Safe speed means you’re going at a rate where you can take proper and effective action to avoid collision. In practice, this means your speed allows you to respond in time to changing circumstances—to slow down, stop, or alter course enough to prevent contact with another vessel or obstacle. You must be able to judge stopping distance, maneuvering space, and how factors like visibility, traffic, wind, current, and vessel performance affect your ability to act. It isn’t about stopping instantly or outrunning every other vessel, and it isn’t enough to rely on just steering away; you must actually be able to take actions that will effectively prevent a collision given the situational constraints.

The bill of lading governs both the allocation of risk and the transfer of title, and it does so based on the contract of carriage and the specific terms printed on or incorporated into the bill. This document isn’t just a receipt or a record of shipment; it embodies the agreement between the shipper and carrier and often between seller and buyer about who bears loss and when ownership passes. The risk of loss is defined by the terms in the carriage contract and the bill itself, stating when the carrier assumes or shifts responsibility. At the same time, transfer of title is governed by the bill as a document of title—endorsement and delivery of the bill (or delivery of the goods in possession) typically evidencing the passage of ownership, in line with the contract terms. So the bill of lading sets out both who bears risk and when title changes hands, as determined by the contractual terms and the bill’s provisions.

Definite risk of collision occurs when the bearing to the other vessel stays fixed while the distance between you decreases. That combination—unchanging bearing and shrinking range—means you and the other vessel are on a collision course if you both keep current speed and direction. In this scenario, the other vessel is on your starboard quarter with range decreasing and bearing constant. That exact pattern shows you are closing on a line of approach and would reach the same point if no action is taken. Hence, collision risk is definite. The other cases don’t show that same definite pattern: range increasing means the vessels are moving apart; bearing changing indicates the situation is not a fixed collision line (more of a crossing situation); and a vessel astern with decreasing range could be closing, but without a constant bearing you can’t say collision risk is definite.

In rem jurisdiction targets the vessel or its property, not the owner personally. The vessel is treated as the defendant in the action, so the court can reach the ship itself to resolve the claim arising from its use or operation. Ship arrest is a provisional remedy used to secure a maritime claim by seizing the vessel or its proceeds. This ensures there will be assets available to satisfy a judgment if the claim is proven. It’s a civil, pre-judgment measure, not a personal arrest, not a criminal action, and not a regulatory sanction.