Right of way (shipping)

A right of way in shipping means a collection of all sailing rules on the water roads. It concerns passing, overtaking and priority. In the bigger sense, the right of way concerns also using the lights, signs and signals, the behaviour of sailors during bad weather condition and all of the rules of being a sailor.

Several sets of rules have been published. The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea apply to vessels at sea, while the Code Européen des Voies de la Navigation Intérieure applies to vessels navigating Europe inland and the International Sailing Federation has published Racing Rules of Sailing.