Page 19 - Collision Avoidance Rules Guide

Relatively few vessels were fitted with radar in 1948 so no changes
were made to take account of this equipment. However, the Conference
did add a recommendation that possession of a radio navigational aid
in no way relieves a master of a ship from his obligations under the
International Regulations and under Rules 15 and 16 (applying to
vessels in restricted visibility) in particular.
With the considerable increase in the number of ships fitted with
radar during the following years, coupled with a series of collisions
involving such vessels, it became apparent that further revision of the
Rules was necessary. An International Conference on Safety of Life
at Sea was convened in London in 1960 by the Inter-Governmental
Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO), which is now the
International Maritime Organization (IMO).
At the 1960 Conference it was agreed that a new paragraph should
be added to the Rules governing the conduct of vessels in restricted
visibility to permit early and substantial action to be taken to avoid a
close quarters situation with a vessel detected forward of the beam.
Recommendations concerning the use of radar were made in an
Annex to the Rules. The changes were not confined to the Rules
relating to restricted visibility but most of the other amendments
were relatively minor in character. These Rules came into force in
1965.
In September 1960 the British Institute of Navigation set up a
working group to consider the organisation of traffic in the Dover
Strait. The French and German Institutes of Navigation agreed to
co-operate in the following year and a separation scheme was
devised. A new working group with representatives from additional
countries was formed in 1964 to consider routeing schemes for other
areas. The proposals were accepted by IMCO and recommended for
use by mariners in 1967.
An International Conference was convened in London in 1972 by
IMCO to consider the revision of the Regulations. The Conference
agreed to change the format so that the Rules governing conduct
preceded the Rules concerning lights, shapes and sound signals.
Technical details relating to lights, shapes and sound signals were
transferred to Annexes. The Stand-on Rule was amended to permit
action to be taken at an earlier stage and more emphasis was placed
on starboard helm action in both clear and restricted visibility. New
Rules were introduced to deal specifically with look-out require-
ments, safe speed, risk of collision and traffic separation schemes.

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