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Maritime & Shipping vocabulary · Navigation & the Bridge

Give way

Meaning in maritime & shipping, with examples

phraseCommon term

In maritime & shipping, give way means: To keep out of the way of another vessel, as the collision rules require, by altering course, changing speed or both. The vessel that must do this is the give-way vessel.

In Turkish: yol vermek

How it is used

Used with the COLREGs terms give-way vessel and stand-on vessel. The rules ask the give-way vessel to take early and substantial action, often a clear turn to starboard that the other ship can easily see.

Example sentences

  1. The tanker is crossing from starboard, so we are the give-way vessel.

  2. We will give way to the fishing vessel by altering course 30 degrees to starboard.

Common collocations

  • give-way vessel
  • stand-on vessel
  • give way to a vessel
  • take early and substantial action
  • COLREGsThe International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972: the rules of the road at sea, covering lookout, safe speed, which ship gives way, lights, shapes and sound signals.
  • starboardThe right-hand side of a ship when you face forward towards the bow. At night it is shown by a green sidelight.
  • CPAClosest Point of Approach: the shortest distance at which another ship or object will pass if both keep their present course and speed. TCPA is the time left until that point.
  • courseThe direction in which a ship is intended to travel or is actually travelling, given as an angle from 000° to 359° measured clockwise from north.

More terms: Navigation & the Bridge

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