NAV 44/9

2.2　　　PROPOSALS ON AMENDMENTS TO COLREGs

　　　　　Substantiation and proposals on the amendments to parts "A", "B" and "C" of a COLRIEGs are submitted below. They take into account operational aspects of WIG Craft and are made so that number of new definitions and requirements was minimum.

　　　　　Here and further text of IMO and ICAO Rules is in italics, and offered new text is underlined.

2.2.1　　Part A - General

.1

To take into account operational aspects of WIG Craft the COLREGs terminology should be supplemented for the following reasons.

The term "vessel" is defined by COLREGs as follows:

Rule 3(a)

The word "vessel" includes every description of water craft, including non-displacement craft and seaplanes, used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on water.

With regard to WIG Craft this term, formally, allows double interpretation:as "non-displacement craft" and as "seaplane".

Definition of "non-displacement craft" does not exist in COLREGs, and the definition of "seaplane" is as follows:

Rule 3(e)

The word "seaplane" includes any aircraft designed to manoeuvre on the water.

The used here term "aircraft" also does not determined in a COLREGs. According to ICAO "Rules of Air" (Chapter 1, Application 2) it means following:

Air craft.

Any machine that can derive support in the atmosphere from the reactions of the air, other then reactions of the air against the earth's surface.

Since the main principle of WIG Craft supporting in the main operational mode is based just on its interaction with air reflected from the earth's surface, it is not an aircraft by ICAO and, hence, may not be considered legally as a seaplane or an aircraft.

Therefore, according to the concept of the Code of Safety for WIG Craft, such a craft is regarded as non-displacement HSC.

　

I:/NAV/44/9.WPD

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