200020 Which Side to Overtake

Which Side to Overtake
Report No. 200020

Having read your MARS reports distributed to this vessel over a considerable time, I indeed appreciate most of them and certainly they are serving their purpose being a media for sharing experiences of different situations taking place all around us onboard vessels. However, with all due respect, I strongly feel that a caption like the one on MARS 99052: "Why overtaking on the port side?" is, in a way, making the readers understand that a "port side" overtaking is wrong.

My opinion about the title might be due to my mother tongue not being English but then we / you are well aware that the reports are read by lots of different nationalities. Since I have told my OOW to avoid overtaking other vessels on their starboard side on several occasions I am bound to react to the way MARS 99052 is captioned.

The simple reason being that the overtaking vessel should keep out of the way according to the COLREGS and not disturb the one who is overtaken. It doesn't matter what ever the argument will be, if the overtaking is carried out on the other vessel's starboard side, the overtaking vessel is putting the priority on herself being able to turn to starboard in case of another ship appearing on a "head on" course. Even if the overtaking vessel in this situation has a chance to turn sufficiently to starboard to enable the overtaken vessel to turn starboard as well, it is in my opinion not correct since the overtaking vessel, just by being there, is affecting the manoeuvring of the overtaken one.

The report referred to was sent in by someone who feels much safer having plenty of sea room to starboard but the caption was mine. I was taught by my seniors to overtake on the other vessel's starboard side providing there is sufficient sea room on that side. The argument for this was that you then have sufficient room to turn to starboard if it is necessary to do so for a third vessel. If you are on the overtaken vessel's port side, you have no choice but to slow down or alter to port if required to do so by another vessel. Altering to port in a close quarters situation for a vessel on the port side is also going against the COLREGS.

Good seamanship should dictate that, if you are overtaking on the starboard side and the overtaken vessel needs to alter to avoid a collision with a third vessel, you would make room for her to do so. Other readers may wish to comment on what they consider is the better option.