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Section I — Conduct of vessels in any condition of visibility

Rule 7 — Risk of collision

(a) Every vessel shall use all available means appropriate to the prevailing circumstances and conditions to determine if risk of collision exists. If there is any doubt such risk shall be deemed to exist.

(b) Proper use shall be made of radar equipment if fitted and operational, including long-range scanning to obtain early warning of risk of collision and radar plotting or equivalent systematic observation of detected objects.

(c) Assumptions shall not be made on the basis of scanty information, especially scanty radar information.

(d) In determining if risk of collision exists the following considerations shall be among those taken into account:

(i) such risk shall be deemed to exist if the compass bearing of an approaching vessel does not appreciably change;

(ii) such risk may sometimes exist even when an appreciable bearing change is evident, particularly when approaching a very large vessel or a tow or when approaching a vessel at close range.

MSN 1781 (M+F): Rules text stated on the document as amended through IMO Res A.910(22); read with MSN 1781 (M+F) Amendment 3 (21 Nov 2023, current — replaces Amendment 2; scope-only change for the Merchant Shipping (Watercraft) Order 2023). Per Amendment 2 Appendix 2, the only later wording changes are Annex IV (A.1004(25)) and new Part F Rules 39-41 (A.1085(28)).

Contains public sector information reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: MSN 1781.

Independent preparatory study aligned to the MCA OOW (Yachts <3000 GT) oral examination syllabus. Not an MCA-approved course and confers no credit toward a Certificate of Competency.