93008 Near Miss, Crossing PSC

 Misunderstanding the COLREGS
- Daytime. Southern North Sea. Fine and Clear.
- Report No. 93008.

My vessel, a large container ship, was proceeding at 21 knots on a steady course of 0610 (T), in charted depths of around 40 metres. Action had to be taken by my vessel to avoid collision with a small tanker heading South East. The vessel had been sighted at about eight miles and duly plotted etc. She was crossing from port to starboard at right angles.

Had she maintained her original course and speed she would have crossed about 3 cables astern of us. However, when about 1.5 miles away and broad on our port bow, she altered about 300 to her port, which considerably worsened the situation. We began to turn to our starboard and called her on VHF Channel 16. She answered immediately and suggested 69 as a working frequency. When I asked the Officer in charge his intentions he responded by asking me why, as I was the crossing vessel, I had not taken action earlier to avoid the original close quarters situation. He then agreed to slow down and, in due course, alter to starboard to cross our stern. At the time of the VHF conversation we had altered about 800 to starboard in order to parallel his course and were drawing ahead of him.

The accent of the Officer on the other vessel sounded more like an East European rather than Far Eastern.