What COLREGs 1972 - International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea requires
The Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972 (COLREGs), adopted by IMO and in force since 15 July 1977, establishes the universal right-of-way rules, navigation light requirements, sound and light signal protocols, and lookout standards for all vessels navigating on international waters. The 38 Rules (in 5 Parts: A General, B Steering and Sailing, C Lights and Shapes, D Sound and Light Signals, E Exemptions) apply to every vessel, seaplane, and watercraft on the high seas and waters connected therewith navigable by seagoing vessels. COLREGs are foundational for autonomous maritime vessel (MASS) compliance - IMO's MASS Code draft maps COLREG Rule 5 (lookout), Rule 8 (collision avoidance), and Rule 9 (narrow channel) to autonomous sensor and decision-system requirements. The 1981, 1987, 1989, 1993, 2001, 2007, 2009, and 2023 amendments progressively updated light/shape specifications and introduced provisions for Wing-in-Ground (WIG) craft. Violations of COLREGs are the leading cause of ship collision liability and criminal prosecution under flag State maritime law.
Pillar: Maritime & Shipping · Authority: International Maritime Organization (IMO) - adopted by the Conference of Governments on COLREGs · Version: 1.0.1 · Last updated:
Primary source: https://www.imo.org/en/About/Conventions/Pages/COLREG.aspx
SHA-256 integrity: b0068ce4cdb62abdf7ffae85e185a941521843765f61d8dc3002ae5a08a45d47
Primary Citations — 7 traced to source
- {"instrument":"Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972 (COLREGs) - as amended","year":1972,"url":"https://www.imo.org/en/About/Conventions/Pages/COLREG.aspx","key_provisions":"Rule 2 (responsibility), Rule 3 (definitions - vessel types), Rule 4-10 (Part B - Steering and Sailing Rules in any visibility), Rule 11-18 (Part B Section II - vessels in sight of one another - head-on Rule 14, crossing Rule 15, overtaking Rule 13), Rule 19 (restricted visibility), Rules 20-31 (Part C - Lights and Shapes), Rules 32-37 (Part D - Sound Signals)"}
- {"instrument":"IMO Resolution MSC.1/Circ.1604 - Interim Guidelines for MASS Trials","year":2019,"url":"https://www.imo.org/en/MediaCentre/MeetingSummaries/Pages/MSC-102nd-session.aspx","key_provisions":"MASS degree of autonomy (DOA) 1-4 framework; COLREGs applicability to unmanned vessels; Rule 5 (lookout) sensor requirements; master responsibility for autonomous operations; flag State trial authorisation process"}
+ 5 more citations (full bibliography, deterministic workflow, actionable schema and crosswalks) included in the vault unlock — $0.01 via Skyfire / L402 / Direct Base USDC.
Access
- Discovery (free): /api/v1/nodes/imo-colregs-1972-collision-regulations.json — 6-field metadata
- Vault (full node): /api/v1/vault/nodes/imo-colregs-1972-collision-regulations.json — full 13-key payload, $0.01 USDC (L402/Skyfire/Direct Base)
- Canonical URL: https://bidda.com/intelligence/imo-colregs-1972-collision-regulations
- Back to registry: Browse all 10,085 compliance nodes