8dw.

After midterm

Name;
Date
Section
Points. 10/10

Test Topic 7. Watch Keeping and Procedure

Type or write your answer with a clean paper, screen shot the answer
and send to my messenger today.

1. Master's Bridge Standing Order/Night Order/Log Book,

No expiry until the Master issues another night order.

From sundown to sunrise.

From the time it is issued until sunrise.

24-hour period.

2. The Night Order Book includes the following EXCEPT?

Fix intervals

Ship's navigation policy

Maintain ship's speed at all times

Minimum CPA
3. What is the period required for the ship's personnel in the
consumption of alcohol prior commencing a watch?

10 hours

8 hours

6 hours

4 hours
4. Which of the following is NOT TRUE in respect to the OOW?

He should be aware of any work being carry out in vicinity

of the radar and radio signals.

He ensures that an efficient lookout is maintain at all

times.

He ensures that an efficient lookout is maintain at all

times.

He should keep his watch on the bridge but can leave

anytime if necessary.

5. While the Pilot is maneuvering the vessel to a dock, what is the

primary responsibility of the OOW?

Records the bells and their time in the bell book.

Judges the appropriateness of the pilot orders.

 Ensures that helm and throttle orders given by the pilot are
correctly executed.

Supervises the signaling and flag etiquette.

6. The OOW should bear in mind the necessity to comply at all
times with requirement of the Regulation 19 chapter V of the
International convention for,

COLREGS

MARPOL 73/78

STCW 95

SOLAS 1974

7. AN OOW during navigation shall,

In no way leave the bridge if not properly relieved.

Leave the bridge during emergency only.

Leave the bridge only during clear weather and no ship in

the vicinity.

Leave the bridge only when Master is on the bridge.

8. Which of the following statement CORRECT?

 I. The officer in charge of the watch shall keep his watch on
the bridge which he shall in no circumstances leave until
properly relieved.
II. The officer in charge of the watch shall continue to be
responsible for the safe navigation of the ship despite the
presence of the master on the bridge until the master
informs him specifically that he has assumed that
responsibility and this mutually understood.

Neither I and II

II only

I only

Both I and II

9. Under STCW code, which is the primary duties of an OOW?

I. Master's representative
II. Responsible at all times for the safe navigation of the ship.

Both l and ll

Neither l nor

ll only

l only
 10. Before commencing sole look-out watch keeping, the
master should be satisfied on each of the following occasion,
EXCEPT :

The OOW has had sufficient rest to commencing watch.

The anticipated workload is well within his capacity to

maintain proper lookout.

The OOW has the full capability to such watch.

No back-up assistance is required.

Principles of Navigational Watch.

Watch keeping principles in general including the use of ship routeing

and in the protection of marine environment.

MARPOL
Pollution

Environmental pollution basically refers to all kind of pollution in the

earth’s environment. There are different meanings of environmental
pollution. The meaning depends on what part of the earth’s elements
has been polluted. Marine pollution is only one type of environmental
pollution.

Marine pollution is defined as “an introduction by man, directly, or

indirectly, of substances or energy into the marine environment
(including estuaries) resulting in such deleterious effects as harmful
to living resources, hazards to human health, hindrance to marine
activities including fishing, impairment of quality for use of seawater
and reduction of amenities” (United Nations Conference on
Environment and Development).

MARPOL convention

The MARPOL Convention is the main international convention

covering prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships
from operational or accidental causes. It is a combination of two
treaties adopted in 1973 and 1978 respectively and updated by
amendments through the years.

