In the same way that roads are signposted to provide information to cars, boats also need signage.
This signalling is known as maritime beaconing and, as with land signals, its purpose is to offer information to seafarers to ensure much safer navigation.
If you plan to take sailing trips , it is important to know the beaconing.
If you would not enter a road without knowing the signs, you would not do it in the sea without knowing the marking well.
In this article we are going to learn more about maritime beaconing and how it improves safety on the high seas.
Marine Beaconing System
The maritime buoying system consists of a series of floating devices called buoys or beacons.
Like traffic signs, the use of this beacon is international.
To ensure that all vessels could enjoy safe navigation , the maritime beaconing system was created to unify navigation criteria.
It is important to note that this is a physical system, but maritime beacon signals can also be supplemented by electronic means.
The maritime beaconing system is regulated by the IALA/AISM (International Association of Lighthouse Authorities) or, in other words, the International Association of Maritime Signalling.
This international system was created in the early 1970s to solve a problem.
The problem was that, in the past, there were more than 30 maritime beaconing systems.
That there were so many different systems was confusing and, obviously, ended up being dangerous.
It was necessary to create a new international system that would unify all criteria to facilitate safe navigation for everyone.
Although the system itself is quite old, it has been developed and improved over the years.
This has allowed the system to adapt to the use of new technologies and, of course, new vessels.
Thanks to this signage, it is much easier to avoid all kinds of dangers and much safer navigation is achieved.
Maritime beacon signs
The maritime buoying system is divided into two main regions.
In the first region, region A, is Europe, Oceania, Australia and Africa.
Excluding Korea, Philippines and Japan .
Por el otro lado, en la región B, nos encontramos con América (sur, central y norte), incluyendo a Corea, Filipinas y Japón.
The main difference in these two systems has to do with the use of colors.
While in system A the green beacon means starboard and the red one port, in system B it is the opposite.
Maritime beacon signs serve as an informative guide for boaters, so they have a wide variety of uses.
This system is quite complete and is capable of covering all possible situations that could occur in the open sea.
Marine Signaling Beacons
One of the main uses of marine signaling beacons is to indicate areas that are special in navigation.
By using these beacons, you can also highlight possible complications or dangers that could occur during navigation if circumstances change.
Another use is to mark the depth of the water.
This is very important, especially to indicate a shallow area to prevent the boat from colliding.
They also facilitate navigation by delimiting navigable channels as well as adjacent waters.
Through the use of maritime beaconing, the entrances to the ports are also marked.
They are also useful to make sure that the marked course is followed in the right way.
All of these brands can vary depending on whether it’s day or night.
While during the day the marks have a cylindrical, spherical or conical shape, these can be black, green, red, yellow or white in any combination.
When it comes to the night, the colors are different, as they are red, yellow, green, or white with different rhythms of light.
Nautical buoys
Nautical buoys have a wide variety of functions as we have seen in the previous section and, in addition to this, they are also of various types.
Each type of nautical buoy has a series of particular characteristics, so we can easily differentiate them into 6 different categories.
Marks of new hazards: This category includes all those marks that serve to indicate the most recent risks within that maritime area.
It is common to use these marks when there is a sandbank, a recent subsidence or, for example, rocks that could be dangerous for boaters.
These new hazard marks are used during the 23 and 72 hours prior to the issuance of the corresponding nautical warning .
Side markings: These marks mark the sides of a channel.
The objective of these marks is to delimit the channel so that the forks and the way of navigating it is much more understandable for the navigator.
It is with these marks that the port and starboard beacons that we have previously mentioned will be used and whose color changes depending on the region where the system is located.
Cardinal Marks: As if it were a compass, these cardinal marks are intended to indicate north, south, east and west.
For easy reading, the 4 beacons are placed forming a quadrant.
Thanks to these markings, the deepest areas, the presence of a possible threat to navigation and also the safest side to navigate can be indicated.
Safe Water Markings: These markings indicate the deepest areas and therefore the safest areas for the boat.
The purpose of these marks is to indicate the easiest sections to navigate, but also the entrance to call areas or ports.
Isolated hazard marks: When there is a specific danger in the waters, it can be signalled with these markings.
In this case, the buoy must be placed on top of the risk so that the boat can easily avoid it when sailing.
Special Markings: Finally, as the name suggests, these marks serve to indicate a special condition.
These conditions can be of all kinds, for example, an area reserved for the practice of military exercises, sports or scientific use, among other options.
These special markings do not necessarily have to indicate a hazard to navigation, but they do offer important information so that any boat passing by them can pay attention to the situation that is happening.
