Radar reflector needed on aluminium yacht ?

Yes Sir BrendanS

I will comply forthwith .........................

On second thoughts - I will consider the issue similar to that of SOLAS / IMO / UN c'ttees ....... spend years discussing, asking countries to ratify, fail to get sufficient signatures and then pass them into Reccommendations .... not Regulations .....

OK ??

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Re: Couple of points .... that I am confused about ...

No Brendan, it is required under UK law.

IMO SOLAS V has optional parts in it to which the signatories do not have to implement and carriage of radar reflectors by pleasure vessels is (I am working from very confident memory) one of those. Uk has implemented those parts, other countries have not implemented some/all.

In any event no aspect of any IMO convention applies to the vessel's of any signatory (those are vessels that are flagged by that signatory or unflagged vessels that are domiciled in its waters) if the signatory has not brought the convention into its own legislation.

A good example of that is the ColRegs which we often see referred to by posters as having the "power of international law" (the inference being "watch out", I guess). But that is totally incorrect as the International Collision Regulations have no power over a nations vessels, international law or not, unless a country has brought them into its own legislation. In the UK's case they are implemented in one of the Merchant Shipping Regulations (I will look it up if no one knows how to find it - there is a link off the MCA site, from memory).

Countries bring them into their own legislation in two ways that I am aware of. For example, in UK basically the Regulation just says (but in many more words /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif) "The ColRegs apply to British ships". In other countries they restate them clause by clause, maybe with subtle changes to meet local needs - that is done in NZ where they are implemented as Maritime Rule 22.

So, in Nigel's case his UK vessel has to carry a reflector (unless there is a minimum vessel size in the UK legislation that exempts him - I have not checked) but may not for his Latvian vessel if Latvia has not implemented those parts of SOLAS V in its legislation.

John
 
Re: Couple of points .... that I am confused about ...

That may be what they seem to do but you will find that is only because those particular SOLAS V clauses (not all the clauses) are among those that have been given effect by reference in the The Merchant Shipping (Safety of Navigation) Regulations 2002.

Those regulations make clarifications/provisions/exemptions/etc to SOLAS V as to UK's particular requirements including as to which clauses in SOLAS V do and do not apply to UK vessels ie the clauses of SOLAS V are not put into the legislation exactly as written by IMO or not put in at all. A look at the Regulations will show this (sorry, haven't got a link to hand but they are on the internet - and is getting late here /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif).

As I said in the other post, some nations rewrite the whole of a convention or whatever to suit their specific situation and make that part of the legislation, others, such as the UK, just adopt those parts they want to by reference and make a list of clarifications/provisions/exemptions/etc. But the legislation is always the local one, not the convention or whatever, and one would be possibly led into trouble or unnecessary actions if one followed the convention.

John
 
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