The Convention includes six technical Annexes:

Annex I Regulations for the Prevention of Pollution by Oil

Annex II Regulations for the Control of Pollution by Noxious Liquid

 Substances in Bulk

Annex III Prevention of Pollution by Harmful Substances Carried by

Sea in Packaged Form

Annex IV Prevention of Pollution by Sewage from Ships

Annex V Prevention of Pollution by Garbage from Ships

Annex VI Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships

Tanker operation

Before international regulations were introduced to prevent oil

pollution from ships, the normal practice for oil tankers was to wash
out the cargo tanks with water and then pump the resulting mixture of
oil and water into the sea. Also, oil cargo or fuel tanks were used for
ballast water and, consequently, oil was discharged into the sea when
tankers flushed out the oil-contaminated ballast water to replace it
with new oil. To avoid this type of pollution the IMO introduced the
following measures:

a) Crude oil washing systems (COW)

b) Segregated ballast tanks (SBT)

c) Double hull tankers

Reporting

Protocol I of the MARPOL Convention states that when a vessel is

involved in a pollution incident, the master of the vessel must report
this to the nearest coastal state in the fastest way. The main reason
for this reporting obligation is that the competent authorities can take
action to avoid or minimise damage to the environment.

A report should be made for any pollution incident involving oil,

noxious liquid substances or harmful substances in packaged form
which are listed in the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code
(IMDG Code).

The report should contain the following items:

a) Identity of the ship

b) Time, type and location of incident
c) Quantity and type of harmful substance involved
d) Assistance and salvage measures

Special areas

The MARPOL 73/78 Convention provides for the establishment of

special areas where particularly strict standards area applied to
discharges from ships. These areas are semi-enclosed seas, such as
the Mediterranean, the Baltic, the Black Sea, the Red Sea, the Gulf and
Antarctica.

Special areas provisions are contained in Annexes I, II, IV, V and VI.
For instance, under Annex I, special area means 'a sea area where for
recognised technical reasons in relation to its oceanographically and
ecological condition and to the particular character of its traffic the
adoption of special mandatory methods for the prevention of sea
pollution by oil is required'. Special areas are listed in the relevant
Annexes. For example, the whole Mediterranean Sea area is a special
area for the purposes of Annexes I and V.
Annex I of MARPOL

Ships of 400 GT and above but less than 10,000 GT must have an oil
filtering equipment which must ensure that any oil mixture discharged
into the sea has an oil content not exceeding 15 parts per million
(ppm). For ships over 10,000 GT must additionally be equipped with
an alarm and automatic stopping device if the oil content exceeds 15
ppm.

Note:

Bilge water also contains traces of detergents used in the cleaning

process. When mixed, the residues of oil and detergents form a stable
emulsion with another density than oil. This sometimes milk-like but
highly oil-contaminated mixture is not always "recognized" by the
separation and filtering equipment, and thus discharged into the sea.

The oil or oil mixtures which is separated by the filtering or separating

equipment is collected in the so called waste oil or sludge tank. All
major ports in the world have so called shore reception facilities to
which the waste oil can be discharge. In order to avoid problems in
connecting the shore hoses or pipes to the discharge outlet of the
ship each discharge outlet is fitted with a flange with standard
dimensions.

Oil record book

The MARPOL 73/78 Convention requires that every ship of 400 GT and
above, other than an oil tanker, and every oil tanker of 150 GT and
above shall be provided with an Oil Record Book Part I (Machinery
Space Operations). Every oil tanker of 150 GT and above shall also be
provided with Oil Record Book Part II (Cargo/Ballast Operations).

The Oil Record Book shall be completed on each occasion, whenever

any of the following operations take place in the ship:

a) for machinery space operations (all ships);

(i) ballasting or cleaning of oil fuel tanks;

(ii)discharge of ballast or cleaning water from oil fuel tanks

which have been ballasted or cleaned;

(iii) disposal of oily residues (sludge);

(iv) discharge overboard of bilge water which has

accumulated in machinery spaces;

b) for cargo/ballast operation (oil tankers);

(i) loading of oil cargo;

(ii) internal transfer of oil cargo during voyage;

(iii) unloading of oil cargo;

(iv) ballasting of cargo tanks and dedicated clean ballast tanks;

(v) cleaning of cargo tanks including crude oil washing;

(vi) discharge of ballast except from segregated ballast tanks;

(vii) discharge of water from slop tanks;

 (viii) closing of all applicable valves or similar devices after slop
tank discharge operations;

(ix) closing of valves necessary for the isolation of dedicated

clean ballast tanks from cargo and stripping lines after slop
tank discharge operations;

(x) disposal of residues.

