Rule text#
Source
(a)Notwithstanding anything contained in Rules 4 through 18 (§§ 83.04 through 83.18), any vessel overtaking any other shall keep out of the way of the vessel being overtaken.
(b)A vessel shall be deemed to be overtaking when coming up with another vessel from a direction more than 22.5 degrees abaft her beam; that is, in such a position with reference to the vessel she is overtaking, that at night she would be able to see only the sternlight of that vessel but neither of her sidelights.
(c)When a vessel is in any doubt as to whether she is overtaking another, she shall assume that this is the case and act accordingly.
(d)Any subsequent alteration of the bearing between the two vessels shall not make the overtaking vessel a crossing vessel within the meaning of these Rules or relieve her of the duty of keeping clear of the overtaken vessel until she is finally past and clear.
Why it shows up on the exam#
Overtaking trumps Rule 14 head-on and Rule 15 crossing — once the overtaking situation is established, it remains until the vessel is finally past and clear.
Authoritative source#
Source links checked against the current public rule corpus on 2026-05-16.
- 33 CFR §83.13 — the section this text comes from, with its neighbours.
- The Inland Navigation Rules are codified at 33 CFR Part 83 and are public domain. The international COLREGs text is published separately by the IMO.
Practice this rule#
One real exam question on this rule, cited to source. No sign-up.
Under the Inland Rules, a vessel is in doubt as to whether she is in an overtaking situation with another vessel. Which action is required?
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