COLREGs · Rule 18
Responsibilities Between Vessels
Last verified: 2026-05-16
TL;DR
The pecking order: NUC > RAM > CBD (international only) > fishing > sailing > power-driven. Each must keep out of the way of the categories above. Seaplanes and WIG craft are special cases.
Why it shows up on the exam
Memorise the order: 'New Reels Catch Fish So Powerfully'. Rule 18 is the most-asked rule in the entire module.
Authoritative source
Source links checked against the current public rule corpus on 2026-05-16.
- 33 CFR §83.18— verbatim Inland Rule text (US Code of Federal Regulations)(retrieved 2026-05-16)
- International COLREGs Rule 18 verbatim text is published by the IMO. The Inland counterpart 33 CFR §83 chunk above mirrors the international wording almost verbatim.
Inland parallel
Inland Rule 18 — Responsibilities Between Vessels →More from Part B-II — In Sight of One Another
Related drills
Drill COLREGs Rule 18
Try the free Rules of the Road practice questions (no sign-in), or sign in to drill citation-backed questions on this rule with immediate feedback and the source chunk in a popover.