 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
VTS
The purpose of a Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) is to provide active monitoring
and navigational advice for vessels in particularly confined and busy waterways.
There are two main types of VTS, surveilled and non-surveilled. Surveilled
systems consist of one or more land-based sensors (i.e. radar, AIS
and closed circuit television sites), which output their signals to a central
location where operators monitor and manage vessel traffic movement. Non-surveilled
systems consist of one or more reporting points at which ships are required
to report their identity, course, speed, and other data to the monitoring
authority. They encompass a wide range of techniques and capabilities aimed
at preventing vessel collisions, rammings, and groundings in the harbor, harbor
approach and inland waterway phase of navigation. They are also designed to
expedite ship movements, increase transportation system efficiency, and improve
all-weather operating capability.
VHF-FM
communications network forms the basis of most major services. Transiting
vessels make position reports to a vessel traffic center by radiotelephone
and are in turn provided with accurate, complete, and timely navigational
safety information. The addition of a network of radars and close circuit
television cameras for surveillance and computer-assisted tracking, similar
to that used in air traffic control, allows the VTS to play a more significant
role in marine traffic management, thereby decreasing vessel congestion, critical
encounter situations, and the probability of a marine casualty resulting in
environmental damage.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |