2023 Edition printed in FULL COLOR on high quality paper. Meets the U.S. carriage requirements of 33 CFR 83.01(g): The operator of each self-propelled vessel 12 meters or more in length shall carry, on board and maintain for ready reference, a copy of these Rules. This handbook is a compendium produced by the U.S. Coast Guard Office of Navigation Systems, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, Washington, D.C, of the International and Inland Rules of the Road and their respective annexes, the Bridge-to-Bridge Radiotelephone Regulations, and Vessel Traffic Management Regulations, as last updated in September 2020 by 85 FR 58268. The International Rules in this book were formalized in the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972, and became effective on July 15, 1977. The Rules (commonly called 72 COLREGS) are part of the Convention, and vessels flying the flags of states ratifying the treaty are bound to the Rules. The United States has ratified this treaty and all United States flag vessels must adhere to these Rules where applicable. President Gerald R. Ford proclaimed 72 COLREGS and the Congress adopted them as the International Navigational Rules Act of 1977.