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GIVE ALL SHIPS IN U.S. WATERS A WIDE BERTH
By Robert Hale.
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February 27, 2003. For several months now, Notices to Mariners has been publishing directives that various kinds of ships are to be given a berth of at least 500 yards, and that none are to be approached within 100 yards without specific permission from the ship's master or other qualified authority. This applies to tankers and passenger vessels 100 feet or longer. The U.S. Coast Guard and other military agencies aren't kidding about this. They know that in Yemen, the U.S.S. Cole was attacked and nearly sunk by a Zodiac-style RIB filled with explosives.
Without quoting all the directives in detail, here's the deal as we see it: If it's a ship and we're within 500 yards of it, we slow to the minimum speed necessary for safe navigation, and we run the boat in a manner that is as predictable and unthreatening as we possibly can. We try to stay at least 100 yards away from any ship. If we must approach within 100 yards we will call the ship's bridge on VHF channel 13 to obtain permission and coordinate our movements.
The wide berth requirements apply to oil terminals as well. As far as we are concerned they apply to just about anything fixed or moving that might be construed as being a potential terrorist attack target.
What about narrow channels, where it is impossible to follow these rules? Stay as far away as safety permits, run slowly and predictably.
Yes, this is a nuisance, but it's the price that must be paid for security in a world that is just too volatile these days. There's still a lot of water out there. We can still enjoy our boats. v
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