What to Do When a Large Vessel Approaches in Kuwait

Every Kuwait boat owner has seen it: your small boat in the middle of the channel, and ahead of you a cargo ship coming like a moving wall. Some freeze, some rush across its path. Both are mistakes. This is not about fear — it is about knowing a few basics before you leave the dock.

Why a large vessel cannot stop quickly

A tanker or cargo ship displaces thousands of tonnes. Even if the master puts the engine full astern, it takes miles to stop, not metres. In Kuwait, commercial shipping lanes run through Kuwait Bay, the commercial Shuwaikh Port and Shuaiba Port. These ships enter and leave on fixed routes. Understand that, and you understand why you keep clear early.

What to do the moment you see one

• Stay clear of the shipping lane and do not sit across it, waiting for the next ship to come.
• Never cross a tanker's bow — the bow is the most dangerous place, and the master will not see your small boat until it is too late.
• Give way every time. A large ship cannot manoeuvre like your boat, so yielding is your job.
• Watch its course and speed and work out where it is going before you move.

The draft rule: big ships need deep water

A large vessel has a deep draft, so a huge part of it sits below the surface where you cannot see it. That is why it cannot come near shallows, sandbars or moorings. If you squeeze into a narrow channel beside it, you trap yourself between something fixed and something that cannot stop. That is the worst place to be.

How to talk to the ship

If you need to speak, open VHF channel 16, the international distress and calling channel. Call the ship by name if you know it and state your position in one short sentence. Do not stay on the channel chatting — move to a working channel once you have agreed. Sometimes the master calls you first and asks you to alter course. Follow port authority and coast guard instructions, and do not argue.

At night, and near a moored ship

At night your distance judgement fails: dim lights look far away when they are close. Switch on your navigation lights early and scan every direction. When you pass a vessel moored at the quay in Shuwaikh or Doha, slow down and produce no wake — a strong wake slams the ship against the quay and strains its lines. A quiet pass beats a fast one.

If it goes wrong: emergency

If you sense real danger, do not wait. Call 112 immediately and give your position and how many people are aboard. Have your emergency number ready before you need it, not while you are panicking. The best trip is the one you come back from safely. The fish can wait.