Collisions between fishing vessels and other vessels lead to many dead or missing fishermen, and the impact on society is very large. According to Article 18 of the "Act on Preventing Collisions at Sea" (hereafter referred to as Prevention Law), vessels engaged in fishing are granted priority of navigation. As a prerequisite for this priority status, it is necessary to display lights and shapes specified by Article 26 of the Prevention Law. Vessels engaged in fishing often do not show up on radar, so it is very important for ship operators to display the required lights and shapes as a means for visual judgement of nearby vessels. Collisions of vessels engaged in fishing can occur when they do not display lights and shapes while at sea. Compounding this problem, it can be difficult for ship operators to determine whether to apply Article 18 of the Prevention Law, the fixed navigation law, or Articles 38 and 39 of the Prevention Law (1) .This study examines the circumstances of vessels engaged in fishing that do not display legal lights and shapes, and also investigates the problem of the prerequisites for vessels engaged in fishing. Finally, differences of applicable navigation regarding these rules and regulations are also taken into consideration.
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