Each completed operation shall be signed by the officer or officers in

charge of the operations concerned and each completed page shall
be signed by the master.

Sample from record page Oil Record Book

The Oil Record Book shall be kept in such a place as to be readily

available for inspection at all reasonable times and, except in the case
of unmanned ships under tow, shall be kept on board. It shall be
preserved for a period of three years after the last entry has been
made.
A person authorized by the Certifying Authority may inspect the Oil
Record Book on board any ship whilst the ship is in a port or off
shore terminal and may make a copy of any entry in that book and
may require the master of the ship to certify that the copy is a true
copy of such entry. Any copy so made which has been certified by the
master of the ship as a true copy of an entry in the ship's Oil Record
Book shall be admissible in any judicial proceedings as evidence of
the facts stated in the entry.

SOPEP

On board every oil tanker over 150 GT and every other ship over 400
GT a contingency plan for oil pollution must be available. This plan is
called Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan (SOPEP). The purpose
is to have a clear plan of action ready in case of a pollution accident.

Parts of the plan are:

 Procedures to be followed by the crew in case of an pollution

incident
 List of authorities to be contacted
 List of actions immediately to be taken by the persons on board.
An oil spills response team consisting of a group of
crewmembers must try to minimise the outflow of oil and to
reduce the effects of the spill. In this team every member has a
designated function
 Materials available to combat the oil spill
 Procedures to report the oil spill
Vessels carrying noxious liquid cargoes in bulk under Annex II of the
MARPOL Convention are required to have a similar plan in case of a
pollution created by the cargo.

The SOPEP plan requires regular drills in order to train and increase
the preparedness of the crew in case of an actual oil spill. Time is vital
in case of an emergency in order to minimise further damage to the
environment. Training and drills are also required to increase the
awareness of the important factors like safety and proper handling of
the equipment.

Response to an oil spill: In case of oil spill the proper sequence of

combating a spill is:

1. stop or minimize the outflow of oil

2. containment
3. clean-up

Annex IV of MARPOL

Sewage pollution of the sea is, of course, as old as civilization. It

provides nutrients which in moderation, can benefit sea life. The
problem arises when there is too much of it in too small an area. Even
in ancient times some stretches of sea, such as the Bosporus,
became badly polluted. Now with the rapid growth of the world's
population (doubling since the 1960s), and its increasing
concentration around the coasts – especially in developing countries
– many inshore waters have become overwhelmed.
This is more than just an aesthetic nuisance. Sewage pollution ruins
large areas for fisheries, recreation and tourism, causing major
economic loss.

There are frequent outbreaks of gastrointestinal disease such as

cholera, typhoid and infectious hepatitis caused by contaminated
seafood and bathing water – particularly in areas where there are
many carriers of the pathogens, and sewage treatment and disposal
is inadequate. A major outbreak of cholera in Naples in 1973, for
example, came from eating shellfish. An even greater epidemic of the
disease which affected many millions of people in Latin America from
1991 to 1995 – and took 10,000 lives – started in the coastal cities of
Peru. Yet such dramatic outbreaks are responsible for only a small
part of the toll of disease caused by sewage pollution.

Annex IV contains a set of regulations regarding the discharge of

sewage into the sea, ships' equipment and systems for the control of
sewage discharge, the provision of facilities at ports and terminals for
the reception of sewage, and requirements for survey and
certification. It also includes a model International Sewage Pollution
Prevention Certificate to be issued by national shipping
administrations to ships under their jurisdiction.

It is generally consider that on the high seas, the oceans are capable
of assimilating and dealing with raw sewage through natural bacterial
action and therefore the regulations in Annex IV of MARPOL 73/78
prohibit ships from discharging sewage within a specified distance of
the nearest land, unless they have in operation an approved treatment
plant.
The discharge of sewage into the sea is prohibited, except when the
ship has in operation an approved sewage treatment plant; or is
discharging comminutted and disinfected sewage using an approved
system at a distance of more than three nautical miles from the
nearest land; or is discharging sewage which is not comminuted or
disinfected at a distance of more than 12 nautical miles from the
nearest land.

