Convention of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea set out the "rules of the road" or navigation rules to be followed by ships and other vessels at sea in order to prevent collisions between two or more vessels. The COLREGs include 38 rules divided into five sections: Part A - General; Part B - Steering and Sailing; Part C - Lights and Shapes; Part D - Sound and Light signals; and Part E - Exemptions. There are also four Annexes containing technical requirements concerning lights and shapes and their positioning; sound signalling appliances; additional signals for fishing vessels when operating in close proximity, and international distress signals. The Convention of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972 has been accepted by many states since it was adopted in 1972 and entered into force in July 1977. It was amended in 1981, 1987, 1989, 1993 and 2001. This publication contains the fully consolidated text of the 1972 Convention. Author: International Maritime Organization (IMO) Publisher: International Maritime Organization (IMO) Edition Date: 2003 Number of Pages: 50