It even helps in keeping a tab on the movement of unauthorised cargo movements, making waters safer and more controlled. Maximum economic returns from a marine route can be realised with the help of these traffic services that keep important navigational information available for all mariners. The role of VTS becomes even more important during adverse weather, poor visibility, hazardous conditions and vessel congestion. It also ensures the safety of life at sea by overlooking the safety of ships, offshore installations, sea areas and the marine environment, along with attaining maximum traffic flow from any given route. The importance of Vessel Traffic services can be better understood by its functions in managing ship traffic. Hence, it mainly focuses on vessel safety. It also strives to improve the efficiency of vessel traffic in a given geographical area. It aims to ensure that the navigation and movement of ships are safe, cost-effective and do not harm the environment. They may be lit or unlit, such as lighthouses, buoys and beacons. Also, Aids to navigation can take various forms. International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities/IALAĪ non-profit organisation, IALA, was established in 1957 as a competent authority which works as an umbrella for other stakeholder groups and organisations concerned about marine aid navigation, including manufacturers and consultants from different parts of the world. Other organisations like IMPA, IFSMA, IALA, IHMA and IAPH are also part of the standardised VTS protocol. In 1971, the Bridge to Bridge Radiotelephone Act and The Ports and Waterways Safety Act of 1972 were passed, which later established present-day VTS.Ĭentralised authorities like IMO maintain VTS through proper personnel and VTS zones in different parts of the world. The Cooperative Vessel Traffic Service (CVTS) allows two Canadian Vessel Traffic Centers to work together with Puget Sound Vessel Traffic Service. Vessel Traffic Center situated at Pier 36 in Seattle oversees the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Rosario Strait, Admiralty Inlet, and Puget Sound. Today, ships entering a VTS area are tracked by authorities via the control centre, which functions per the Inland Navigation Rules.Į.g. However, VTS, as we know it today, came into existence in the 1980s. The coastal authority keeping track of shipping traffic by radar and the facility for transmitting messages to the vessels via radio constituted the first VTS systems. Since 1979, the United States Coast Guard has cooperated with the Canadian Coast Guard to manage traffic situations in adjacent waters, including the navigable waters of the United States. The first radar surveillance in the US was established in 1950 in Long Beach, California. However, the development of radar during the Second World War made monitoring and tracking vessels possible. In earlier days, ships entering a port would let their presence known through flag signals. The current form of VTS first appeared in the port of Liverpool in 1949. As marine routes became populated, the number of accidents on these overworked routes increased. The concept of VTS came into being with an increasing need for a single body to regulate maritime traffic. What communication equipment is used by VTS and the vessel? What is a Vessel traffic service sailing plan? What is the purpose of Vessel traffic services? There are how many types of Vessel Traffic Services? International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities/IALA.
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