Annex V of MARPOL

Garbage from ships can be just as deadly to marine life as oil or

chemicals. The greatest danger comes from plastic, which can float
for years. Fish and marine mammals can in some cases mistake
plastics for food and they can also become trapped in plastic ropes,
nets, bags and other items - even such innocuous items as the plastic
rings used to hold cans of beer and drinks together.

It is clear that a good deal of the garbage washed up on beaches

comes from people on shore - holiday-makers who leave their rubbish
on the beach, fishermen who simply throw unwanted refuse over the
side - or from towns and cities that dump rubbish into rivers or the
sea. But in some areas most of the rubbish found comes from
passing ships which find it convenient to throw rubbish overboard
rather than dispose of it in ports.

For a long while, many people believed that the oceans could absorb
anything that was thrown into them, but this attitude has changed
along with greater awareness of the environment. Many items can be
degraded by the seas - but this process can take months or years, as
the following table shows:
Time taken for objects to dissolve at sea

Paper bus 2-4 weeks Painted 13 years

ticket wood
Cotton 1-5 months Tin can 100 years
cloth
Rope 3-14 months Aluminium 200-500
can years
Woollen 1 year Plastic 450 years
cloth bottle

Under Annex V of the Convention, garbage includes all kinds of food,

domestic and operational waste, excluding fresh fish, generated
during the normal operation of the vessel and liable to be disposed of
continuously or periodically.

The Annex obliges Governments to ensure the provision of facilities

at ports and terminals for the reception of garbage.

Annex V totally prohibits of the disposal of plastics and most of other

types of garbage anywhere into the sea, additional restrictions apply
in coastal waters and "Special Areas" for those kinds of waste that
are allowed to be disposed into the sea. The Annex also obliges
Governments to ensure the provision of facilities at ports and
terminals for the reception of garbage.
 Outside Inside
Special Area Special Area

Plastic X X

Floating dunnage, lining, …. X X

Ground paper, glass, metal … X X

(<25 mm)

Cargo residues, paper, glass, X X

metal, …

Food waste > 12 Nm X

Ground food waste (<25 mm) > 3 Nm > 12 Nm

Incinerator ash containing X X

plastics

Cooking oil X X

Overview of discharge standards MARPOL Annex V

Garbage record book

All ships of 400 GT and above and every ship certified to carry 15
persons or more, and every oil platform must provide a Garbage
Record Book, to record all
disposal and incineration
operations.

The date, time, position of

ship, description of the
garbage and the estimated amount incinerated or discharged must be
logged and signed. The books must be kept for a period of two years
after the date of the last entry. This regulation does not in itself
impose stricter requirements - but it makes it easier to check that the
regulations on garbage are being adhered to as it means ship
personnel must keep track of the garbage and what happens to it.

On board every ship of 12 metres or more in length placards notifying

passengers and crew of the disposal requirements of the regulation
must be displayed.

Garbage Management Plans

All ships of 400 GT and above and every ship certified to carry 15
persons or more will have to carry a Garbage Management Plan, to
include written procedures for collecting, storing, processing and
disposing of garbage, including the use of equipment on board. The
Garbage Management Plan should designate the person responsible
for carrying out the plan and should be in the working language of the
crew.

Annex VI of MARPOL

Sulphur emissions from ships' exhausts were estimated at 4.5 to 6.5

million tons per year, about 4 percent of total global sulphur
emissions. Emissions over open seas are spread out and effects
moderate, but on certain routes the emissions create environmental
problems, including English Channel, South China Sea and Strait of
Malacca.
Nitrogen oxide emissions from ships were put at around 5 million
tons per year, about 7 percent of total global emissions. Nitrogen
oxide emissions cause or add to regional problems including acid
rain and health problems in local areas such as harbours.

Emissions of CFC’s from the world shipping fleet was estimated at

3,000-6,000 tons, approximately 1 to 3 percent of yearly global
emissions. Halon emissions from shipping were put at 300 to 400
tons, or around 10 percent of world total.

