How to be a good collision avoider

Dr Steve Price looks at best practice in collision avoidance and shares some valuable tricks of the trade.

Collision avoidance can be said to be a bit like riding a bicycle. After a (frequently) wobbly start, once people get the hang of it, the ability never leaves them. However, knowledge, understanding and the correct application of the Rules do take a little time to accomplish. The Rules are not intended to be an intellectual challenge. They are a logical protocol designed to keep vessels apart and to provide a complete and sufficient framework, within which to defend yourself, your vessel and the lives of others.

Here then, are a few ‘tricks of the trade’:

• In collision avoidance, time is of the essence. Don’t waste it;
• Never assume that any other vessel will comply with the Rules;
• Nowhere do the Rules state that a vessel should stand into danger.

References:

• Standard Marine Communications Phrases IMO 2001
• MGN 315 (M) Keeping a Safe Navigational Watch on Merchant Vessels
• Bridge Procedures Guide ICS 2007
• Nautical Institute Publications

Mindset
It is helpful to think of the Colregs as ‘ship separation rules’. This mindset helps encourage early and positive actions. It is better to make an early adjustment to course or speed than to spend too much time using VHF, radar features or ECDIS/AIS to make an assessment. Know how much sea room you have. Don’t ‘stand on’ from long range if you don’t have to. Conversely, don’t leave it too late. If standing on and the lack of response from the give way vessel is making you unhappy, do something. The Rules provide all the freedom you need. 
Anticipation is the key to success. Potential collision avoidance issues can even be anticipated during passage planning and the watch-keeping plan adjusted to suit. The chart and sailing directions can reveal a lot about what to expect. Know your vessel’s needs in terms of visibility, sea room, response timings and draft. This gives you the ranges at which various rules are triggered and defines safe speed.

The lookout
The OOW should wear a pair of binoculars around his/her neck. This serves as a badge of office; reminds him/her what (s)he’s there for and tells everybody else who’s on watch. If possible, the OOW should be encouraged to move around the bridge. 
Lookouts should be taught scan and reporting routines and treated as esteemed colleagues. They should be rigorously trained to search for ‘tiny targets’ in the ‘killing zone’; from well abaft the beam to well abaft the beam out to three miles. (The CPA of a ‘stopped’ target, e.g. a liferaft or person in the water, is abeam). The visual all-round lookout is invaluable to watch out for small craft in distress and objects/ persons in the water that may not be apparent by radar. Lookouts should be encouraged to look at the radar and engage in social professional conversation. All personnel onboard should be encouraged to visit the bridge to train as lookouts. 
Work the radar target picture from long range to short by regularly changing scale. If two radars are available, have one set on short range, say three miles, and encourage the lookout to work from it. ARPA is only helpful if you diligently capture all incoming targets. If you feel ‘overloaded’, consider reducing speed. 
Keep it simple. I find that radar in ‘Relative Motion, North up’ gives an instantly recognisable comparison with the chart (especially useful when using parallel index lines for safety clearance). Count targets outwards from the heading marker as you find them through the windows. You can’t wear out a radar set by using it. Have your escape routes in mind at all times, including the ‘crash stop’ and the ‘round turn to starboard’. Ensure that you have engines ready to manoeuvre in high traffic situations, e.g. TSS, and consider increasing watertight integrity. Don’t forget to tell the engine room what is going on. 
Relative bearing change can be spotted easily by using a bridge window frame as a reference. This will tell you whether a vessel is drawing left, right or on a steady bearing. No corrections need be applied to magnetic compass bearings in collision avoidance. Regularly check visually astern. Always check before altering course. Be aware of your radar blind arcs. In multi-target situations, prioritise, then tackle them sequentially. If necessary, be prepared to reduce speed and call for assistance on the bridge. A radar CPA of under half a mile is a full collision risk.

The bridge environment
Control light levels diligently. At night, enforce a full blackout and ensure you can find everything in the dark. By day, control glare. Wear a good pair of sunglasses if necessary. Open doors and windows in restricted visibility so you can hear the outside world. If it’s chilly, wear another layer. 
Correct maritime vocabulary should be used on the bridge to avoid ambiguity. This can be especially helpful if people are of different nationalities. Wheel and engine orders must be followed up. 
Night orders should be written to give the Master enough time to reach the bridge if needed. Verbal night reports should follow a formal pattern. Written aide-memoires can be helpful. Junior watch-keepers need to be monitored and supported appropriately. 
Have a Colregs poster/cards on the bridge. There is no shame in having ready references for people who may be fatigued or distracted. They also help in training lookouts and cadets. 
As a bridge team, don’t be afraid to ‘customise’ the bridge to suit the way you work. Use checklists, state boards and memory aids. Appoint junior officers as ‘Assistant Bridge Watch-keeping Safety Managers’ and build successes into your Safety Management System.

Running the watch
Watch handovers must follow a formal checklist to avoid missing important details. There is a ‘danger period’ between 20 and 30 minutes after handover. At night, the relieving OOW should reach the bridge 15 minutes before handover and the relieved OOW remain available for at least 15 minutes afterwards. Have a work pattern by breaking the hour into, say, 15-minute periods, into which you work your position fixing, plotting and observation routines. (Don’t forget to sign ‘Night orders’ at the beginning of the watch and the Ship’s Log at the end.) 
Be willing to use lights, shapes and sound signals. (There are no excuses if you don’t.) Check your lights are actually working: stern lights can get forgotten.

The final word
Viewing the Colregs as a social and professional contract between mariners builds, supports and defends the social capital of seafaring. Above all, courtesy and ‘putting yourself in the other guy’s position’ have a large part to play in collision avoidance.