@ Ann
By regulations the Atlantic Tramp should have changed course to her stb side and the Bulk Costa Rica is in this case the "stand-on-vessel" which means she is supposed to keep course and speed.
However the BCR is also required by the same regulations to initiate the "maneuver of the last moment" if she realizes that the Atlantic Tramp does not adhere to the regulations.(as you can watch in the video the BCR starts turning to her stb side to avoid the collision as it seems way too late) It is for that "moment" rather undefined what is the time/distance for her to do that. It depends greatly on the judgement of the watch officer when he/she feels/knows now it is getting too close.
The maneuver of last moment is defined as the moment where it is clear that the one vessel (in this case Atlantic Tramp) can not avoid a collision anymore by her own actions.
This as you might realize too is again a matter of judgement of the watch officer on the bridge of the BCR.
In other words, human error is easily involved in such matters.
Also my personal experience as Captain, tells me that a few other factors may have been played into the situation too.
For example
a) unfortunately it is teached in some countries nautical schools that the watch officers
should communicate with the other ship to agree/verify on the passing
this of course can lead to the next problem. Imagine there are on both ships a WO with
bad english skills or just on one ship
I personally overheard some years back in the North Sea that two WO,s agreed
to pass each other red on green !!!!!
A few minutes later you could see in the radar and hear in the VHF (frantically calling
each other) that collision was imminent which in that case still was somehow avoided.
b) Not written standing orders by Masters to the WO,s to change only course after they
notified the Master. Problem there of course, when that time comes when the officer
think now I have to call the MASTER, again a rather undefined matter and secondly and
much more important ,that is totally against common sense to tell a WO not to change
course without approval of the Capt. If I as Capt do that, then I might as well place
a distant ring in the radar and place anyone in front of the radar to watch it and the
moment a ship enters the ring to call the master.
Again, that means virtually the Master takes any initiative out of the hands of a WO
and renders him therefore as useless on the bridge.
c) plain and simple, low training standard. I know that some officers do not even know the
full regulations without looking it up in the COLREGS book.
I honestly can say , I had a few situations , where for example a stand-on (keeping course
and speed) changed course to her port against regulations (Paragraph 17 as per COLREGS)
and when I asked them why they did that the standard answer was: It was better in that
situation !!! (where that can be better is behond me)
the worst answer (some 15 years back) I ever got when I asked the WO after he did it if he knows that it is against the regulation outlined in the COLREGS and handed him the book
quote
I did not involve myself with that book too much yet
unquote
and that from a man who was by that time 4 years as WO on a bridge.