Tugsov,
My ColRegs instruction applied to small craft but I can appreciate why decklights are mandatory on larger vessels.
As far as blame is concerned, even if the container ship was keeping a good watch the only action they could have taken was to radio the oncoming ferry and it is possible that their message would not have been received.
John,
That is the second collision that a Red Funnel ferry has had within a month at Cowes. It is certainly a crowded harbour and I know it well, you have to be really careful when transiting in a small boat. It's still hard to understand how the ferry ended up where it did though. A few years ago we were on the Queen Mary 2 to New York and the harbour was blanketed by thick fog, and I mean really thick. After going under the Verazzano Narrows bridge you couldn't see a thing but an hour later the quayside at the Red Hook berth appeared just a few feet away as the ship docked. Amazingly we were also heading in the opposite direction. The ship had approached the berth, turned round 180 degrees and come alongside using only electronic navigation aids.
Colin