Traffic separation scheme

<h2 id="objectives">Objectives</h2>
<p>Objectives of IMO Routeing Schemes:
</p>
<ol><li>Help reduce and manage head on situations for the streams of opposing traffic</li>
<li>Help manage crossing situation arising while entering or coming out of port</li>
<li>In areas of offshore activities, directives regarding safe distance from the installations</li>
<li>Providing routes for deep draught vessels</li>
<li>Avoiding presence of routine traffic from some areas as desired by administration</li>
<li>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.</li></ol>
<h2 id="crossing">Crossing</h2>

<p>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-way<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a>). 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.
</p>
<h2 id="locations">Locations</h2>
<p class="note">Further information: <a href="/facts/List_of_traffic_separation_schemes/AoJ951m1">List of traffic separation schemes</a></p>
<p>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 <a href="/facts/Europe/DTAtrKfh">Europe</a>, many TSS areas are found around the Southern part of the <a href="/facts/North_Sea/htGJNmsb">North Sea</a> including the <a href="/facts/English_Channel/UPjaSEXf">English Channel</a>. Other TSSs are in place off <a href="/facts/Land%2527s_End/yttRx1s3">Land's End</a> and around Ouessant (<a href="/facts/Ushant/MHHvVVUd">Ushant</a>).
</p><p>Well-known TSS locations include the <a href="/facts/English_Channel/UPjaSEXf">English Channel</a>, <a href="/facts/German_Bight/kqjX0ng5">German Bight</a>, <a href="/facts/Singapore/CQDkhUvD">Singapore</a>, and <a href="/facts/Cape_Horn/pQweprXb">Cape Horn</a>. The Dover Strait/Détroit du Pas de Calais was the first
International Maritime Organisation (IMO) approved traffic separation scheme in the world in 1967.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a>
</p><p>Other TSS areas can be found in the <a href="/facts/Mediterranean_Sea/Vr2pzVbM">Mediterranean Sea</a>, western side of the <a href="/facts/Atlantic_Ocean/EI4uChIb">Atlantic Ocean</a> and the <a href="/facts/Pacific_Ocean/bdxgXRVM">Pacific</a>.
</p>
<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Oswego-Guardian%2fTexanita_collision/fYfVNjxq">Oswego-Guardian/Texanita collision</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Vessel_traffic_service/TC6naQVe">Vessel traffic service</a></li></ul>

<ul><li><a href="http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20101007103452/http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga07-home/emergencyresponse/mcga-searchandrescue/mcga-hmcgsar-sarsystem/channel_navigation_information_service__cnis_/dops_-_dover_strait_tss_chartlet.htm">TSS in the Channel</a> chartlet published by the British Maritime and Coastguard Agency</li>
<li><a href="http://www.imo.org/en/OurWork/Safety/Navigation/Pages/ShipsRouteing.aspx">IMO, <i>Ships' routeing</i></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.elwis.de/Schifffahrtsrecht/Seeschifffahrtsrecht/KVR/Teil-B/Abschnitt-I/Regel10/index.html">Article 10 of the anti-collision rules of the German Water and Shipping Authority</a> (in German)</li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1"><p>Collision of the Cornelis Vrolijk and the ferry Primrose (Dutch), visited 20 November 2009 <a href="http://www.knvts.nl/S&W%20archief/Aanvaring%20vrolijk%20primrose.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.knvts.nl/S&W%20archief/Aanvaring%20vrolijk%20primrose.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:2"><p>"The Dover Strait". Dft.gov.uk. Retrieved 2012-10-15. <a href="http://www.dft.gov.uk/mca/mcga07-home/emergencyresponse/mcga-searchandrescue/mcga-theroleofhmcoasguard/mcga_-_hm_coastguard_-_the_dover_strait.htm" target="_blank">http://www.dft.gov.uk/mca/mcga07-home/emergencyresponse/mcga-searchandrescue/mcga-theroleofhmcoasguard/mcga_-_hm_coastguard_-_the_dover_strait.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:3"><p>"Fairway" (PDF). Autumn 2011. Retrieved 2012-10-15. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) <a href="http://www.rin.org.uk/Uploadedpdfs/ItemAttachments/Fairway%2033-web.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.rin.org.uk/Uploadedpdfs/ItemAttachments/Fairway%2033-web.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
</ol>

Traffic separation scheme open-in-new

Traffic separation scheme