200124 Near Miss in Mid-Ocean

Near Miss in Mid-Ocean
Report No. 200124

Daylight, fine and clear with slight seas. Thousands of square miles of ocean to play in and only 3 ships in sight of one another. Own ship and two cape size bulk carriers. My ARPA showed them as being on collision courses with each other. I was slowly overtaking the northbound loaded bulk carrier on her port side. Both ships had the same distinctive and unusual accommodation block which made me believe that they were sister ships.

Ship 1 in ballast, course 185T, speed 16 knots.

Ship 2 loaded, course 358T, speed 13 knots.

There was no VHF communication which was unusual. The bearings of both these ships were:-

ship 1 bearing 070deg x 5.77nm and ship 2 bearing 070deg x 6.25nm.

From my ARPA it was difficult to see any alteration of course, but it appears that both ships altered their courses 5degrees to starboard to pass 0.48NM apart! With miles of ocean to play in, WHY ? Are the considerations of TRANSFER, ADVANCE and STOPPING DISTANCE of a minor nature to be ignored because of a pencilled course line on the chart? Has the pencilled course line become the only consideration in collision avoidance situations ? It never ceases to amaze me how foolish people can be.