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Vessel STERN is a Yacht, Registered in . Discover the vessel's particulars, including capacity, machinery, photos and ownership. Get the details of the current Voyage of STERN including Position, Port Calls, Destination, ETA and Distance travelled - IMO 8433071, MMSI -8433071, Call sign
Vessel STERN is a Passenger, Registered in Netherlands. Discover the vessel's particulars, including capacity, machinery, photos and ownership. Get the details of the current Voyage of STERN including Position, Port Calls, Destination, ETA and Distance travelled - IMO 0, MMSI 244002128, Call sign PB6100
Jan 7, 2021 · Vessel traffic services (VTS) operators can control the movements of ships in local coastal areas, and also have the technological ability to track vessels internationally, since all merchant vessels are currently equipped with global tracking systems. Digital information processing and satellite communications are powerful tools that the maritime sector is eager to take advantage of in ...
- F. Xavier Martínez de Osés, Àfrica Uyà Juncadella
- 2021
- Overview
- History
- Traffic elements
- Conventional control techniques
- New concepts
Navigation is still the principal means of controlling the paths of ships; direction measurements are made by a navigator using, as of old, a knowledge of the movements of the sun and stars and, since the Middle Ages, the magnetic compass or the later development, the gyrocompass. From early times the need to exchange information between ships and with land stations led to the development of visual and audible signal systems. Markers were carried by ships and also laid in channels, and the transmission of messages was accomplished through flag, semaphore, horn, bell, whistle, and light signals leading to the establishment of first national and later international codes. The invention and use of radio, at the beginning of the 20th century, brought a marked improvement in ship communication.
Considerable advances in mapping were made over the centuries; modern navigation charts show all coasts, submerged obstacles, sea depths, and navigational aids such as lighthouses, lightships, buoys, and radio beacons.
Navigation is still the principal means of controlling the paths of ships; direction measurements are made by a navigator using, as of old, a knowledge of the movements of the sun and stars and, since the Middle Ages, the magnetic compass or the later development, the gyrocompass. From early times the need to exchange information between ships and with land stations led to the development of visual and audible signal systems. Markers were carried by ships and also laid in channels, and the transmission of messages was accomplished through flag, semaphore, horn, bell, whistle, and light signals leading to the establishment of first national and later international codes. The invention and use of radio, at the beginning of the 20th century, brought a marked improvement in ship communication.
Considerable advances in mapping were made over the centuries; modern navigation charts show all coasts, submerged obstacles, sea depths, and navigational aids such as lighthouses, lightships, buoys, and radio beacons.
Control of ships at sea and their ability to avoid potential collisions are a source of primary concern for marine safety. Because the “guideway” for a ship is water, there are limited frictional forces available to hold a ship on course. Laws of physics demonstrate that bodies in motion tend to stay in motion unless acted upon by outside forces. Because of the large mass of ships, large forces are needed to change their velocity and direction. The changes also occur very slowly and over distances of miles for large commercial ships, owing to the low friction of the guideway surface. In this respect, large ships are like trains in that they have very long stopping distances. While they can adjust their lateral position—unlike trains, which must remain on the track—they are unable to do so rapidly. Safety of large ships at sea is thus dominated by concerns for the relative lack of longitudinal and lateral maneuverability of ships to avoid both fixed and moving hazards.
The maneuverability of any ship is heavily influenced by the environment at the time of the attempted maneuver. Wave actions, tides, and currents all result in water movement around the ship, which must be considered by the pilot in directing the vessel. Wind also can strongly influence ship movement, both for sailing vessels that use wind for power, and for motorized vessels. Limitations in visibility posed by nighttime conditions, fog, rain, or snow also strongly influence ship control and safety; indeed, environment plays the strongest role in ship and in airplane operations. Guideway-related information is important, but its effect is limited. Vessel characteristics, as described earlier, also are extremely important in marine traffic control.
Communications between ships and from ship to shore are important elements in marine traffic control. Radio frequencies are allocated for marine use on the FM band, but in busy port or shipping areas these can become quickly oversaturated. Vessel traffic systems (see below) have been proposed to ease communications and manage vessel traffic flow. In clear weather, communication is still conducted by flashing lights and flags. More than any other mode except aviation, communications play a crucial role in marine traffic.
Control devices for marine traffic include buoys, lights, sound-generating devices, and lighthouses. As with all other modes, rigid standards and regulations exist governing the use and performance of the devices. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulates operational procedures for avoiding collisions at sea as well as device design. Lights used to convey vessel status are regulated for specific levels of chromaticity and intensity (in order to be seen at a given distance). Sound-generating devices, including horns, bells and whistles, also are carefully allocated to particular frequencies. Lighthouses continue to be important; increasingly they are unmanned and are monitored by communications and computer equipment.
Control of ships on the open sea still remains exclusively with the master of the vessel; when other ships are encountered, established rules of steering are practiced. This ancient arrangement—primitive by comparison with the sophisticated and centralized traffic control systems described for road, rail, and aviation—has survived, thanks to the expanse of sea and the relatively few ships sailing upon it. Communication between ships is, therefore, vital in their control, both at sea and within the confined channels of inland waterways. The principal methods of transmitting a signal are visual (that is, by flag, semaphore, or light) or audible (by means of horns or radio). The revised International Code of 1934 includes alphabetic, numeric, and answering flags. Urgent messages can be communicated by single flags, while three-letter groups are used for compass points, bearing, and times. Semaphore signaling employs hand flags, while Morse code can be transmitted visually by searchlights equipped with horizontal control slats or by radio. Ships also use sirens for “in sight” conditions to indicate impending course changes and, generally, for warning purposes in bad visibility.
The control of ships near coasts is facilitated, both for warning and navigational purposes, by the use of lightships and lighthouses. Channels on the approach to ports are clearly marked by floating buoys, usually fitted with lights and equipped with sound signals (horns, bells, and whistles) for use in bad weather or at night. The proper provision of buoys and beacons, anchored in their correct position and their subsequent maintenance, is essential for control and safety purposes.
The management of traffic and safety on a given body of water has been previously described as an assemblage of related but distinct systems. These systems are integrated in a vessel traffic system (VTS), which can be defined as an assortment of personnel, procedures, equipment, and regulations assembled for the purpose of traffic management in a given body of water. A VTS includes some means of area surveillance, traffic separation, vessel movement reporting, a traffic centre, and enforcement capability. These functions are not dissimilar to the advanced train control and management systems discussed in the rail section.
VTS seeks to meet the goals of the vessel traffic centre (to manage traffic) and the ship (to move through the area) by integrating space management, position fixing, track monitoring, and collision avoidance. The vessel traffic centre (VTC) coordinates ship passage in an area so as to be orderly and predictable. Position fixing may be done by both the VTC and ship and is critical to the next function, track monitoring, which is based upon cumulative position fixing. The last function, collision avoidance, is a new area of responsibility for VTCs. This function has traditionally been the responsibility of the respective ships’ pilots and should remain so. VTC can, if so equipped, provide advance warning of impending collision and may allow the pilot extra time to maneuver.
Vessel Traffic Services. Vessel traffic services (VTS) are shore-side systems which range from the provision of simple information messages to ships, such as position of other traffic or meteorological hazard warnings, to extensive management of traffic within a port or waterway. Generally, ships entering a VTS area report to the authorities ...
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Oct 21, 2009 · 1. Introduction. Active MTC (Marine Traffic Control), in its various forms, is at present mainly confined to port areas and canals and their approaches, whereas all other areas are mainly subject to passive MTC measures; that is, the Collision Regulations, including traffic separation schemes, areas to be avoided by certain classes of vessels, deep water routes, etc.
