.1 Whistles
The owners of small vessels are complaining that whistles complying with COLREGs are too big and too heavy to install in limited space of such small vessels. Moreover, the owners of imported small vessels often face the burdensome problem that they have to replace the original whistles with new whistles complying with COLREGs because the original whistles often do not comply with the COLREGs.
Japan considers that the inland water regulations of the United States, which permit using higher measured frequencies, ensuring the same range of audibility of whistles as COLREGs envisages, is reasonable and effective to solve the above-mentioned problem. Therefore, Japan proposes to amend COLREGs conceming whistles for small vessels by introducing the concept of the inland water regulations of the United States.
Annex 1 of this paper provides the draft amendments to COLREGs which permit the use of smaller and lighter whistles keeping enough range of audibility, and also provides the theoretical verification on the range of audibility.
.2 Bells
The present regulations require a vessel 12 metres or more but less than 20 metres in length to carry the bell which shall produce a sound pressure level of not less than 110 dB and have the diameter of the mouth not less than 200 mm. Many owners of small vessels point out the following problems:
.1 Though a bell is intended to send sound signals of a vessel at anchor or aground in restricted visibility, in reality there are almost no such situations where the use of bell is inevitable.
.2 It is difficult to secure an adequate place to store a bell because of limited space and there are few occasions when the bell Is in use. Additionally a bell is usually stored somewhere and placed under something because of its heavy weight. Accordingly, the place where the bell is stored is often difficult to find when it is necessary.
.3 Most of bells which are installed in imported vessels are small and do not have the diameter larger than 200mm as required by COLRLEGs.
3 In view of above problems, Japan reviewed whether a bell should be required for small vessels. As a result, we reached the conclusion that Installation of bells for vessels of less than 20 metres in length is not necessary for the following reasons:
.1 Small vessels such as pleasure boats are rarely anchored in heavy traffic sea area, where large vessels are sometimes anchored.
.2 A bell is usually stored somewhere inside the shelf in bridges, frequently under or covered by something because a small vessel does not have easily accessible and suitable space to install a bell. In reality, in the case of running aground, crews are occupied In managing the affairs at accident, and they use signals other than a bell to let their existence be known because a bell is installed in lower space or on inner part of the vessel where it Is not easy to take it out, we believe that it is not practicable to require small vessels to carry a bell. Therefore, from the realistic point of view, we should stop requiring those vessels to install bells which are not used actually.
.3 With regard to the question on safety of small vessels without bells, we take it to be no problem for the following reasons:
.1 When a vessel is at anchor, crews can use sound signals effectively and easily by whistles which have already been equipped.
.2 Even in the case where a vessel run aground and a whistle cannot be used for some reasons, crew can use other efficient signals such as siren, pipe, etc. as is the case of a vessel of less than 12 metres in length.
Annex 2 of this paper provides the draft amendments to COLREGs that would not require small vessels of 12 metres or more but less than 20 metres in length to install bells.
