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Janaury 2024 - When Is a Vessel Restricted in its Ability to Maneuver? This is an issue that brings in Inland Navigation Rules. These rules can often be very straightforward and simple, as in the case of an outboard-powered ski boat encountering a sailboat on a broad reach, or a basic overtaking situation (so long as the overtaking scenario does not involve multiple vessels or a Vessel Traffic Service (VTS).
But the Inland Rules can sometimes get tricky in other areas, and open to more than one interpreation, as in the case of a vessels restricted in their ability to maneuver.
In the January 2024 issue of WorkBoat, Tim Akpinar coveres a court's ruling on a summary judgment motion involving such a case of a vessel restricted in its ability to maneuver, heard in federal district court in Louisiana. Excerpted from the article...
Whenever two vessels collide, one of the first things the owners will do is to pull out the Navigation Rules to determine who was at fault. Sometimes the rules are easy to apply, as in the case of a sailboat on a broad reach being overtaken by a sportfisherman doing twenty knots. At other times, the Navigation Rules open the door to debate about their interpretation. Such was the case in a collision between two vessels on the Mississippi River that involved Inland Rule 18. Read More at WorkBoat Magazine .