Rule 14: Head-on situation
- When two power-driven vessels are meeting on reciprocal or nearly reciprocal courses so as to involve risk of collision each shall alter her course to starboard so that each shall pass on the port side of the other.
- Such a situation shall be deemed to exist when a vessel sees the other ahead or nearly ahead and by night she would see the mast head lights of the other in a line or nearly in a line and or both sidelights and by day she observes the corresponding aspect of the other vessel.
- When a vessel is in any doubt as to whether such a situation exists she shall assume that it does exist and act accordingly.
What this means:
Rule 14: Head-on situation – Our plain English guide to help you understand & remember this rule.
This rule applies only to power-driven vessels when they come together head-on. Any vessel can be power-driven; for example, a passenger ferry is power-driven in open water. A sailing yacht using an engine is power-driven, and a fishing boat not engaged in fishing is also a power-driven vessel.
Power-driven vessels head-on
Neither is defined as stand-on when two power-driven vessels approach one another head-on. Both must give way by altering course to starboard and passing each other port to port.
This logical approach can be applied in open water or narrow channels. Hierarchy aside, two vessels moving in opposite directions must drive on the channel’s right, passing port to port.
Key Point:
Both power-driven vessels are give-way and expected to take action. The rules are clear on what action should be taken. Alter course to starboard, pass port-to-port, and in doing so, the collision risk is removed.
