Visibility about 350 m. The master had the con, two officers, a helmsman. Vessel B was overtaking at about 11.8 knots on autopilot. B had no AIS. A’s radar return on B was intermittent and was not plotted. Neither ship sounded the one prolonged blast every two minutes required in restricted visibility.

VTS told Vessel A to leave the lane for anchorage or drift. The master put the engine slow ahead and port helm to cross the opposite lane when it looked clear. VTS agreed. VTS also could not fix Vessel B. B called A on VHF. There was no follow-up. The ships came in sight. A went hard to starboard. B went hard to port. They hit A on the port side.

That case is anonymized. It is not merged with the official files below.

Named files. Same pattern. Separate collisions

MAIB 24/2012. Spring Bok and Gas Arctic, 24 March 2012, 6 nm south of Dungeness, south-west lane of the Dover Strait TSS. Visibility less than 2 nm. Spring Bok was overtaking. Neither OOW made a full risk appraisal. No lookout posted. No sound signal on either ship. SMS on both required extra controls at 3 nm or less. Structural damage. No injuries, no pollution.

MAIB 7/2020. ANL Wyong and King Arthur, 4 August 2018, 4 nm south-east of Europa Point. Darkness, dense fog, heavy traffic. ANL Wyong was stopped on Algeciras Pilots’ direction. King Arthur’s master conned on AIS and turned to starboard to pass astern of a ship he thought was making way. The boxship was not. VHF talk was a distraction. No VTS collision warning. Damage. No pollution, no injury.

MAIB 14/2021. Achieve (HL257) and Talis (IMO 9015424), 8 November 2020, fog off Tynemouth. Achieve’s wheelhouse was unmanned. Talis picked up a weak radar echo late and leaned on AIS. Neither ship sounded fog signals. The fishing vessel sank under tow. No injuries. Minor pollution from Achieve.

MAIB 4/2017. Petunia Seaways and Peggotty, River Humber, 19 May 2016, dense fog. The ferry was making 14 knots over the ground and not sounding a regular fog signal. The launch was on both the ferry’s and VTS Humber’s radar and was not acquired. The ferry’s bridge learned of the collision from VTS after leaving the river. Two people taken off before the launch sank.

Those four reports are not one accident.

What the Rules say in that water

Rule 10 does not cancel the other Rules. A ship in a TSS still keeps a look-out (Rule 5), a safe speed (Rule 6), and assesses risk of collision (Rule 7). An overtaking ship keeps out of the way (Rule 13).

Rule 19 applies when the ships are not in sight of one another in or near restricted visibility. Safe speed. Engines ready. If radar alone shows another ship and a close-quarters situation is developing, act in ample time. Do not alter to port for a ship forward of the beam, other than one being overtaken. Do not alter toward a ship abeam or abaft the beam. If you hear a fog signal forward of the beam, or cannot avoid close-quarters ahead, take way off.

House rule on this desk: in fog the radar plot leads. Eyes confirm when the ship comes out of the murk. They do not replace the plot.

The MARS overtaking ship was on autopilot at 11.8 knots with no AIS and no fog signal, in a lane VTS had just suspended. That is the operational point. The named MAIB files say the same thing in different years and different water.

See COLREG and Busan tug Catcher.

Established

• MARS reprint: TSS, fog ~350 m, overtaking, no AIS on B, no fog signals, VHF then collision on A’s port side (Marine Insight / NI).
• MAIB 24/2012 Spring Bok / Gas Arctic, Dover SW lane, overtaking in reduced visibility.
• MAIB 7/2020 ANL Wyong / King Arthur, Europa Point, fog, AIS-led turn onto a stopped ship.
• MAIB 14/2021 Achieve / Talis, Tynemouth fog; unmanned wheelhouse on the fishing vessel.
• COLREG Rules 5, 6, 7, 10, 13, 19 as filed in this pack.

Not established

• Place, IMO or painted names for MARS Vessel A / Vessel B.
• That any of the MAIB files is the MARS case.
• A current UKMTO / JMIC product on this pack.