The collision between the bulk carrier Polesie and the general cargo ship Verity on October 24, 2023, was caused by a failure of both bridge teams to effectively apply the 1972 COLREGs in a crossing situation. Verity, as the give-way vessel, failed to take early and substantial action to stay clear, while Polesie, the stand-on vessel, did not maintain a predictable course and speed, instead making small, incremental course adjustments to port that compounded the confusion. Contributing factors included a lack of direct bridge-to-bridge communication—exacerbated by the VTS radio configuration—and the absence of a Voyage Data Recorder on Verity, which hindered a full reconstruction of the final decision-making process.

Barry discusses the new report and highlights areas where he feels the report did not discuss fully enough. Comparison with case law has skewed the outcome of the report and Barry discusses the dangers in this.

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