Every vessel shall at all times proceed at a safe speed so that she can take proper and effective action to avoid collision and be stopped within a distance appropriate to the prevailing circumstances and conditions.
In determining a safe speed the following factors shall be among those taken into account by all vessels:
- the state of visibility,
- the traffic density including concentrations of fishing vessels or any other vessels,
- the manoeuvrability of the vessel with special reference to stopping distance and turning ability in the prevailing conditions,
- at night the presence of background light such as from shore lights or from back scatter of her own lights,
- the state of wind, sea and current, and the proximity of navigational hazards,
- the draught in relation to the available depth of
Proper look-out
Every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper look-out by sight and hearing as well as by all available means appropriate in the prevailing circumstances and conditions so as to make a full appraisal of the situation and of the risk of collision.
The operator is required to know that there are various signals to indicate movement in a particular direction or to attract attention to them or to use when in restricted visibility.