided by Article 3 for a steamship under way, with the exception of the white light, which she shall never carry.

Art. 7. Whenever, as in the case of small vessels during bad weather, the green and red side-lights cannot be fixed, these lights shall be kept on deck, on their respective sides of the vessel, ready for use; and shall, on the approach of or to other vessels, be exhibited on their respective sides in sufficient time to prevent collision, in such manner as to make them most visible, and so that the green light shall not be seen on the port side nor the red light on the starboard side.

To make the use of these portable lights more certain and easy, the lanterns containing them shall each be painted outside with the colour of the light they respectively contain, and shall be provided with proper screens.

Art. 8. A ship, whether a steamship or a sailing ship, when at anchor, shall carry, where it can best be seen, but at a height not exceeding twenty feet above the hull, a white light, in a globular lantern of not less than eight inches in diameter, and so constructed as to show a clear uniform and unbroken light, visible all round the horizon, at a distance of at least one mile.

Art. 9. A pilot vessel, when engaged on her station on pilotage duty, shall not carry the lights required for other vessels, but shall carry a white light at the masthead, visible all round the horizon, and shall also exhibit a flare-up light or flare-up lights at short intervals, which shall never exceed fifteen minutes.

A pilot vessel when not engaged on her station on pilotage duty, shall carry lights similar to those of other ships.

Art. 10 (a). (a.) Open fishing boats and other open boats when under way shall not be obliged to carry the side lights required for other vessels; but every such boat shall in lieu thereof have ready at hand a lantern with a green glass on the one side and a red glass on the other side; and on the approach of or to other vessels, such lantern shall be exhibited in sufficient time to prevent collision, so that the green light shall not be seen on the port side, nor the red light on the starboard side.

(b.) A fishing vessel, and an open boat, when at anchor, shall exhibit a bright white light.

(c.) A fishing vessel, when employed in drift net fishing, shall carry on one of her masts two red lights in a vertical line one over the other, not less than three feet apart.

(d.) A trawler at work shall carry on one of her masts two lights in a vertical line one over the other, not less than three feet apart, the upper light red, and the lower green, and shall also either carry the side lights required for other vessels, or, if the side lights cannot be carried, have ready at hand the coloured lights as provided in Article 7, or a lantern with a red and a green glass as described in paragraph (a.) of this Article.

(e.) Fishing vessels and open boats shall not be prevented from using a flare-up in addition, if they desire to do so.

(f.) The lights mentioned in this Article are substituted for those

mentioned in the 12th, 13th, and 14th Articles of the Convention between France and England scheduled to the British Sea Fisheries Act, 1868.

(9.) All lights required by this Article, except side lights, shall be in globular lanterns so constructed as to show all round the horizon.

(") See Order in Council dated 23rd August, 1883, suspending the operation of article 10, page 408.