Passage and Safe passage....

[purelywelsh!]

I've had this explained to me lots of times by all of the deck officers on board, and all give me a slightly different answer. Could someone please clarify the difference between "not impeding the safe passage of a vessel....." and "not impeding the passage of a vessel....."

I won't clog up the post with all the different versions I've heard....and also it will be nice to have a new perspective on it!

thanks alot

[GuinnessMan]

Don't get in the bloody way!

[alistairuk]

Basically your action is the same regardless - I was always told it was a result of different versions of the rules (and the translation from English to French and back again) that was the cause for the difference.

[Randomist]

I would think the best advice would be to apply the rule of concern.

You may consider yourself to be impeding the passage or safe passage of another vessel when your navigation gives that vessel cause for concern. This may not necessarily mean you are posing a risk of collision, however it would mean that one may develop.

I personally believe the difference between passage and safe passage becomes irrelevant when approaching the rules as i believe one of the rules (if someone can remember the number, i forget off the top of my head) specifically says that in a given situation you should avoid impeding the passage OR safe passage of another vessel.

Following this rule, there is no difference between the two.

[YoungMariner]

I haven't ever seen the difference between 'passage' and 'safe passage' come up orals papers and if it did, you probably would be at worst 'referred' over it on a good oral examinaation.