SPECIAL NOTE: Application of the 72 COLREGS to territories and possessions.

a. Article III of the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisons at Sea, 1972 (72 COLREGS), done at London, October 20, 1972, as rectified by Proces-Verbal of December 1, 1973, provides that a party may notify the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO, formerly Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization or IMCO) that it extends the application of the Convention to territory for which it is responsible for international relations. Since it is the intention of the United States that the 72 COLREGS apply to all U.S. territories and possessions to the same extent that the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1960 (60 COLREGS) (16 USC 794, TIAS 5813) previously applied, the United States has given notice to the SecretaryGeneral that the provisions of the 1972 COLREGS are applicable on July 15, 1977, to the following territories and possessions for which the United States is responsible for international relations:

Puerto Rico

Guam

The Canal Zone

The Virgin Islands of the United States American Samoa

Midway Island

Wake Island

Johnston Island

Palmyra Island

Kingman Reef

Howland Island

Baker Island

Jarvis Island

Navassa Island

b. In accordance with Article III, other parties to the Convention have notified the Secretary-General that application of 72 COLREGS is extended. These parties with their territorial extensions are listed in Table 1.

TABLE 1. TERRITORIAL EXTENSIONS OF OTHER PARTIES TO 72 COLREGS

Territories to which 72 COLREGS are extended

sensus of maritime nations rather than upon an express instrument. Because 72 COLREGS was elaborated as a treaty, and under usual treaty practice only parties are bound, there may be a period of time after the 72 COLREGS come into force during which the ships of a nation not party to 72 COLREGS might not be considered as being bound to comply with the convention. While it is most likely that the 72 COLREGS will rapidly achieve the status of customary international law, thereby obviating any concern on the part of the mariner as to whether a particular nation is a party, it does not necessarily follow that the courts in all nations will apply 72 COLREGS to the vessels of a non-party nation. In the absence of changes in their domestic law there may be certain nations that will feel compelled to continue 60 COLREGS in force, despite the coming into force of 72 COLREGS.

The following nations are Contracting Parties for which 72 COLREGS will apply upon the Convention's entry into force:

Party to convention

United Kingdom

Hong Kong.

Israel Italy

Ivory Coast

Czechoslovakia

Indonesia Ireland

Jamaica

Japan

Kuwait

Lebanon

Libyan Arab

Republic

Madagascar Maldives

Morocco

Oman
Pakistan

Paraguay

COLREGS were not elaborated as treaties, they came into force by the almost simultaneous enactment of domestic legislation by the majority of maritime nations. The COLREGS were judicially considered as being customary international law, that is to say international law based upon the con

Egypt

Fiji

Gambia

80.105 Calais, ME to Cape Small, ME. 80.110 Casco Bay, ME.

80.115 Portland Head, ME to Cape Ann, MA. 80.120 Cape Ann, MA to Marblehead Neck, MA.

80.125 Marblehead Neck, MA to Nahant, MA.

80.130 Boston Harbor entrance.

80.135 Hull, MA to Race Point, MA.

80.145 Race Point, MA to Watch Hill, RI. 80.150 Block Island, RI.

80.155 Watch Hill, RI to Montauk Point, NY. 80.160 Montauk Point, NY to Atlantic Beach, NY.

80.720 St. Simons Island, GA to Amelia Is

land, FL.

80.723 Amelia Island, FL to Cape Canaveral, FL.

80.727 Cape Canaveral, FL to Miami Beach, FL.

80.730 Miami Harbor, FL.

80.735 Miami, FL to Long Key, FL.

PUERTO RICO AND VIRGIN ISLANDS

SEVENTH DISTRICT

80.738 Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands.

GULF COAST

SEVENTH DISTRICT

80.740 Long Key, FL to Cape Sable, FL. 80.745 Cape Sable, FL to Cape Romano, FL. 80.748 Cape Romano, FL to Sanibel Island, FL.

80.750 Sanibel Island, FL to St. Petersburg, FL.

80.753 St. Petersburg, FL to Anclote, FL. 80.755 Anclote, FL to the Suncoast Keys,

FL.

80.757 Suncoast Keys, FL to Horseshoe Point, FL.

80.760 Horseshoe Point, FL to Rock Island, FL.

EIGHTH DISTRICT

80.805 Rock Island, FL to Cape San Blas, FL.

80.810 Cape San Blas, FL to Perdido Bay, FL.

80.815 Mobile Bay, AL to the Chandeleur Islands, LA.

80.825 Mississippi Passes, LA.

80.830 Mississippi Passes, LA to Point Au Fer, LA.

80.835 Point Au Fer, LA to Calcasieu Pass, LA.

80.840 Sabine Pass, TX to Galveston, TX. 80.845 Galveston, TX to Freeport, TX. 80.850 Brazos River, TX to the Rio Grande, TX.

PACIFIC COAST

ELEVENTH DISTRICT

80.520 Cape Hatteras, NC to Cape Lookout,

national Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972 (72 COLREGS) and those water upon which mariners shall comply with the Inland Navigation Rules.

(b) The waters inside of the lines are Inland Rules waters. The waters outside the lines are COLREGS waters.

(c) Geographic coordinates expressed in terms of latitude or longitude, or both, are not intended for plotting on maps or charts whose referenced horizontal datum is the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83), unless such geographic coordinates are expressly labeled NAD 83. Geographic coordinates without the NAD 83 reference may be plotted on maps or charts referenced to NAD 83 only after application of the appropriate corrections that are published on the particular map or chart being used.

[CGD 82-029, 47 FR 19519, May 6, 1982, as amended by CGD 83-003, 48 FR 7442, Feb. 18, 1983; CGD 86-082, 52 FR 33810, Sept. 8, 1987]

ATLANTIC COAST

FIRST DISTRICT

§ 80.105 Calais, ME to Cape Small, ME.

The 72 COLREGS shall apply on the harbors, bays, and inlets on the east coast of Maine from International Bridge at Calais, ME to the southwesternmost extremity of Bald Head at Cape Small.

§ 80.110 Casco Bay, ME.

(a) A line drawn from the southwesternmost extremity of Bald Head at Cape Small to the southeasternmost extremity of Ragged Island; thence to the southern tangent of Jaquish Island thence to Little Mark Island Monument Light; thence to the northernmost extremity of Jewell Island.

(b) A line drawn from the tower on Jewell Island charted in approximate position latitude 43°40.6' N. longitude 70°05.9' W. to the northeasternmost extremity of Outer Green Island.

(c) A Line drawn from the southwesternmost extremity of Outer Green Island to Ram Island Ledge Light; thence to Portland Head Light.