Rules of The Road (ROR)

The navigation Rules Of The Road are defined by the International Maritime Organisation in what is known as COLREGS or the International Regulations For Preventing Collisions At Sea 1972. In total there are thirty eight rules which are given in five parts A, B, C, D, and E which refer to the rules relating to General, Steering and Sailing, Light & Shapes, Sound and Light Signals and Exemptions respectively.

Apart from these five categories, there are four Annexes from Annex I to Annex IV which define the technical requirements. If you think that these rules are only applicable to large ships or yatchts and have nothing to do with small boats or naval vessels, then you are certainly wrong. These rules are applicable from the tiniest boat to the largest ships sailing across the oceans.

Source: http://www.brighthubengineering.com/seafaring/34233-the-basics-of-the-sea-rules-of-the-road-in-navigation/