Yrkesfiskares tolkning av sjötrafikföreskrifterna

Abstract

How to handle traffic situations is different between a merchant vessel and a fishing vessel when the latter is engaged in fishing. A merchant vessel navigates from port A to port B, while fishing vessels when they are fishing, have to keep track of ships around as well as the trawl with respect to the nature of the bottom. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven commercial fishermen from Gothenburg, engaged in trawling, to get the background to fishermen's actions in close-quarters situations and to give recommendations to the bridge officers so they can make more accurate assessments in a meeting with a fishing vessel. Among other questions, questions about how often a person will be assigned the task as a look out, how a fishing vessel has the ability to maintain course and speed in a close-quarters situation and what the fishermen believe to be the best action to avoid collision, were asked. What fishermen considered primarily as difficult, was the ability to take evasive action if there is a risk of collision and they would be forced to turn to because of the give-way vessel is not taking timely action. Likewise, the ability to maintain course and speed as the other vessel is give-way, and the fishing vessel under COLREG must keep course and speed.