BUOYS
MARITIME BUOYAGE SYSTEMS RULES
These are codes of practice, adopted multi-nationally or nationally, under
which buoys of various shapes and colours are used for the same navigational
purpose. Lateral or side-marking system is primarily based on colour and partly on
shape. Buoys marking the starboard side of a channel should be coloured black
and be conical in shape. Those marking the port side should be red or checkered
and truncated cone in shape. This system provides rules which apply to all fixed
and floating marks serving to indicate:
1. The lateral limits of navigable channels.
2. Natural dangers and other obstructions such as wrecks.
3. Other areas or features of importance to the mariner.
4. New dangers.
The significance of the mark depends upon one or more of the following features:
1. By night, colour and rhythm of light
2. By day, colour, shape, top mark.
Different Naval Communication Systems
VS - Visual and sound signaling
SST - Supersonic telegraphy
WT - Wireless telegraphy
LT - Line telecommunications
WaT - Warning telephone
NAVIGATION AIDS
Navigation aids are special structures like lighthouses, lightships, beacons,
buoys, etc that are used to enhance safety by providing more opportunities
to obtain LOP’s.
Lights used on the vessels
• As per the International Regulations for prevention of collision at sea, the
lights are fixed in the ship which the vessel must display.
1. A white bow light on the mast (two if vessel is > 150 feet in length)
2. Red port hand side light
3. Green star board side light
4. A white stern light
• Other lights
• Mast head light
o
• All round light (360 )
• Towing light – yellow
• Flash light
• Trawlers while shooting – 2 white lights in a vertical line
• Trawlers while hauling – 1 white light over 1 red in a vertical line
Five types of navigation buoys:
– Lateral
– Cardinal
– Isolated danger
– Safe water
– special
Lateral Buoys and Marks
• The location of lateral buoys defines the borders of channels and indicates
the direction. Under IALA A red buoys mark the port side of the channel
when returning from sea, whereas under IALA B green buoys mark the
port side of the channel when sailing towards land. Red buoys have even
numeration plus red lights and green buoys have odd numeration plus
green lights. Lateral lights can have any calm phase characteristic except
FL (2+1).
• Generally, when two channels meet one will be designated the preferred
channel (i.e. most important channel). The buoy depicted on the right
indicates the preferred channel to starboard under IALA A. The light phase
characteristic is R FL (2+1):
• The buoy depicted on the left indicates the preferred channel to port under
IALA A. These buoys are marked with the numerations of both channels.
The light phase characteristic is G FL (2+1):
Cardinal Buoys
• The four cardinal buoys indicate the safe side of a danger with an
approximate bearing. For example, the West cardinal buoy has safe
water on its West and the danger on its East side. Notice the 'clockwise'
resemblance of the light phase characteristics. The topmarks consist of
two black triangles placed in accordance with the black/yellow scheme of
the buoy. When a new obstacle (not yet shown on charts) needs to be
marked, two cardinal buoys will be used to indicate this 'uncharted'
danger. The cardinal system is identical in both the IALA A and IALA B
buoyage systems.
Marks indicating Isolated dangers
• This type of buoy indicates the position of an isolated danger, contrary to
cardinal buoys which indicate a direction away from the danger. The light
(when present) consists of a white group flash: Fl(2).
Marks indicating Safe water
• Notice that whereas most horizontal striping 'spells danger', this safe
water buoy is vertically striped. These marks are for example seaward of
all other buoys (lateral and cardinal) and can be used to make landfall.
Lights are usually calm and white.
Special Buoys and Marks
• We saved these buoys for last since they have not an actual navigation
purpose. Most of the time these yellow buoys indicate areas used by
navies or pipelines or surfing.
example of a port beacon
with navigational advice example of a starboard buoy
International Association of
Lighthouse Authorities (IALA)
buoyage system
Cardinal mark features
Top marks - Black double cones clearly separated.
Colours - Black and yellow horizontal bands with the position of the black band or bands relative to the
respective cardinal points.
Lights - A cardinal mark exhibits a white light and its quadrant is distinguished by a specific group of quick
or very quick flashes.
North - Top mark points up, black band above yellow band.
North - Uninterrupted flashEast - Top mark points outward, black bands above and below yellow band.
East - Three flashes in a group.South - Top mark points down, black band below yellow band.
South - Six flashes in a group followed by a long flash.
West - Top mark points inward, black band between yellow bands.
West - Nine flashes in a group.
IALA buoyage system A lateral marks
Lateral marks are usually positioned to define well established channels, and indicate port and starboard sides of the navigation route into a port.
Where there may be doubt, the direction of buoyage can be indicated on charts
by the symbol:
a port mark is coloured red and
the basic shape is a can
by night a port buoy shows
a red light (when lit)
by night a starboard buoy shows
a green light (when lit)
by night a starboard buoy shows
a green light (when lit)
Isolated danger mark features:
colour-black with one or more red
horizontal bands
top mark-two black spheres
positioned vertically and clearly
separated
light-a white flashing light showing
groups of two flashes
IALA buoyage system A safe water marks
• Safe water marks indicate that there is navigable
water all around the mark for example mid
channel or landfall buoy.
Safe water mark features:
• colour - red and white vertical stripes
• top mark - a single red sphere
• light - exhibits a white light, isophase, occulting,
or single long flash every 10 seconds
Single flash and a single sphere association may
help you to remember its characteristics.
IALA buoyage system A special marks
• Special marks indicate a special area or feature such as traffic separation marks,
spoil, ground marks, cable or pipe lines marks including outfall pipes.
• They can also define a channel within a channel, for example a channel for deep
draught ships in a wide estuary where the limits of the channel for normal navigation
are marked by red and green lateral buoys.
Special mark features:
colour-yellow
topmark-when a topmark is carried, it takes the form of a single yellow X
light-it is yellow and the rhythm may be any other than those used for the white lights
of cardinal, isolated danger and safe water marks
Blue middle channel mark
Fixed blue lights are identified as lead lights.
• They are commonly used to mark the centre of the channel on overhead bridges.
