93013 COLREGS Ignored

COLREGS Ignored
Report No. 93013

 The following lists of incidents occurred during a five day period that a Deep sea Pilot spent recently assisting a vessel up the English Channel and to various potrs in the North Sea

North East of Sandettie Bank.
Observed by radar a vessel leaving the Wandelaar approach by the West Hinder. Target passed the Hinder 1 buoy then turned onto a course of 216 degrees at 11 Kts. When the target was 1.5 nautical miles North-East of the Sandettie North buoy it was observed to make a long slow turn to port in the area immediately South of the Hinder 1 buoy. The actions of the observed vessel were inexplicable and in contravention of Rule 10.

North East lane off Texel Separation Scheme between TX1 and TX3 buoys.
Observed by radar and sight, a Ro-Ro vessel emerged from the South West lane near the VL South buoy and continue on a course of 190 degrees at a speed of 11 knots across the separation zone and into the North East lane without change of course or speed. This was in contravention of Colreg 10 and appeared to have been designed to shorten the voyage distance.

Weser Pilot Station, outbound.
Preparation for landing the Weser Pilot had to be delayed due to an inbound vessel refusing to acknowledge attempts to contact by VHF on both the local working and safety channels. Making a lee to disembark the pilot would have involved swinging across the inbound vessel's course. Both the Weser Pilot and myself agreed that it would be imprudent to take this action until the inbound vessel was clear. The inbound vessel was unidentified as it had failed to contact either the mandatory reporting system operating under German Bight Traffic or the Weser Pilots or the River VTS.

Dover Strait, North of Varne Bank, between Mid and South Varne.
Observed by radar and sight several Belgian fishing vessels fishing on North Easterly courses in the midst of heavy South Westerly traffic in the narrowest part of the SW lane. They were later observed on radar to be circling and making erratic courses and speed alterations in the vicinity of the Mid Varne buoy
The points above are only the incidents which were personally observed during this period. There were other incidents heard on the VHF, including the Netherlands Coastguard identifying and trying to stop deliberate oil pollution by a vessel.

The pilot also points out that contravention of Rule 10 in the vicinity of the West Hinder TSS as reported in MARS 93006 is a common occurrence. Other areas where he and his colleagues frequently witness flagrant disregard of the COLREGS are in the vicinity of:
The F3 LANBY, Vlieland Junction, Noord Hinder Junction and off Hantsholm.