Acid rain

Acid rain is rain that has been made acidic by certain pollutants in the
air. Acid rain is a type of acid deposition, which can appear in many
forms. Wet deposition is rain, sleet, snow, or fog that has become
more acidic than normal. Dry deposition is another form of acid
deposition, and this is when gases and dust particles become acidic.
Both wet and dry deposition can be carried by the wind, sometimes
for very long distances. Acid deposition in wet and dry forms falls on
buildings, cars, and trees and can make lakes acidic. Acid deposition
in dry form can be inhaled by people and can cause health problems
in some people.

Most acid rain is caused by airborne deposits of sulphur dioxides and

nitrogen oxides. Coal and oil-burning power plants are the biggest
source of sulphur dioxides while nitrogen oxides come from car,
truck - and ship - exhausts.
MARPOL Annex VI, ‘Regulations for the Prevention of Air Pollution
from Ships’, is included as Protocol to the MARPOL 73/78
Convention. The Annex entered into force 19 May 2005.

Compliance in terms of both the equipment and operational

requirements of Annex VI is mandatory for ships engaged on
international voyages and to which the Annex applies. In the case of
ships of 400 GT and above, compliance will be indicated by the issue
of an International Air Pollution Prevention Certificate (IAPPC)
following an initial survey. For ships under this tonnage limit, it is for
the individual governments to set up schemes appropriate to such
vessels to ensure compliance.

Ships of those countries which have not adopted Annex VI, but which
intend to operate in waters controlled by countries which have ratified
Annex VI, will require Statements of Compliance with Annex VI issued
by, or on behalf of, their government.

Annex VI includes the following requirements:

1. Surveys and inspection for ships of 400 GT and above and for
fixed and floating drilling rigs and other platforms, to ensure
compliance with the regulations
2. Issuance of an International Air Pollution Prevention Certificate
to ships of 400 GT and above engaged in voyages to other
parties to MARPOL and to platforms and drilling rigs engaged in
voyages to waters of other parties to MARPOL
3. A prohibition on any deliberate emissions of ozone depleting
substances
4. A prohibition on new installations which contain ozone depleting
substance, except that new installations containing HCFC’s are
permitted until 1 January 2020
 5. A limit on NOx emissions from diesel engines with a power
output of more than 130 kW which are installed or undergo
major conversions after January 1, 2000
6. Alternative NOx control measures established domestically for
ships on domestic voyages
7. A cap of 3.5% m/m sulphur content of any fuel oil used on board
ships. This limit will be lowered to 0.5% in 2020 or 2025
depending on a technical review in 2018, unless an approved
exhaust gas cleaning system or other technological method to
limit SOx emissions is being used.
8. A cap of 1.0% m/m sulphur content of any fuel oil used on board
ships when operating in the Baltic Sea and wider North Sea area
and in a region of 200 nm from the coast of the USA and Canada,
unless an approved exhaust gas cleaning system or other
technological method to limit SOx emissions is being used. This
limit will be lowered to 0.1% on January 1, 2015.(The emission of
volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) from tankers will be
regulated only in ports or terminals designated by individual
Governments)
9. Only approved incinerators may be installed on ships
10. A prohibition on shipboard incineration of Annex I, II
and III cargo residues, PCBs, garbage containing more than
traces of heavy metal and refined petroleum products containing
halogen compounds
11. A prohibition on shipboard incineration of PVC’s,
except in approved incinerators
12. The provision of adequate reception facilities for
ozone depleting substances and exhaust gas cleaning residues
13. Fuel oil quality standards
14. The issuance of bunker delivery notes and the
provision of fuel oil samples

Regulations on energy efficiency of ships

Energy efficiency is a very effective method to minimize the emission

of Green House Gasses like CO2 because marine fuel contains a high
percentage of Carbon. The IMO has developed a number of technical
and operational measurers that include:

 Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI)

 Energy Efficiency Operational Index (EEOI)
 Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP)

In 2012 the IMO introduced chapter 4, “Regulations on energy

efficiency of ships” to MARPOL Annex VI. Both the EEDI and the
SEEMP are part of this chapter. The regulations of this chapter came
in force on January 1, 2013.

