North Eastern Maritime

If your business is going to go down the Maritime route there are some important principles to adhere to.

These “Rules of the Road” are very similar to those you follow while driving an automobile on land, so we will use that as an example when talking about marine traffic.

Traffic is controlled in coastal waters and inland passages with marker buoys. Buoys in coastal areas are known as Lateral Markers, when found in traffic lanes they are known as channel markers. Both types of markers serve the same purpose. They guide a vessel through an area known to be safe for passage, and provide a traffic separation scheme similar to a road on land.

Marker buoys come in two colors, green and red. Red buoys mark one side of a traffic lane and green marks the other side. Think of the area in the middle as a road or highway. On land a road has painted stripes marking safe areas for travel; a solid line marks both sides of the road and is meant not to be crossed, think of the red and green buoys as these lines. A road has a line painted in the middle to divide traffic by direction; in a maritime environment the center divider is invisible. The separation line is exactly in the center of the marked course.

In Europe, Australia, New Zealand, plus parts of Africa and Asia the IALA A rules are in force. This means that when traveling you should keep the green buoy on the right or starboard side of the vessel.

The shape of the marker also gives you traffic information. A triangular or cone-shaped top indicates the marker should be kept on the starboard side of the vessel.

This is just a little bit of information that will be important for any company looking to go down the maritime route but with a new company many things need to be taken into consideration, click here for more details.