A traffic separation scheme (TSS) is a maritime traffic-management system established by the International Maritime Organization to regulate ship movements in busy or confined waterways. It features two lanes with ships traveling in the same general direction, separated by a zone meant to be avoided except in emergencies or specific activities like fishing. TSS includes inshore traffic zones for local and small craft traffic and may have special zones where lanes divide towards ports. The operational rules for TSS are detailed in the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, SOLAS, and the General Provisions on Ships' Routeing. Each TSS is typically monitored by a vessel traffic service.
Objectives
Objectives of IMO Routeing Schemes:
- Help reduce and manage head on situations for the streams of opposing traffic
- Help manage crossing situation arising while entering or coming out of port
- In areas of offshore activities, directives regarding safe distance from the installations
- Providing routes for deep draught vessels
- Avoiding presence of routine traffic from some areas as desired by administration
- Better management of inshore traffic zone, fishing zones and areas dangerous to navigation due to presence of isolated dangers and shoal patches in a high density traffic area.
Crossing
If a ship wants to cross a traffic-lane it should do so at a right angle to avoid endangering ship traffic using the traffic-lanes (although traffic in the lane does not automatically have the right-of-way1). To minimize the amount of time a crossing ship spend crossing the traffic-lanes, there should be a right angle between the lane direction and the keel direction – even if currents might shift the actual direction of the ship's movement to some angle other than 90 degrees.
Locations
Further information: List of traffic separation schemes
TSSs are used in locations where there is a lot of traffic (busy shipping areas) where not regulating the traffic would lead to more accidents. In Europe, many TSS areas are found around the Southern part of the North Sea including the English Channel. Other TSSs are in place off Land's End and around Ouessant (Ushant).
Well-known TSS locations include the English Channel, German Bight, Singapore, and Cape Horn. The Dover Strait/Détroit du Pas de Calais was the first International Maritime Organisation (IMO) approved traffic separation scheme in the world in 1967.23
Other TSS areas can be found in the Mediterranean Sea, western side of the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific.
See also
- TSS in the Channel chartlet published by the British Maritime and Coastguard Agency
- IMO, Ships' routeing
- Article 10 of the anti-collision rules of the German Water and Shipping Authority (in German)
References
Collision of the Cornelis Vrolijk and the ferry Primrose (Dutch), visited 20 November 2009 http://www.knvts.nl/S&W%20archief/Aanvaring%20vrolijk%20primrose.pdf ↩
"The Dover Strait". Dft.gov.uk. Retrieved 2012-10-15. http://www.dft.gov.uk/mca/mcga07-home/emergencyresponse/mcga-searchandrescue/mcga-theroleofhmcoasguard/mcga_-_hm_coastguard_-_the_dover_strait.htm ↩
"Fairway" (PDF). Autumn 2011. Retrieved 2012-10-15. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) http://www.rin.org.uk/Uploadedpdfs/ItemAttachments/Fairway%2033-web.pdf ↩