The purpose of the SEEMP is to improve ship efficiency through

better management and implementation of best practice.

The SEEMP must be developed as a ship-specific plan by the

shipping company. The SEEMP seeks to improve a ship's energy
efficiency through four steps:

1. Planning
2. Implementation
3. Monitoring
4. Self-evaluation and improvement.

PROCESS FOR INTRODUCTION OF A ROUTEING SYSTEM

IMO's Responsibilities IMO's responsibility for ships' routeing is also

enshrined in SOLAS Chapter V, regulation 10, which recognises the
Organization as the only international body for establishing such
systems, while Rule 10 of the COLREGs prescribes the conduct of
vessels when navigating through traffic separation schemes adopted
by IMO.

IMO'S responsibilities are also determined under the United Nations

Convention on Law of The Sea (UNCLOS), which designates IMO as
"the competent international organization" in matters of navigational
safety, safety of shipping traffic and marine environmental protection.

In 1977, the Assembly authorised the Maritime Safety Committee

(MSC) to adopt traffic separation schemes on behalf of IMO, in order
to speed up the procedure.

(The MSC normally meets twice a year, the Assembly only once every
two years). Governments intending to establish a new routeing
system, or amend an existing one, must submit proposed routeing
measures to IMO's Sub-Committee on Safety of Navigation (NAV),
which then evaluates the proposal and makes recommendations
regarding its adoption.
The recommendation is then passed to the MSC for adoption.

Traffic Considerations Before a traffic routeing system is made

mandatory, following aspects are taken into account :

• Routes should follow as closely as possible existing patterns of

traffic flow.
• Course alterations along the route should be as few as possible and
convergence areas and route junctions should be kept to a minimum
and should be as widely separated from each other as possible.
• Route junctions and convergence areas should not be placed where
crossing traffic is expected to be heavy.
• The system should aim to provide safe passage for ships.
IMO takes into consideration the following before a proposal for a
mandatory routeing system is accepted.

Existing and Proposed Aids to Navigation

Routes should be designed to allow optimum use of aids to navigation

in the area. For traffic separation schemes, such aids to navigation
should enable mariners to determine their position with sufficient
accuracy to navigate in accordance with rule 10 of the 1972 Collision
Regulations.

Traffic Patterns Information should be provided to the extent possible

on

• traffic patterns,
• existing traffic management measures,
• the volume or concentration of traffic,
• vessel interactions,
• distance offshore, and
• type and quantity of substances on board (e.g., hazardous cargo,
bunkers).

Information on Surveys

Adequacy of the state of hydrographic surveys and nautical charts in

the area of the proposed routeing system;

Alternative Routeing Measure

 If necessary, alternative routeing measure for certain categories of
ships, or ships carrying certain cargoes which may be excluded from
using a routeing system or any part thereof; and

Offshore Structures

Governments should ensure, as far as practicable, that any drilling

rigs, exploration platforms, and other offshore structures are not
established within the traffic lanes or routeing systems or near their
terminations.

Marine Environmental Considerations

The proposal should contain information on environmental factors,

such as the prevailing weather conditions, tidal streams, and currents,
and the possibility of ice concentrations.

Routeing systems should not be established in areas where the

instability of the seabed is such that frequent changes in the
alignment and positions of the main channels, and thus of the
routeing system itself, are likely.

For proposals intended to protect the marine environment, the

proposal should state whether the proposed routeing system could
reasonably be expected to significantly prevent or reduce the risk of
pollution or other damage to the marine environment of the area
concerned.

The proposal should also contain information on any limitations to

the sea area available for navigation given the overall size of the area
to be protected and the aggregate number of environmentally
sensitive areas established within the area concerned.
DESCRIPTION OF ROUTEING MEASURES

Routeing measures adopted by IMO to improve safety at sea include :

• Two-way routes,
• Recommended tracks,
• Deep water routes (for the benefit primarily of ships whose ability
to Weather is constrained by their draught),
• Precautionary areas (where ships must navigate with particular
caution), and
• Areas to be avoided (for reasons of exceptional danger or especially
sensitive ecological and environmental factors).

