Part ACritical
Rule 2: Responsibility
COLREG never replaces prudent seamanship: legal compliance and professional judgement must work together.
Detailed Explanation
Rule 2 is the captain’s reality check: you are always responsible for safe conduct.
(a) No automatic excuse — no vessel, owner, master or crew is exonerated for neglecting COLREG or neglecting precautions required by ordinary seamanship and special circumstances. Having right-of-way status is never a license to be passive.
(b) Interpret with context — when applying the Rules, consider all navigation and collision dangers plus vessel limitations. If a strict literal application would create immediate danger, departure from the Rules may be necessary to avoid it.
Key Points
- Good seamanship overrides mechanical rule-following
- Immediate danger may justify departure from the rules
- Stand-on duty does not excuse complacency
- Special circumstances demand situational judgement
Examples
- Even with right of way, you slow early in squalls because prudent seamanship demands extra precaution.
- You briefly depart from a standard alteration pattern to avoid immediate danger from a drifting object.
Common Mistakes
- Using stand-on status as an excuse to do nothing until the last second.
- Believing strict COLREG compliance alone protects you from liability if a collision occurs.
- Refusing to depart from the rules even when special circumstances make departure necessary to avoid immediate danger.