During the last decade virtually every merchant vessel of any consequence has been equipped with v.h.f. radio-telephony equipment. It had been hoped by many that the emergence of this remarkable and widely available communication facility would have been recognized in the recently (1972) agreed International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, as a means of helping to ensure that no cancelling actions would be taken by two vessels trying to avoid each other. However, for a variety of reasons, this opportunity was not grasped by the Imco working party on the Collision Regulations and consequently was lost at the International Conference held in October 1972.