Ships' routeing systems and traffic separation schemes that have been
approved by IMO are contained in the IMO Publication, "Ship's
Routeing", a thick volume, which is updated when schemes are
amended or new ones added and which is available on all ships.

This should be in the chart room and be corrected as all other

navigational publications.

The publication includes General provisions on ships' routeing, first

adopted by IMO in 1973, and subsequently amended over the years,
which are aimed at standardising the design, development, charted
presentation and use of routeing measures adopted by IMO. The
nomenclature used in the system are as follows

Traffic Lane
An area within defined limits in which one-way traffic is established.
Natural obstacles, including those forming separation zones, may
constitute a boundary.

Separation Zone or Line

A zone or line separating traffic lanes in which ships are proceeding in

opposite or nearly opposite directions; or separating a traffic lane
from the adjacent sea area; or separating traffic lanes designated for
particular classes of ship proceeding in the same direction.

Roundabout

A separation point or circular separation zone and a circular traffic

lane within defined limits.

Inshore Traffic Zone

This is the designated area between the landward boundary of a

traffic separation scheme and the adjacent coast.

Recommended Route

A route of undefined width, for the convenience of ships in transit,

which is often marked by centreline buoys.

Deep-water Route

A route within defined limits, which has been accurately surveyed for
clearance of sea bottom and submerged articles.

Precautionary Area
An area within defined limits where ships must navigate with particular caution
and within which the direction of flow of traffic may be recommended.

Area to be Avoided

Area within defined limits in which either navigation is particularly

hazardous or it is exceptionally important to avoid casualties and
which should be avoided by all ships, or by certain classes of ships.
Traffic separation schemes and other ship routeing systems have now
been established in most of the major congested shipping areas of the
world, and the number of collisions and grounding has often been
dramatically reduced.

ROUTEING SYSTEMS - GENERAL GUIDELINES ON NAVIGATION

The IMO General Provisions on Ship's Routeing (resolution A.572 (14)

as amended) contain advice on the use of routeing systems in general
as follows :

(a) Unless stated otherwise, routeing systems are recommended for

use by all ships and may be made mandatory for all ships, certain
categories of ships or ships carrying certain cargoes, or types and
quantities of bunker fuel.

(b) Routeing systems are intended for use by day and by night in all
weathers, in ice-free waters or under light ice conditions where no
extraordinary manoeuvres or icebreaker assistance are required.

(c) Bearing in mind the need for adequate under-keel clearance, a

decision to use a routeing system must take into account the charted
depth, the possibility of changes in the sea-bed since the time of the
last survey, and the effects of meteorological and tidal conditions on
water depths.
(d) A shilrnavigating in or near a traffic separation scheme adopted by
IMO shall in particular comply with rule 10 of the 1972 Collision
Regulations to minimize the development of risk of collision with
another ship. The other rules of the 1972 Collision Regulations apply
in all respects, and particularly the rules of part B, sections II and III, if
risk of collision with another ship is deemed to exist.

(e) Atjunction points where traffic from various directions meets, a

true separation of traffic is not possible, as ships may need to cross
routes or change to another route. Ships should therefore navigate
with great caution in such areas and be aware that the mere fact that
a ship is proceeding along a through-going route gives that ship no
special privilege or right of way.

(f) A deep-water route is primarily intended for use by ships which,

because of their draught in relation to the available depth of water in
the area concerned, require the use of such a route. Through traffic to
which the above consideration does not apply should avoid using the
deep water routes, as far as practicable.

(g) Precautionary areas should be avoided, if practicable, by passing

ships not making use of the associated traffic separation schemes or
deep-water routes, or entering or leaving adjacent ports.

(h) In two-way routes, including two-way deep-water routes, ships

should as far as practicable keep to the starboard side.

(i) Arrows printed on charts in connection with routeing systems

merely indicate the general direction of established or recommended
traffic flow; ships need not set their courses strictly along the arrows.
The signal YG, meaning "You appear not to be complying with the
traffic separation scheme" is provided in the International Code of
Signals for appropriate use.