98002 Give Way to Overtaking Vessel?

Give Way to Overtaking Vessel?
East Coast Canada
Report No. 98002

Own vessel was a 35,000 dwt tanker in ballast. Other vessel was a mid-sized loaded chemical tanker. At approximately 1000, we were steering 2400T at 14 knots, the wind was light and the visibility was good. The 4th Officer advised me that there was an overtaking vessel on our starboard side. At the time I was on the Cellphone in the Radio Room immediately adjacent to the wheelhouse so I asked him to keep me advised.

Five minutes later he requested that I come to the wheelhouse. I observed that the target vessel was now on my starboard beam, approximately 1 mile away and, according to our ARPA, doing 15.5 knots or 1.5 knots faster than us. The 4th Mate had contacted the other vessel and had been told that we were the give-way vessel as he was on our starboard side. He also said that we should alter to starboard, in other words, directly towards him (a loaded chemical tanker) at a distance of 1 mile. I took the VHF, called the other vessel and pointed out that, as the give-way vessel it was his responsibility to keep clear of us.

I have no idea whether I was speaking to the Captain or the OOW but this person insisted that I should alter course. With a CPA of 0.2 miles in ten minutes I decided that we had no choice but to alter to port and come round behind him. I informed the other vessel of my intentions and suggested that he take the opportunity to read the Collision Regulations regarding overtaking vessels, to which his response was "Go back to School". I shudder to think what might happen in such circumstances if an inexperienced OOW could be talked into making a catastrophic decision to alter course towards an overtaking vessel.