Regulation 12
Vessel Traffic Services
Regulation
1 Vessel traffic services (VTS) contribute to safety of life at sea, safety and efficiency of navigation and protection of the marine environment, adjacent shore areas, work sites and offshore installations from possible adverse effects of maritime traffic.
2 Contracting Governments undertake to arrange for the establishment of VTS where, in their opinion, the volume of traffic or the degree of risk justifies such services.
3 Contracting Governments planning and implementing VTS shall, wherever possible, follow the guidelines developed by the Organization*. The use of VTS may only be made mandatory in sea areas within the territorial seas of a coastal State.
4 Contracting Governments shall endeavour to secure the participation in, and compliance with, the provisions of vessel traffic services by ships entitled to fly their flag.
5 Nothing in this regulation or the guidelines adopted by the Organization shall prejudice the rights and duties of Governments under international law or the legal regimes of straits used for international navigation and archipelagic sea lanes.
· Refer to the Guidelines on Vessel Traffic Services adopted by the Organization by resolution A.857(20).
Summary
The following notes differentiate between Port and Coastal Vessel Traffic Services and give recommendations for complying with non-mandatory systems. The notes, together with the Regulation, supersede MGN 109.
Guidance Notes
1. This Regulation supersedes Regulation 8-2 of SOLAS V(74). Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) are provided world-wide to improve navigational safety and efficiency, safety of life at sea and protection of the marine environment. There are two types of VTS: Port and Coastal, and there is a clear distinction between the two. A Port (or river) VTS is a service provided when entering or leaving ports or harbours or when sailing along rivers or through waters which restrict the manoeuvring of ships. A Coastal VTS is mainly concerned with vessel traffic passing through a sea area. Reference is made to the IMO Guidelines for VTS (Resolution A.857 (20)), which offer guidance on design and operation of VTS systems.
2. The Regulation emphasises the importance of VTS and allows mandatory systems to be established within a state’s territorial seas. In many ports and some coastal regions, participation in VTS is mandatory under local regulations. Compliance with most port VTS systems is mandatory. For example, in the United Kingdom Statutory Instrument 1995 No.2498 (1) Section 7 requires the master of a ship entering or leaving a port in the United Kingdom to make use of any VTS provided in that port. Globally, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) strongly urges all UK ships to make use of and participate in any VTS that is provided, in accordance with the spirit of this Regulation, including those which are voluntary. The MCA will keep compliance of vessels with VTS under review and if performance is considered unacceptable, a more regulatory approach may be taken.
3. Information on available Vessel Traffic Services is given in the Admiralty List of Radio Signals (ALRS) Volume 7 parts 1 and 2.