Opinion ID: 3037265
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: the law governing collisions at sea

Text: [1] Three of the COLREGS’ collision avoidance rules are at issue: two rules that govern a ship’s obligation to avoid collision, Rules 8 and 13, and one rule that provides an exception to the general rules, Rule 2. Crowley primarily alleges that the Allegiance violated Rule 13, which provides that “any vessel overtaking any other shall keep out of the way of the vessel being overtaken.” Rule 13(a). A ship is “overtaking” another when approaching “from a direction more than 22.5 degrees” aft of perpendicular. Rule 13(b). Further, “[w]hen a vessel is in any doubt as to whether she is overtaking another, she shall assume that this is the case and act accordingly.” Rule 13(c). The Allegiance, which was approaching the Sea King from “at least 22.5 degrees aft of perpendicular,” was overtaking the tug. Nothing in the text of Rule 13 allows us to escape the conclusion that as the overtaking vessel, the Allegiance had the responsibility of avoiding the Sea King. [2] Crowley also argues that, by failing to slow down, the Allegiance violated Rule 8(e), which provides that “[i]f necessary to avoid collision or allow more time to assess the situation, a vessel shall slacken her speed or take all way off by stopping or reversing her means of propulsion.” Rule 8(e). On its face, the text of Rule 8(e) supports Crowley’s position. The pilot of the tanker testified that the proximity of the vessels had exceeded his “comfort zone,” and yet he took no action to avoid the collision other than a call to the Sea King to ascertain if that vessel was “OK.” Finding that the agreed maneuvers of the three vessels precluded a “mechanical appli5130 CROWLEY MARINE SERVICES v. MARITRANS INC. cation” of the rules, the district court diluted Rule 8 by allocating some liability to Maritrans for failing to take more decisive action once the proximity of the Sea King exceeded Captain Semler’s comfort zone. But Rule 8(e) sets forth specific actions to be taken in order to avoid collision, including reducing speed or changing course. Cf. In re Nat’l Shipping Co. of Saudi Arabia, 147 F. Supp. 2d 425, 440 (E.D. Va. 2000) (allocating fault 65% to party for, in part, failing to reduce speed or change course in violation of Rule 8). Given the overriding policy of the COLREGS and other navigational rules, “it is not necessary for a collision to be imminent or even probable before the obligation imposed by them accrues . . . . There is a danger or risk of collision whenever it is not clearly safe to go on.” Ocean Marine Ltd. v. United States Lines Co., 300 F.2d 496, 499 (2d Cir. 1962) (applying earlier version of the inland navigational rules) (internal marks omitted). On the facts of this case, the Allegiance’s failure to comply with Rule 8(e)’s specific directives cannot be lightly overlooked. [3] If Rules 8 and 13 of the COLREGS apply to Maritrans’ actions, the apparent statutory violations would inform, in great part, the allocation of liability between the Allegiance and the Sea King. Under admiralty law, if a ship is in violation of an applicable statutory duty at the time of a collision, there is a presumption that the violation contributed to the accident. The Pennsylvania, 86 U.S. 125, 136 (1873), overruled on other grounds in United States v. Reliable Transfer Co., Inc., 421 U.S. 397, 411 (1975). This presumption may be rebutted by a showing that the statutory violation “could not reasonably be held to have been a proximate cause of the collision.” Churchill v. The F/V Fjord, 892 F.2d 763, 770 (9th Cir. 1988) (quoting Pac. Tow Boat Co. v. States Marine Corp., 276 F.2d 745, 749 (9th Cir. 1960)) (internal quotation marks omitted). Where both parties to a collision share in the fault, “liability for such damage is to be allocated among the parties proportionately to the comparative degree of their fault.” Reliable Transfer, 421 U.S. at 411. Although there is CROWLEY MARINE SERVICES v. MARITRANS INC. 5131 no pre-determined formula for weighing COLREGS violations against each other, the violations must be accounted for under the Pennsylvania rule.